No lie. After years of trying to like them, and hating them, I finally cooked them…and ate them..and mostly…..liked them. It is hard to believe. Watching my daughter’s face when she comes upon something disagreeable, a face we all must have been born with but learned over time to mask out of politeness, is exactly what I have always felt eating beets. The perfumy dirt that lingers from a beet is something I always found gag-inducing and I could even pick the subtle beet notes out of a fruit smoothie. Sometimes I  had trouble with eating swiss chard or even … Continue reading →

Today is an important day in remembrance and gluttony. In some odd tangle of fate, both my dad and my husband’s mom died on this day a couple years apart. And then just a couple years later, a good, old family friend also found it a good day to go from this world to whatever comes next. Some people find it spooky and think we need to be extra cautious. I feel that this day is now closed and was simply an easier day to travel. My due date for my daughter was March 31st and I felt convinced she … Continue reading →

After a couple weeks of half attempted vegetarian cooking, relying too often on a variety of ‘fake meats’ like black bean burgers and chik patties, I wanted to try something new. My understanding of seitan was murky at best. I wasn’t sure if it was like a tempeh, kind of chewy and nutty and crumbly or something else entirely. I had flipped through the book Grub again, looking for some new ideas and came across a seitan stew of sorts. Based on a dish by Rick Bayless, whose recipes and tv show I’ve always enjoyed, it was a chipotle, tomato … Continue reading →

Some might call it quiche. I suppose the truly hopeful might describe it as a custard. But do not be misled. This is tofu pie. You can imagine that was not an easy sell going on day 24 of our meatless month. “What’s for dinner tonight?” – Ryan “Um, quiche!” – Me “With tofu. Ok, it’s tofu pie.” – Me (Slight gesture as he turns away from me hinting, perhaps, at the attempt to cover up a slight gagging sensation.) “What?” – Me (knowing exactly what) “I’m just suppressing the urge to throw up a little.” – Ryan “Oh, come … Continue reading →

Is that a great lead-in to a blog post about food, or what? So I’m in the tail end fog of nine days of sick. It all started about halfway through my daughter’s birthday party when she quickly faded into a 103 degree fever. After a hot, mostly sleepless night I took her to the doctor who said her minor cough had turned into a “touch” of pneumonia. I didn’t realize one could have just a “touch” but one inhaler shaped like Donald Duck, some antibiotics and a few days later and she was starting to feel tip top. I, … Continue reading →

I’ve been craving some sticky, brothy, soulful Japanese food and really thought that is what I’d make tonight. Looking through one of my favorite cookbooks, Washoku: Recipes from the Japanese Home Kitchen, I was slightly tortured by pictures of crispy salmon and ground meats and thoughts of sushi almost made me weep. So I decided to go outside and ponder further. Once I set foot outside and breathed the sunshiny air, I decided to cook up a bunch of spring vegetables instead. All I had to go on at home were a variety of grainy items, a zucchini, a couple … Continue reading →

Often I build a meal (or an outfit) around a single item. Last night it was the vat of romesco we had leftover from the previous night. When I think romesco and I’m not allowed to think grilled chicken, steak or shrimp, I think potato and eggs and grilled vegetables. As we had pretty much that exact thing the night before, I figured I’d reconfigure and use up what we had left. Envisioning something similar to a spanish tortilla, I made a small dice out of the remaining purple, red and yellow potatoes and zucchini as well as 2 shallots. … Continue reading →

Well, I didn’t fall off the horse, really, and that’s after cooking a pile of sausage and bacon for a birthday brunch without eating even a taste. But I was feeling sort of in the slumps motivation and inspiration-wise and needed some new zizzle to finish the month. Fortunately, yesterday I got my Super Natural Cooking cookbook back from a friend. I also had a day and a half of lounging around the house cuddling with my poor fevery daughter so I had some time to think and plan. It truly makes all the difference. At the end of two … Continue reading →