Sep 23
Consider this your secret weapon.
Chewy granola bars are an incredibly easy recipe that can serve as a tasty, healthy breakfast, snack, or even a health-conscious dessert (depending on what sorts of delicious little bits you want to sneak inside).
I’m going to be quick about this one, but it’s been sitting in my drafts folder for about a month now. One Friday night Brett and I had plans to make something for dinner – I can’t even remember what it was, so it couldn’t have been that exciting. But he was running late coming home from work, and I was restless, as I often am on Friday evenings, when I have trouble winding down from work. We didn’t have much in the house, except a metric ton of zucchini and four red peppers nearing the end of their useful life. I appear not to be the only one with such a situation, since the two magazines I subscribe to (Bon Appetit and Sunset) had features in their August issues geared toward kitchens stocked with summer produce – heavy on the volume, light on the variety. Sifting through dozens of recipes focused on tomatoes, corn, peppers, and zucchini, I picked out a few quick, easy choices and had dinner ready by the time Brett walked in the door 25 minutes later. Read more
Sep 11
{Note, April 13, 2013: Not sure why this post from three years ago was just republished on RSS feeds, and I’m not sure how to remove it … there are some great recipes here (but some incredibly old/poor quality photos), so you may want to revisit this post, but it’s not a new one! Sorry about that …}
I’d say about 75 percent of the time that I’m cooking, I like to do something just beyond my comfort level. Whether it’s doing a recipe I’ve never done before or changing one I know in a way that makes it slightly different, I generally like to learn a little something new when I’m cooking. But every once in a while – usually on a fairly empty weekend day, or when we have people over for dinner – I like to do something really new and different, or something that scares me a little. That’s part of the reason I put together Food List 2010 – to push me to make the more challenging things I want to have as a part of my arsenal. I figure this strategy will help me learn not only to cook the more everyday items with skill and comfort, but will also lend me the ability to reach out every once in a while and try something a little more ambitious with some reasonably certain rate of success. Read more
I shouldn’t have waited so long to post this one – as far as the climate is concerned, tomato season is nearing a quick and painless end. We had rain (RAIN!) this morning when we woke up, and all day I could think of nothing other than curling up in fleece pants under a blanket with a cup of coffee and my new cookbooks (happy birthday to me!). Read more
Sep 7
I have a “could use” problem. Meaning – it’s all too often that I go into a store (emphasis on delis, ethnic markets, farmers markets) and find food items (emphasis on bottles, jars, spices) that I could use but absolutely do not need. As in: “Oh boy, a 10 oz. bag of garam marsala – LET’S BUY IT. We could use it all the time.” Or, “Of course I’ll use this entire bottle expensive French orange oil, are you crazy? I could totally use that.” Read more
My name is Bowen and I'm a cooking instructor/food writer/home cook in Seattle, WA. I'm dedicated to community-based food systems that nourish people and planet alike, and this site is an extension of my kitchen - seasonal, fresh food and cocktails made with heart (and sometimes an indecent amount of olive oil) to share with friends and loved ones.
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