kitchen adventures
After what seemed like an eternity of 95+ degree weather, when the high temperature dropped into the 70s, it felt quite cool! That was when I felt like using my oven again. These were everything that mushrooms should be – fragrant, delicious, sizzling – and then, alas, they were gone.
You know how it is: you need something for a quick supper, and have no idea what to do with the random collection of things in the fridge. I had leftover cooked spaghetti noodles, bits of chicken, and three small bok choy. I have found that the trick of using
I knew that when I read this in Marisa McClellan’s new book, Food in Jars, that I just had to try it. The only bad part is that I have to leave the jars alone for at least a week so the flavors blend. It’s hard to wait! I doubled
This is one of the best ways to use cucumber in my opinion. Slice cucumbers thinly, then put into a sauce with yogurt, garlic, and dill. Some people prefer to use chopped mint – it depends on what you have on hand. Good with gyros, lamb meatballs, salads, as a
I was lucky enough to find about 5 pints of freshly picked black raspberries at a local farm market. Naturally I scooped them right up, and brought them home to make one of the best jams I tried last summer. This is inspired by Marisa at Food in Jars, whose
I’m responding to a request for chewy molasses cookies. These are not thin ginger-snaps, but have the texture of soft sugar cookies, with a crackly top crust. A hit at my house, they never last more than a few days – though they will supposedly keep well. Makes about 2
Subtitle: what to do with your rising bread dough when the power goes out. I mentioned today to someone in exactly that position that you can rescue bread dough by cooking it on a stovetop. When we lived in the woods in New England, our power lines were, shall we
I was never much of a ‘pickled beets’ fan. What was the point? Dill cucumbers were way, way better. And then we had a sudden surplus of fresh beets. I had to do something with them, and it was too hot for borchst. Turning to my library of cookbooks (why
Every summer I preserve the season’s bounty. I’ve just finished a huge weekend of canning, following last weekend’s canning session, and my cupboards are full. The last weekend of August found us with cucumbers and beets in abundance, and the peaches at the farmers market were just too good to pass up. So
2 1/4 c sifted flour 1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt 1 3/4 c sugar 1/2 c (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature 1/2 c vegetable oil 2 large eggs 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/2 c plain yogurt or buttermilk 2 c grated unpeeled
I first found the recipe for this in the book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. I’ve tweaked the spices, because I like them a bit more assertive. 1 egg, beaten 1/2 c unsalted butter, softened 1/2 c brown sugar (packed) 1/3 c honey 1 1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract 1
More inspiration from Marisa at Food in Jars is this black raspberry jam. As she suggests, this jam uses a bit of commercial pectin, because black-raspberries would otherwise give a very loose set. Makes about 6 half-pints. 8 c black raspberries, about 2 quarts of berries 3 c sugar (much less than
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.