food.

This is the heftiest category on my blog. Over 6 years ago, this blog started as a humble collection of my favorite recipes. That led to culinary school—and my affection for knives—which led to work at a nearby restaurant and teaching at a cooking school. Now I fly around the globe on food-sponsored trips and am building an urban farm near Gasworks Park in Seattle.

‘Food’ includes hoards of recipes and kitchen tips, easy explanations of cooking methods, frequent obsessions with seasonal ingredients, lots of Italian food (I lived there for a year), plus learning to make everything from cheese to bitters to fruit leather. And without apology: you can count on an orchestrated parade of martinis.

chicken salad recipe with raisins

05/14/2013 | 4 Comments | Topics: food., recipes, snacks

… [more] Ants on logs? You should offer this ‘snack’ to your kiddos if just for their reaction. When I was young, ants on logs was the descriptor for celery piped with peanut butter topped with raisins. I picture the clever mother who coined the term: a tease or dare to get her little ones to reach for a healthy snack.
A handful of my friends and I have been playing with

asparagus recipes & asparagus health facts (plus: applause for seasonal eating)

04/17/2013 | 6 Comments | Topics: food., vegetables

… [more]
I remember a crabby moment a decade or two ago—a bit of an ‘a-ha’ moment. I was walking through a grocery store, and had this sudden [late to the party] realization that I was staring at the same produce options year-round. I didn’t know who to be crabby at. How was it possible I didn’t know what produce was ‘seasonal’!?
For as long as I could remember, there were lemons

cherry streusel coffee cake recipe (and ruminations of a morning on the farm)

02/28/2013 | 9 Comments | Topics: diy farm, farm., food., recipes, snacks

sweet cherry coffee cake @talkoftomatoes - 08

… [more]
I imagine the farmhouse full of early morning hustle and bustle. Up at the crack of dawn, out in the barn with a pitchfork, boots with crusted mud from the day before*. If I were that farmer, I imagine saying hello to the snorts of pigs and the loud squawking of ducks and chickens. My eyes take in the status of my crops—I lean over to inspect some garden greens.

miscellany chili recipe

02/17/2013 | 5 Comments | Topics: default dinners, food., recipes, soups

… and there is chili on the stove.
That is my pat answer all winter long. With teen-very-active sons, keeping warm, homey food at the ready is one of my top mom priorities. When I am in my zen-mother moments, I am filling the kitchen with chili for after school, baked breads and cookies, big bacon-laced breakfasts and so forth. All winter long, chili on the stove is not uncommon—and… [more]

homemade granola recipe with raisins

02/09/2013 | 5 Comments | Topics: edible gifts, food., recipes, snacks

My brother emailed me mid-breakfast to say: he and [my 7 year old niece] Lily were enjoying my homemade granola—and Lily would like the recipe. I had given all of my siblings a little stash of homemade goodies for Christmas, and my homemade granola was part of each gift. This versatile granola recipe with raisins… [more] is not only easy to make, but I venture to bet: better than any store-bought

how to make dried apple chips

01/30/2013 | 6 Comments | Topics: food., recipes, snacks

Mom, the laundry room is insanely cold again… can you make more apple chips? This seemingly disjointed request actually makes sense in our ‘under-construction’ home. With tons of DIY remodeling, we have had to cut heaters here and lights there, put up tarps and dust yet another layer off all furniture.
A casualty of remodeling is a very cold laundry/bathroom. No heat reaches this room, and we keep the door… [more]

pumpkin bread recipe with raisins

01/21/2013 | 10 Comments | Topics: food., recipes, snacks

Luckily, this recipe makes two loaves. A good thing when you have lots of opinionated palates in the house. One pumpkin bread loaf stayed plain as the plain blue sky and the other pumpkin bread was chock full of golden raisins and walnuts (I personally would not be opposed to studding pumpkin bread with dark chunks of chocolate. I am just sayin.’)

I hadn’t made pumpkin bread in quite some… [more]

Irish strawberry liqueur recipe

12/28/2012 | 4 Comments | Topics: diy food, farm., food focus, food., libations, recipes

I love when blog traditions emerge, whether it is taking the month of August off (like the Italians) or making sure to herald Halloween cocktails each year. Some annual events/topics stick around, while others—like Centerpiece of the Month or Brown Bag Blues—go by the wayside (the centerpieces took way too much time to manage, and my brown bag blues blog finally slid into the snacks… [more] category of Talk

pecan tassies recipe | Christmas Cookies

12/15/2012 | Comments Off | Topics: food., holiday food

This has Better Homes and Gardens (BHG) written all over it. I went to see their kitchens in Iowa—I kid you not. On my late-summer visit to Iowa corn country… [more], we tucked in a visit to the BHG test kitchens. It was a bit surreal, especially considering BHG has been part of my reality since I was 6 years old… when I frequently clipped out pictures, words and recipes