Right, I know. Tequila. You’re saying to yourself, “I don’t drink tequila. See, there was this one time in college and all I remember is I woke up on that grassy patch in front of the Mechanical Engineering building when the sprinkler started and hit me in the face and somehow my underwear was on…
Cooking
The Hemingway Daiquiri
Ernest Hemingway is one of my father’s favorite authors. I grew up surrounded by The Old Man And The Sea, The Sun Also Rises and For Whom The Bell Tolls (about that last one – don’t ask). My favorite Hemingway piece has always been The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber. Or maybe A Clean,…
The Gin & Ginger Cocktail
If one were really, truly stretching the definition of healthy, one might consider this cocktail medicinal. Fresh citrus combines with raw muddled ginger root, a bit of botanically infused gin and bitters and just enough sweetness to help the delicious medicine go down. The result is a bit spicy, a bit lip-tingly and undeniably delicious:…
The Dark and Drizzly Cocktail
I keep trying to love that classic cocktail, The Dark and Stormy. Perhaps it’s my lack of Gosling’s Dark Rum, or my lackluster appreciation for rum in general that does it, but The Dark and Stormy’s combination of dark rum, lime and ginger beer has yet to win me over. To me, The Dark and Stormy…
How To Make Simple Syrup
I was at my local Yuppie-Hippie market and saw that you can actually buy Simple Syrup for cocktails. Like, pre-made, with a label and everything. A beautifully designed 12-ounce bottle of the stuff will only set you back about $7. Wait, SEVEN DOLLARS? For sugar water? It’s really quite shocking that I don’t get thrown…
Beet and Apple Salad with Yogurt-Dill Dressing
My kids love this salad. It’s full of big, chunky pieces of roasted beets and apple, and has a mild, creamy dressing. And it’s bright pink, which adds to the fun. If you want something a little more sophisticated than a Barbie Ferrari colored salad at the dinner table, just spoon the dressing over the…
The Marmalade Old Fashioned
Inspiration, Part One I picked up a bin of what I thought was “chicken scraps” from my local yuppie-hippie market a few weeks ago and found myself in possession of a lot of free organic citrus. Since my chickens don’t eat citrus, and since I hate food waste, I made marmalade. My dad used to…
What To Make When You Have Too Many Eggs
It happens to almost every chicken keeper eventually, I think. Your girls are putting out the eggy goods faster than your family can eat them. Our flock as it currently stands has gifted us up to a dozen eggs in a day, and 8-9 per day is pretty typical. When I find myself staring at…
The Apple of My Eye Cocktail
Do me a favor. Don’t call this an Apple-tini, ok? Okay, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, Happy Valentine’s Day! Make this drink for the apple of your eye and prepare to impress. It has all the flavors of a luscious, juicy slice of apple pie without being cloying. The Apple of…
4 Sensational Winter Salads To Eat Now
Last Sunday I presented a garden-to-table cooking demo called Sensational Cool Season Salads at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show. I showed how to make salads that highlight great winter produce. I’m always a huge bundle of nerves before any public speaking engagement, but I think it went pretty well. I crammed four salad demos…
The Naughty Belle Cocktail: How Ladies Who Lunch Drink Bourbon
Ah, The South. Where the women are elegant, the peaches are juicy and the booze is Bourbon. Let a Southern Belle loose in the pantry and she might very well develop this cocktail. It’s strong balanced with sweet, homegrown, and very easy to love. Just like a Southern woman. I’m going to assume that every…
Rosemary Meyer Lemon Drop
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…