Fall

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 ...

Quinoa = Ultrafast + Delish + You the Boss

2 November 2010 by Jean Johnson
Here's how ultrafast cooking works in my hippie kitchen. In the morning when I'm having breakfast, I steam up a pot of quinoa. This grain cooks in 10 minutes and has the highest protein of them all. I leave it sitting out at room temperature and then when dinner comes ...

Lasta-vera Frittata with Blue Corn and Hopi Memories & Music

20 October 2010 by Jean Johnson
Yes, I know the lastavera doesn't quite work since vera means spring in Italian. But hey, it's close, and it conveys so well the idea of using vegetables the fall harvest brings through the door. A few posts ago I was lastavering with a grain salad. This time it's with ...

Not Primavera But Lastavera–Harvest Bounty Lush With White Beans and Walnuts

11 October 2010 by Jean Johnson
There's one like this in Hippie Kitchen on page 75, but that was made with summer savory one sunny day in June. Now the days are more golden than sunny, but harvest is plentiful as this Lastavera shows. Broccoli, tomatillos, green chiles, leeks, tomatoes, and garlic--all from the garden--all flash ...

Freezing French Cut Green Beans & Happy Birthday to John Lennon

9 October 2010 by Jean Johnson
I don't have a cake to offer on behalf of John Lennon's 70th birthday. But I think if the man were here he'd welcome my French cut green beans with knowing look through his blue tinted granny glasses. Honest food from my no chem garden. A celebration of harvest. Putting ...

Flash Cooking’s Where It’s At

14 April 2010 by Jean Johnson
Flash cooking is the heart of my kitchen scene. It nets me plenty of fresh seasonal vegetables in short order--warm salad style. I've talked about it many times here on the blog, but people resonate with the idea so, that we did a video. It's a 6 minute clip from ...

Cast Iron Skillets and Great Scratch Cooks

19 March 2010 by Jean Johnson
Facebook friends, Laura and Emily, commented on my cast iron skillet, so thought it time to share this entry from the pages of Cooking Beyond Measure. There's both a video of me reading and below that the text so you can follow along. Enjoy... Cooking Beyond Measure, p. 72. On Roasting Vegetables— Vegetables ...

The Economy, Feeling Fit, and Slicing & Dicing

13 February 2009 by Jean Johnson
The economy's lurking outside our doors like the big bad wolf. We want fresh ideas on thrift, yet we hope to maintain an enjoyable quality of life. It can happen. We can eat exceedingly well and tighten our belts. All it takes is lightening up and having some fun ...

Fresh Sprouts Help the Cause

31 January 2009 by Jean Johnson
Our street is fortunate to have some old-school, retired neighbors that are always there for you. During our big snow when my car was blocked by a hip-deep drift, I was headed out to catch a bus to the post office when Glenn Bell said, "Heck, I've got chains on. ...

Inauguration Slaw 44

18 January 2009 by Jean Johnson
With Barack Obama--our 44th history-making president-- poised to take the helm, we're all thinking about the inauguration. What better way to celebrate than making Inauguration Slaw 44. Indeed, this slaw represents what Mr. Obama is about and what he's asking from us as Americans. It's about change--change in our consumption habits, ...