kitchen adventures
Let me say this straight out: I’m spoiled. I am accustomed to good health, abundant food, and reasonable comfort. Unfortunately that hasn’t been the case this past month: I’ve been a coughing, hacking, miserable wreck. Cooking has been the last thing I could imagine doing. Some days, it was a struggle
Crisp and savory, these cheese crackers are perfect as a snack, to go with soup, as an accompaniment to wine or cocktails. They are crispy, crunchy, a little bit salty, and ever so cheesy. Not only do they taste perfectly wonderful, they’re easy to make, and keep well in an
Chow-dah. If you have fish stock on hand, you’re in luck: this New England fish chowder goes together quickly and without fuss. If you don’t already have the stock, the process is a bit longer, but don’t let it stop you! Follow the link for fish stock and reduce the
I’ve been intrigued by the sous vide cooking technique since I first heard of it: what if I could cook things in water, which transfers heat so much better than air does, as in the oven? What if I could keep the food dry, but immerse it in liquid, and cook it
These buttery shortbread cookies are a family favorite: they are both simple to make and delicious to eat. This version is spiked with shards of crystallized ginger. Made with unbleached wheat flour, these cookies are definitely not gluten-free. Shortbread comes from Scotland, where it was made with oats. I’m planning to
This is a treat: it takes a bit of time, but it’s all simple steps. It’s just the kind of thing I like on a weekend morning. I make pots of tea and coffee, putter around in the kitchen for a bit, clean up while the pancake is in the oven,
Happy Thanksgiving to all those celebrating the U.S. holiday – and for those who just plain like foods of the autumn harvest. I’m not likely to post for a few days, as I have my own kitchen preparations to make: not only for a day with family and friends, but
I forgot all about it. It was ten months ago, that’s my excuse – but I had completely forgotten that I had one more box coming from City Commons CSA: the Thanksgiving Box. Imagine my surprise, when the email came: come get your box on Monday. I double-checked, and sure enough, I
If I weren’t paying attention to the calendar, the weather would be telling me the news: the growing season is over. We’ve had a hard frost, and there’s snow in the forecast for today/tonight. I have to face facts: no more boxes from City Commons. I’ll miss the parade of vegetables! One
It’s week 20, which means the last distribution of the CSA season. We’re expecting a hard frost this weekend, so we couldn’t expect the bounty to continue, yet I’m sad to see the end of the weekly parade of vegetables. This week’s box contains butternut squash, leeks, carrots, kohlrabi, kale, potatoes,
Week 19: it’s almost the end of the 20 week CSA season. This week’s box contains kale, collard greens, sweet potatoes, lots of jalapeño peppers, mixed salad greens, mustard greens for cooking, butternut squash, potatoes, and a lovely bunch of mint. There have already been frosts, so I don’t expect to see
Wet chilly weather today, and I’ll bet there are wet chilly farmers, too. My CSA box was dry and ready in the storage shed. This week it contains leeks, mustard greens, Swiss chard, potatoes, parsley, green onions, mixed salad greens, eggplants, and what I can only assume are the last
I’m Maurita Plouff, and I write about cooking and preserving the local harvest in Southeast Michigan. Any recipe you find here is something I have cooked myself, and enjoyed, and think you might like too. I invite you to try the recipes, and leave comments.