By Jeanne, on April 1st, 2011
By Jeanne, on November 4th, 2010
Please send help. The Swiss chard has established a stronghold in our garden and won’t surrender. It’s been going strong since springtime and shows no sign of slowing down. It may have wilted during the hottest, driest days but has never failed to rejuvenate itself overnight. I wish I could say the same for the tomatoes, radishes, and carrots that we planted. Swiss chard has definitely been the superhero of our garden this year and at this rate, these same plants may just be the superhero of next year’s garden too.
Continue reading “Swiss Chard, Tomato, and Ricotta Calzones” »
By Jeanne, on September 25th, 2010
I love to discover the subtle regional differences in condiment use, especially toppings for French fries. I have always been a strict ketchup user, never quite comprehending the use of ranch dressing or chili as a topping for fries. And don’t come anywhere near my fries with mayonnaise! For that matter, just keep the mayonnaise off of my food altogether. Thank you very much.
But now, our neighbors to the north have introduced me to a whole new world of French fry bliss. It’s called Poutine.
Continue reading “Classic French-Canadian Fare: Poutine” »
By Jeanne, on September 10th, 2010
The aroma of nutty whole wheat pastry crust, browning butter, and melting cheese hung in the air as this galette baked. I resisted the urge to pull it from the oven before it was finished baking. Quickly and carefully, I transferred the piping hot galette to a fresh piece of parchment paper for its photo shoot. I snapped a few quick (blurry) photos, then got to work slicing and eating this galette. When you make this for yourself, you’ll understand.
Continue reading “Swiss Chard Galette” »
By Jeanne, on September 1st, 2010
This pizza was inspired by our favorite local pizza place. They put all kinds of crazy toppings on pizza – mashed potatoes, peanut butter, pasta, cream cheese, scrambled eggs, and many more! My favorite pizza is topped with mashed potatoes, BBQ sauce, chicken, and mozzarella. Since I stopped eating industrially processed meat, I have missed eating this pizza.
Opportunities to purchase meat that satisfies my current standards (local, small scale, pasture raised, respectfully slaughtered) are few and far between. When I went on a farm tour at Quail Springs permaculture farm, I got the chance to order a couple of chickens from livestock manager Brenton Kelly.
Continue reading “BBQ Chicken Pizza” »
By Jeanne, on April 5th, 2010
I’ve only had polenta once before, when my boyfriend cooked it for me. He loves a good cooking experiment just as much as I do. We had been intrigued by it in the store, not quite knowing what to make of the large yellow tube that appeared ready to burst at any moment. We decided that it was pretty tasty, and I vowed to use it again.
When I came across a recipe for polenta made from scratch, I knew I had to try it. Plus, the addition of mushrooms in this recipe forced me to push my comfort zone. I don’t like mushrooms very much. It’s definitely a texture thing, so I figured that if I chopped them finely enough (and tried not to think about it) I could enjoy this dish.
Continue reading “Sun-Dried Tomato Polenta Cutlets” »
By Jeanne, on January 4th, 2010
When we spent the weekend in Big Sur, we ate two breakfasts and one dinner at the Big Sur Bakery. I fell in love. I needed more than one weekend to try each breakfast pastry and every type of pizza.
I’ll go back someday soon, but for now I’ve got their cookbook. When I saw the potato frittata recipe I remembered seeing the frittata in the breakfast pastry case. I didn’t try it while we were there, but now I can make it at home!
Continue reading “Potato Bacon Frittata” »
By Jeanne, on November 29th, 2009
The taste of good, homemade macaroni and cheese brings me back to my childhood. One of my favorite dishes has always been mom’s macaroni and cheese. Rich, creamy, cheesy, ooey, gooey goodness. It is definitely our family tradition.
Continue reading “Flavor of the Month: Baked Mac N Cheese” »
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