Recipes

A few years ago, I was walking through our farm gardens, when all of a sudden I turned around, and there stood a hungry tiger, licking his chomps. “Hmmm, that’s a peculiar non-native species to roam the Wisconsin countryside,” I said to myself, and then ran like hell across the field. All of a sudden, I […]

Lovin’ Fresh is a series of recipes designed to showcase produce gathered from local farms or grown in my own garden.   With the rising costs of food (and everything else to boot), I’m sure I’m not the only one who has vowed to be more frugal with menus by using up what’s already in the fridge before heading to

June ushers in the busy summer season at our Wisconsin farm and B&B, Inn Serendipity. But while our schedule may be hectic, I confess, the breakfast menu is not. I’ve discovered a culinary formula over the past dozen years living the B&B lifestyle: The fresher the ingredients, the simpler the recipe can be. By showcasing

Well, after my last post on eco-friendly junk food, I feel like I need to redeem myself a bit with another healthy salad. (See, my Kale, Quinoa and Avocado Salad recipe for the first installment of this series.) This recipe came about when I had a craving for home made spring rolls, but couldn’t find

I was over at my lovely mother-in-law’s house yesterday, and I noticed how well her window box full of herbs (a gift from my husband and me) was doing. The basil was out of control–in a good way. I asked her what she was going to do with the basil, and she said she didn’t

I went to an unfamiliar greenmarket today and had the pleasure of meeting a whole new group of farmers. One vendor was not a farmer at all, but a forager. In fact, he has an entire network of foragers throughout Canada who trade products, enabling a far longer season than would otherwise exist (the man

Following my goji berry coup in Chinatown last week, I found myself with an embarrassment of riches. What to do with all of these berries? Where before I meted out a small handful to enjoy at the bottom of a tea cup, I was now free to make recipes that included whole cups of goji.

There are two things I look forward to, more than anything, with the coming of summer: caprese salad with creamy mozzarella, ripe tomatoes, and fresh basil from my herb garden, and strawberry shortcake.  When I was younger, I so anticipated the strawberries, absolutely my most favorite fruit in the world, which we only got in

Lovin’ Fresh is a series of recipes designed to showcase produce gathered from local farms or grown in my own garden.   Reading Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant, which is where today’s recipe comes from, got me thinking about the pleasure and occasional shame that is a solo diner’s.   In a restaurant, dining alone, you may cower,

This is a simple and flexible recipe for all seasons – even if you don’t have local fresh organic tomatoes. When tomatoes are in full season, it is fun to mix it up and try different varieties. I like mixing in a few sweet cherry tomatoes.  In the off-season, I use Muir Glen organic canned

Ok, so according to the calendar, it may not be summer quite yet, but in California, the avocados are just starting to ripen, which is how I mark the start of the season. And when the weather starts getting warmer, I start turning to lighter, fresh meals. This quinoa-based salad is easy to prepare, and

Lovin’ Fresh is a series of recipes designed to showcase produce gathered from local farms or grown in my own garden.   I love eating with my eyes first.  I know many a foodie has said that before, but the look of a dish can often mean more to me than the taste.  Lucky for everyone, this

In junior high school, I had a quirky music teacher (is there any other kind?) who would occasionally launch into monologues on a myriad of topics including, but not limited to: what a loser her ex-boyfriend was; amusing malapropisms from her overbearing opera coach, Hilde; and life “on the stage.” I remember these well because