• food,  recipes

    A Sunny Springtime Recipe

    It’s been awhile since I’ve featured a recipe on this blog and, since warmer weather is finally here, I thought I’d share one of my favorite springtime meals. I first had this dish a few years ago when a friend made it for me from her Barefoot Contessa cookbook. I have made it several times since, and have modified it slightly to lighten it up. Though it is still by no means a diet dish (nothing dreamed up by the Contessa is), it tastes light and has less fat than Ina’s version. This pasta dish also tastes great leftover, even if served cold. LEMON FUSILLI WITH ARUGULA Modified from a…

  • beer,  beverages,  booze,  cheese,  food,  local,  microbrews,  nerdiness,  recipes

    A Recipe for Wintry Weather

    It’s been snowing all day here in Madison. My daffodils and hyacinth are covered in glistening chunks of ice. There’s almost nothing good about winter weather in spring, except for the fact that it gives me an excuse to make just a few more hearty meals before turning to lighter, springtime fare. And nothing says hearty like beer and cheese. As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received a stipend from New Belgium Brewery to purchase their beer and create a recipe with it. Since I can’t drink beer these days (I’m 28 weeks pregnant), the next best thing is to cook with it. Most of the alcohol cooks…

  • food,  recipes

    A Quick and Delicious Weeknight Recipe

    Is it just me, or is life moving faster than usual these days? When I’m busy, my cooking falls into a rut. That’s why I was eager to try out this hearty, delicious, and easy soup idea from a fellow food blogger. Since I’m incapable of following a recipe, I added a few of my own touches. It’s perfect for a quick weeknight meal, and tastes great as leftovers. If you want some extra protein, you can add cooked Italian sausage. It’s also great accompanied by a loaf of crusty bread. Tasty Tortellini Soup Adapted from a recipe posted by Melissa Bakes Yield: 3-4 servings Ingredients: 2-3 tablespoons olive oil…

  • food,  recipes

    The Great Chili Debate

    My foodie friend, Amy, and I have a debate that resurfaces every winter. She’s from Texas and believes with the zeal of a Bible-thumper that chili should be burn-your-mouth hot and consist of large chunks of steak-like stew meat. Beans, to her, are sacrilege, as are any kind of carbs in the chili. I grew up in Green Bay, where chili is made with ground beef, flavored with spices of the type that sell for $0.99 at the grocery store, and served with macaroni noodes. Where I’m from, chili is also relatively mild, to suit the Northern palate, though I always put Tabasco on the table for those who want…

  • cheese,  coffee,  green living,  local,  recipes,  restaurants,  writing

    A Winter Pick-Me-Up

    When I opened my February 2011 copy of Food & Wine magazine, an unusual picture caught my eye. A band of adults and kids, all of them clad in bright parkas and clutching broomsticks, were captured mid-sprint in a game of broomball on an ice-covered lake. The scene looked like a modern Norman Rockwell painting. It also looked vaguely familiar. As I turned to the article that went along with the photo, I realized it looked familiar because it was familiar. The article featured Madison’s own chef Tory Miller, of L’Etoile and Graze restaurants, and the photo was taken on Lake Mendota. As pointed out in the article, which was…

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  • farms,  food,  green living,  local,  recipes

    Celebrating Local Farmers

    Yesterday when I checked my mailbox, I saw the winter edition of Edible Madison magazine nestled among the usual holiday ads and credit card applications. I was excited not only to curl up with the magazine and feast on food-related articles, but also to take a peek at the finished product of the feature I wrote about John and Dorothy Priske of Fountain Prairie Inn and Farms. To write the article, I had a great time hanging out with the Priskes on a fall Saturday at the Dane County Farmer’s Market, where they sell grass-fed beef and pork. I also drove out to their beautiful farm in Fall River, Wisconsin,…

  • food,  holiday,  recipes

    Happy Thanksgiving…and a Recipe

    If you’ve ever had the honor (and the stress) of hosting Thanksgiving, you know how important it is to have at least some dishes you can make ahead of time and then just pop in the oven before dinner. When my husband and I hosted our first Thanksgiving, we had timelines taped up all over the kitchen as to what went into the oven (or, in the case of the turkey, the fryer in the backyard) at what times. Yeah, we’re both a little Type A. The following recipe has become a Thanksgiving favorite in my family and, as an added perk, it’s easy to make and can be prepared…

  • food,  recipes

    Bread Baking for Dummies

    I love bread. And I’ve become a bit of a snob about it, too, because I’m spoiled by friends and family members who are fantastic bakers (which also happens to be my mom’s maiden name…go figure).  But here’s the thing: I’m really, really busy. Between blogging and writing and working and occasionally getting up from the computer to stretch my legs, I don’t have much time left over for proofing yeast and kneading dough. Luckily, my friend Maya gave me this super easy, fix-it-and-forget-it recipe for bread. Similar recipes have been featured on the New York Times’ Minimalist column and the always-gorgeous Smitten Kitchen blog. The only hitch is that…

  • food,  local,  recipes,  wine

    Don’t Hate Them Because They’re Ugly

    If you ever see someone crawling on the sidewalk underneath the tables at the farmers’ market, that person would be me. In late summer and early fall, I will be close to the ground, digging through the boxes of ugly tomatoes that aren’t perfect enough to put on display. You know the tomatoes I’m talking about–the squishy, cracked, bruised, or misshapen ones. Farmers usually sell them for about 50 cents a pound at this time of year. Most people will take one glance at these ugly tomatoes and walk on by. I ask you to reserve judgment, because ugly tomatoes are perfect for one of my favorite tomato recipes: Bruschetta…

  • food,  local,  recipes

    How to Use Your CSA Veggies in One Dish

    Image by Paul Grant Yesterday I picked up my bi-weekly CSA basket, weighed down with beautiful, fresh veggies from Vermont Valley Community Farm. I’m going on vacation soon, though, and needed to think of a way to use them all quickly. The answer? Pasta salad. It’s one of those “kitchen sink” dishes that allows you to toss a lot of ingredients into it without much thought. I made a boatload of it–enough for 16 friends with whom I’ll be renting cabins over the Labor Day weekend.  Here’s what went into it–these items  just happened to be what I had around the house, but can easily be substituted with other, similar…