We’ve been having grilled artichokes at least once a week since they started coming into season, try ’em this way and you’ll never go back to boring old steamed/boiled artichokes. They are so good you don’t even need a dipping sauce! For real. They are packed with so much flavor from the herbs, garlic and lemons […]
Spring is here and the new potatoes have arrived! New potatoes are small, delicate, freshly harvested potatoes- hopefully with a little dirt still on their paper-thin skins. New potatoes are best simply boiled and buttered, with a few savories tossed in to highlight their tenderness. This super-simple side dish was a favorite of my mother’s […]
When the wild violets appear, you can be sure, sunshine is on it’s way! These little woodland wildflowers are among the first blooms of spring to appear, but you have to look carefully, because they are so tiny, and of course, quite shy. They love to mound up in clusters where the forest meets the […]
All hail the mighty kale, right? Maybe the height of kale-mania has passed, but this super-food is here to stay, and we will eat it every-which-way! Especially this time of year, when leafy, winter veggies are about all we can grow in our gardens and scavenge at the farmer’s markets. Oh, yes, the late-winter doldrums have […]
Spring is here! Though I’m bewildered by the undeniable effects of climate change this “winter”, the sunshine is kind of nice. The dandelions have been popping out all month, so in an effort to embrace the present, I made some dandelion jelly! As you can imagine, picking dandelions and snipping their tiny petals, is quite the […]
I sure hope everyone did a little something special for Fat Tuesday yesterday! I took the kids to the hot springs pools in Calistoga, which is much more relaxing than cooking all day, like I usually do! Even after a long day at the spa, I was still able to come home and pull off a delicious […]
Can you imagine this: You sip coffee on the couch while a beautiful, delicious, breakfast cooks itself in about 20 minutes? There’s bacon, too! I’m serious, this is how we roll. Every. Single. Saturday. 5 minutes to prep, 5 minutes to clean-up. It is the Easiest Weekend Breakfast EVER! Saturday mornings at our house start with […]
The kids and I spent the afternoon working on these super cute, fairly easy, definitely low-cost, Sweet Pea Valentines for their class parties later this week. We love to garden, and make are own cards, so these hearts with grow-your-own seeds glued to them was the perfect project for both the 3 and 5 year-olds. […]
These are, hands down, the best chocolate chip oatmeal cookies that you will ever make! It’s a big statement, I know, but once you try them, you’ll never go back to your old recipe. These cookies are almost lacey-thin, crisp, perfectly caramelized, and instantly devoured in our house. The recipe is based on one from […]
The winter garden is quiet and bare, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t work to be done. A little maintenance and planning now will ensure a beautiful and bountiful garden in just a few months. Gardeners understand the importance of “slow and steady” and work through these chores without getting overwhelmed. Our gardens always need a […]