Forget the food! Here’s the table setting before we filled every possible surface with a bowlful of stuffing.
2 comments | Candles, Cranberry Sauce, Nambe Candlesticks, Plates, Salt and Pepper, Silverware, Stripes, Swedish Candles, Table Cloth, Table Setting, Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. This was the second year in a row in which I was cooking in isolation from my extended family in Michigan since relocating to Minnesota. I miss having my whole family together and all their different contributions to the meal. On the other hand, cooking in Minneapolis for a […]
5 comments | Brussels Sprouts, Carrots, Cider Cocktails, Clancey's, Cranberries, Cranberry Sauce, Dressing, Free Range, Gravy, Green Beans, Holidays, Mashed Potatoes, olives, organic, Parsnips, Pickled Green Beans, Potatoes, Roasted Vegetables, Rye Whiskey, Stuffing, Thanksgiving, Turkey, Turkey Breast, Turkey Confit, Turkey Liver Pate
It’s a cruel irony that heat of the late summer sun that produces perfect tomatoes and fragrant basil also makes our homes so hot that the thought of even turning on the oven – let alone cranking it up all the way for perfect pizzas margherita – is unbearable. By the time I’m willing to […]
No comments | Butternut Squash, Fall, Feta, Gorgonzola, Leeks, Pizza, Potatoes, Seasonal, Walnuts
True, Halloween hasn’t even happened yet, but Thanksgiving is growing near. The Wedge, the source of the turkey pictured here, has already posted their Thanksgiving hours on their homepage and will begin taking turkey orders on Monday, November 2. Tomorrow will be the last day for the Midtown Farmers’ Market, but as Minneapolis/St. Paul Magazine […]
3 comments | Clancey's Meats and Fish, Farmers Market, Linden Hills, Midtown, Mill City, Minneapolis, Thanksgiving, The Wedge Coop, Turkey
Let me start by saying I don’t like squash. I kind of hate it. It’s certainly not an aesthetic objection: nothing brightens up the drear of the fall farmers’ market quite like all the whimsical varieties of winter squash – impossible to resist! This combination of compulsive buying and strong dislike leads me to accumulate squash […]
5 comments | Acorn, Butternut, Challenge, Delicata, Fall, Indian, Kuri, Mexican, Roasting, Seasonal, Spaghetti, Squash
When a new vegetable first comes in to season, all I want to do with it is prepare it as simply as possible. A little fat, a little seasoning, and let the vegetable speak for itself. The year’s first asparagus? Lightly steam it and toss it with butter and salt. Sweet corn? Shuck, boil and […]
2 comments | Ana Sortun, Cilantro, Cinnamon, Fall, Ginger, Kuri, middle eastern, Moroccan, North Africa, Onions, parsley, Phyllo, Pie, Saffron, Seasonal, Spice, Squash
Tom and I enjoyed an afternoon of grape picking at St. Croix Vineyards on Saturday. The staff at the Vineyards started us off with lunch and wine, then we headed out into the vines for a lesson in picking. We used clippers to remove the bunches of grapes and any dried or bird/bee eaten ones […]
6 comments | Grape Picking, Grapes, Minnesota Wine, MN, St. Croix Vineyards, Stillwater, Vineyards, Volunteering, Wine
The light chill today was a reminder that fall – my favorite cooking season – is upon us. Fall brings many hearty possibilities ruled out by summer’s heat; suddenly it is possible, even desirable, to have the oven on for a few hours. Enter the braise–meat and vegetables stewed in rich liquid until tender. This […]
2 comments | Apples, Braise, Cabbage, Crab Apples, Fall, Fennel, Onions, Pork, Seasonal
Let’s be honest: I’m not the pickling artist in the family. Normally I leave these things to others, but something needed to be done with the two banana peppers from last month’s trip to the market–they were starting to look a little sad. Wishfully thinking about pizza possibilities, I decided there was no choice but […]
2 comments | Banana Peppers, Bay Leaf, Canning, Dried Chiles, Garlic, Mustard Seeds, Peppers, Pickles, Refrigerator Pickles
Eighty degree weather notwithstanding, I can’t shake the feeling that summer is soon to end and that a short fall will in no time at all be heralding in dark, cold winter. But as far as the farmers’ market is concerned, these fears are unfounded: fall might be around the corner, but there is still […]
4 comments | Basil, Cucumber, Eggplant, Elizabeth David, France, French, French Cooking, Goat Cheese, Heirloom, Olive Oil, Onions, parsley, Peppers, Produce, Provence, Ratatouille, Real Bread, Seasonal, Squash, summer, Tomatoes