I spent the morning removing thorns and then the afternoon pruning. Literally and figuratively. Last night we went to a lecture by Anne Lamott, a childhood favorite of mine (odd, as most the audience were women in their sixties), and I left with a sense of urgency to address the untended parts of my life. […]
Category: Dinner
Cedar Plank Salmon and Walnut Fudge
I wear this razory fishhook/of crucifix/look… It hangs right here/near the heart’s/hidden room Where a table is set for me. -Franz Wright I met this poet in college and I remember he looked like he was in pain. Just constant pain. His poems sound now to me sort of like the way he looked […]
Tomato Tart and the Maine Marathon
After KP and I finish a marathon, as a woman, there is really nothing like the experience of eating a whole pizza by yourself. And thinking to yourself, I still probably need a few more calories to make up today’s deficit! KP and I just finished our 28th marathon, in pursuit of the 50 nifty […]
Ethiopian Cuisine for Dinner Club – Turn Down For Wat
The discovery of Ethiopian spiced butter is the first inkling of holiday warmth. Forget pumpkin spice latte, cook down ghee with every wintery spice on the shelf, simmered for an hour until it tastes like the Sun fell into the Indian Ocean. For the last week I’ve been finding ways to put niter kibbeh (the […]
The Monosyllable of the Clock can be Love, Love, Love – Fish Tacos and Thai Basil Dumplings
In the fleeting moments of another fleeting Sunday evening, we make time to feed ourselves. A few hours of heating spices and loosening vegetables from their fibers and adding sprigs of color to the plate like painters their palette. I’ve been reading Tennessee Williams through again, Streetcar Named Desire. The week his play debuted in […]
Summer’s End with Green Lasagna
Someone left the bougainvillea on all night. Michael Dickman has the most wonderfully strange end of summer poem “Lakes Rivers Streams” with lines jumbled together like berserk frayed edges of a beach blanket. I think the day knows exactly what’s its doing… The good news is ferns… Meanwhile inside a belly button… Meanwhile real sunlight […]
Eggplant Parmigiana and Homemade Marinara
Delighted to enjoy some education at the IFBC conference this weekend in New Orleans. I was honored to host the IFBC Pub Crawl with Mark of Beyond Bourbon Street. We met so many wonderful food blogger colleagues, among the best–The Great Eight and Chef Julia— and enjoyed Compere Lapin, W.I.N.O., and Catahoula, among other favorites in […]
It’s Going to Rain Today – Scotch and Gumbo and Vegan Coffee Cake
Thunder is shaking the house. The summer skies are darkened with heavy clouds full of water that just started spilling over onto the rooftops. I’m watching rain pelt the roof of the bright orange house next door and feeling grateful for all in life that serves to cover and shelter us. At times I am […]
Soy Glazed Ginger Salmon and Peach Hazelnut Crumble for SatchmoFest
This time last year we went to SatchmoFest in the French Quarter, and practically swam home. To mark the anniversary of last year’s unexpected flood in New Orleans, we decided to repeat everything exactly as we did last year, tempting the fates to hit us again. When the downpour started during Ellis Marsalis’s set on […]
Minnesota Homecoming and Vegetarian Humm Dogs with Crisps
Maybe the secret of life is learning to find home everywhere. We visited one such home, Rochester, MN, this weekend and I was in tears to find that hot dish is still one of my primary love languages. So wonderful to reunite with members of our ever-extending family. And we stayed a night on a […]