The Rosemary-Lemon thing has been mainstream for awhile now. Lemon Cake with Rosemary Glaze, Rosemary and Lemon Roast Chicken, Rosemary Lemon Shortbread Cookies, Rosemary Lemonade…need I go on? The piney qualities of rosemary and the bright spark of lemon are just a winning combo. This drink is no exception. Seasonal Meyer lemons and still-verdant rosemary…
How To Grow Arugula In The Pacific Northwest
It is inconceivable to me that arugula of all plants got pinned as a vegetable of elitism in American politics. Are you kidding me? Belgium endive, sure. Forcing chicons in the middle of winter just screams “I have people to do that for me.” Even cauliflower I could see; that’s one finicky veg. But arugula?…
How To Make Beef Jerky At Home (With Four Recipes)
Jerky is a favorite snack around here. The kids will eat it as willingly as sweet stuff like muffins or cookies, and it’s easy and lightweight enough to carry around in a jacket pocket or mom purse. The only issue we have with jerky is the price – have you costed out grass-fed beef jerky…
What Does Climate Change Mean For Gardeners?
A few weeks ago the smartest dude I know got a bit maudlin about how warming waters over the Arctic and methane burping forth from the melting permafrost is likely to increase the speed and effects of climate change. (Read more here and here.) This, in combination with the polar vortex in the midwest and the…
Roasted Carrots with Feta and Parsley
This is a simple side dish that turns even bulk, supermarket carrots into something special. The combination of the sweet roasted carrots and the salty feta works really well together, and the parsley and lemon keep everything fresh and bright tasting. This dish couldn’t be simpler – toss carrots in olive oil and season with…
The Bee Smoker Cocktail
What happens when the light and lovely classic cocktail The Bee’s Knees goes to the dark side? You get this – The Bee Smoker. The Bee Smoker is a cocktail for big, peaty Islay Scotch lovers who want something a little more playful than a finger of Highland Park 25, or who are trying to…
Toxin Free DIY Citrus Cleaner
As you may have noticed by my Meyer lemon obsession, it’s citrus season, and I couldn’t be happier. As I’ve mentioned before, any pretense of locavore principles goes out the door for a case of mandarin oranges or a perfect, juicy grapefruit. While I’m paying the karmic debt for the food miles it takes to…
How To Make Salt Preserved Meyer Lemons (The Easy Way)
It’s Meyer lemon season and I’m going nuts. (Meyer lemon curd, anyone?) Regular readers probably already know how much I love salt-cured lemons. They are an essential condiment around my house, worked into salad dressings, braises, rice pilaf, fresh salsa and more. Last year, I ran out of salted Meyer lemons in July, with months…
Three Steps To Reduce Your Consumption
I’m not here to shit on anyone’s Target habit, but I imagine most of my readers agree with me that lowing our overall consumption is a good idea. Consuming less lowers our environmental impact. Less consumption usually means less spending, and most folks like having more money or less debt. At a personal level, many…
Easy Cabbage and Pasta with Creamy Mustard Sauce
The dish came about as so many do. I was searching for inspiration in the fridge and found only cold, leftover cooked pasta and a head of green cabbage. Cabbage and noodles can seem ho-hum, but more than one civilization has applied culinary alchemy to them and made greatness happen. I won’t claim this dish…
The Fennel Bailey Cocktail
Gerald and Sara Murphy were rich ex-pat Americas living la Vie de Bohème in 1920s Paris. They threw fabulous parties for their artist and writer friends – F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Pablo Picasso, Cole Porter and other luminaries – who lined up to enjoy the expertly mixed (and fully hosted) drinks developed by Gerald. The…
Oil Pulling: Never Again
Have you heard of oil pulling? It’s one of those things that’s all the rage in natural-living circles right now. If you read up on oil pulling, you’ll hear that this traditional Ayurvedic oral care technique naturally detoxifies, whitens teeth without chemicals, strips teeth of plaque, kills harmful bacteria that have taken up residence in…