Fresh Herbs: A Case for the “Living” Pantry

Good Soup on the Fly

A Little Rice, A Lot of Herbs

Simple Spring Soup

White Beans, Roasted Tomatoes, Spicy Sausage

Summer Lentils and Beans

It’s hot in Portland and getting hotter. We’re not so used to this here. I have been feeling a deep pang of empathy for the millions of people who have been living through the heat wave/drought this summer in much … Continue reading → ... Read more »

Cabbage and Potato Gratin

I didn’t actually think this dish was going to be that good or even remotely blog-worthy. I didn’t take photos as I was making it (wish I had but I did capture the finished product) but then when I  ate … Continue reading → ... Read more »

Winter Veggie Hash, Poached Egg and Salsa Verde

If I were a photographer and a cook then my blog would look like this every week!  I had a photo shoot during a recent cooking class since I’m in the process of redoing my website and blog (and combining … Continue reading → ... Read more »

Simple Italian Lentil and Rice Stew

Rice and lentils are a classic combination. All over the Middle East you find versions of Mujaddara, a dish of rice and lentils garnished with caramelized onions often flavored with cumin. Sometimes there’s a little tomato sauce in the mix … Continue reading → ... Read more »

So Much Produce/So Little Time to Cook

It’s not that I have SO little time to cook it’s that I am preserving or u-picking or really want to be outside while the sunshine lasts. It’s the time of year where I get almost overwhelmed with the beauty … Continue reading → ... Read more »

Summer (Cherries, Green Couscous, Garlic Scapes)

My four-year-old son Ellis and I spent a night at my mother’s place last week.  She lives in the middle of nowhere and has neighbors with cherry trees and fruit picking ladders. Ellis climbed right to the top of this … Continue reading → ... Read more »

Wild Flowers and Summer Lentils

We spent last week high up in the mountains in Colorado with my in-laws. Late June at 8500 feet in and around Rocky Mountain National Park is one heck of a beautiful place to be. I’ve always loved wildflowers but … Continue reading → ... Read more »

Bread (and a Cookbook Giveaway)

I grew up in Germany eating good bread. My mother (the American parent) quickly learned my father’s old world tastes and became an expert bread baker. She made a dense, chewy rye bread with cracked coriander in it and one … Continue reading → ... Read more »

Herbs to the Rescue

Herbs are always at or near the top of the home gardening lists that tell you what things are most economical to grow yourself, i.e. where your gardening efforts will result in the most savings in your grocery budget. Those … Continue reading → ... Read more »

Silver Linings and a One-Pot Dinner

I like to get things done. I usually love working hard, whether it’s prepping for my classes, reviewing budgets, cleaning the bathroom, cooking three meals a day or planting the garden. I think of myself as strong and able, or thought … Continue reading → ... Read more »

The Last of the Corn, Peppers. . .

We are having a beautiful fall here in Oregon. Days are sunny and warm, evenings and mornings cool and sometimes foggy and all those dreaded green tomatoes have (or will!) turn red. The peppers are glorious and abundant in every … Continue reading → ... Read more »

Eggs Poached in Tomato Sauce, Organic Ag, Raj Patel, etc.

Celebrating Mothers and Daughters & Homemade Mayo