The Spring Kitchen Garden

One of the more enjoyable challenges of edible gardening is figuring out how to eat all the produce you grow. I have 48 square feet in my vegetable garden, plus a small herb garden, and the abundance can be overwhelming at times. Given the premium they charge at the store, I really had no idea…

Mushroom pan sauce

This is an easy and tasty sauce that I used to spruce up tri tip sirloin. This is also an easy way to stick to keto at the end of a long workday when your blood sugar is low and you want to eat ALL the things you see on the way home. This dinner…

Adventures in air frying

I got an air fryer for Christmas and I’m super excited about it. It took some experimenting for me to get stuff right. I had a huge early mishap with fried chicken, but I got it right by the end of my time off. What I’ve found I like best about the Airfryer is how…

Butternut beef stew

One of my absolute favorite recipes of all time. I first discovered this in Georgeanne Brennan’s 1998 cookbook Holiday Pumpkins. Her books are a great resource for home gardeners and anyone with an interest in herbs or French food. This recipe caught my eye because it’s such an unusual combination of squash, poblano and pomegranate….

Pot roast – an easy classic

Nothing says, come in from the cold and cozy up like a pot roast dinner. This is easy to make in a slow cooker or in the oven when you are doing other stuff around the house. I made this one using my Lodge cast iron Dutch oven. Start with a chuck roast. I usually…

Pipián Verde – pumpkin seed mole

I was lucky enough to eat at Poppy in Seattle for restaurant week, not once, but twice! Poppy is the restaurant of one of my favorite chefs and herb gardeners, Jerry Traunfeld. His food is Ah-mazing! What an incredible inspiration for me to eat there. One of the (many) dishes I enjoyed was his chicken…

Chicken soup for the soul

If you’ve been reading this blog, you probably think I eat too much soup. I just can’t help it. It’s so easy to make, so versatile and so delicious. Chicken soup is a perfect light meal for both before and after thanksgiving although maybe swap turkey in the after version. First up is the classic….

Panade and French Onion Soup

I looooooooove French onion soup. So simple, so warming, so delicious. I make it often when I have broth and a fresh bag of onions. And I generally, skip the bread and go with a much more modest dusting of Parmesan instead of melted gruyere, which makes for a low-calorie dinner. It’s very easy to…

Coconut curry soup

I saved a bit of the basil I bought for pesto to treat myself with a warming coconut curry soup. The aromatic combination of curry, ginger, lemongrass, garlic and fresh herbs was splendid for the cold I’ve been fighting. The soup is a bit complicated to make with so many flavors and toppings, but it’s…

Roast chicken: fall comfort food at its best

Once the weather turns colder and darker – or maybe it’s just the perfect meal for football season – I get motivated to roast a chicken every week. I love trying new herbs and flavorings. Plus having leftover roast chicken for soups, salads, and whatnot is invaluable for quick meals. And then of course, it’s…