Holidays

Candied Citrus Peel

30 November 2011 by Jean Johnson
There's no comparison between store bought peel and home candied. The former is skinny and skimpy. The latter, fat and sumptuous. Plus that if you use organic fruits and sugar, you wind up with pretty decent delicacies instead of weird madness. All that and this is the stuff of a thrifty ...

Vegetarian Apple Stuffing

23 November 2011 by Jean Johnson
This is definitely measure free hippie cook kind of stuffing. No pre-planning. A build your own affair with what's around, the apples coming in at the end because there wasn't enough mushrooms and celery in the house to fill the bill--and no one wanted to go to the store. In fact, ...

Getting Our Acts Together with the Sacred Quartet, Squash and Greens, & Frugality

3 January 2011 by Jean Johnson
As usual, it's not what we do but how to do it. Especially when it comes to the measure free hippie kitchen. So those long lists you see in cookbooks about putting a pantry together only go so far by telling us what to buy at the store. Half the ...

Quiche for the Holidays

27 December 2010 by Jean Johnson
Quiche is reliable since it's just a custard with goodies in it that sets up no problemo. Also it's great served room temperature, so is perfect for something like a New Year's buffet. Shrimp Quiche Here's one I did for Christmas with wild prawns that I boiled first, sliced in half ...

Chocolate Goodies for Valentine’s Day

9 February 2010 by Jean Johnson
Here's a video on making Chocolate Goodies. If you don't have a grinder and go the cuisinart route, you might use a little brandy or juice to make things work. The best thing about this chocolate offering is that those of us who don't like dancing up close and personal with ...

Cross My Heart and Hope to Love Polenta Waffles

8 February 2010 by Jean Johnson
Polenta waffles go way beyond breakfast and become first rate Valentine's Day Engagement Pah-tay fare--or fare for most any other holiday party. If you have Cooking Beyond Measure, this do is on pages 42 and 75. Otherwise you can click around the blog for the recipes or just watch me ...

Rock & Roll with Hot Chile Cookies

17 December 2009 by Jean Johnson
The chile absolutely makes these cookies. Red chile flakes are such an affordable, easy boon to cooking. I use them so much that they sit out on my cutting board by the cinnamon and salt pots. Not surprising that they found their way into these sweets. Spice plus sweet. An equation ...

Latina Peaches

6 September 2009 by Jean Johnson
These peaches are inspired by how they treat jicama in Mexico. I also do them with pineapple and melons of all stripes. Expect the fans to roll their eyes in bliss on this one because magic trio sets the sweet fruit off to a very fine angle indeed. Latina Peaches For ...

Rolled Ups (Crepes) for Mother’s Day

8 May 2009 by Jean Johnson
Crepes if you must, but as in the recipe below from Cooking Beyond Measure (page 38), we just call these easy babies Rolled Ups. Crepes have an aura of being special--and hard to make. Special, yes. But au contraire on the latter. For those who really think crepes are beyond them, ...

Ruffled Roses, Brita’s Norwegian Salmon Cakes, Spinach Salad, and Pinot Usher in a Pacific Northwest New Year

1 January 2009 by Jean Johnson
When Susan Coleman asked about my New Year's food tradition I had no answer. No tamales like a proper Mexican madre. No black eyed peas like a good Southerner. Then I opened a Christmas card from my Norwegian relatives and spotted the word fiskekakker (fish cakes). "Why not start a tradition ...