Category Archives: food

pure yum


Having John back in the kitchen makes everything so right in the world once again! Last year, due to my extended illness, we got out of our local eating habit. This morning after a trip to the Farmer’s Market, we are back in business. I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to be making such conscious healthy choices once again.

Picture above is the bottom layer of a fig, pesto, and mozzarella sandwich that John assembled for our lunch, before it was warmed in the oven. I made the pesto by whirring some basil from our garden with some olive oil, garlic, fresh grated parmesan, and a handful of pecans. Pure yum.

If this is you (the soup brigade edition)…


today’s rose, originally uploaded by pilgrimgirl.

If you had an email message informing you that the “soup brigade” was headed to your house tonight, then you would have heard a knock on your door at about 5pm to find K. standing there with a bevy of bags and bins. She then came in and proceeded to mix up a large pot of homemade chicken vegetable soup (free range organic, of course, with veggies all from a local farm) and giggle with you as you got caught up on the last six months of life. Then at 6:30 another knock at the door brought more friends laden with fruits, dessert, and drinks to join in the fun.

Because if this is you, you might not be at all surprised when these friends made you laugh, fed you amazingly healing food, and then washed every dish and left your kitchen sparkling clean. Because you have the most amazing friends.

I don’t know if you’ve ever had a visit from the soup brigade yourself, but if you have, maybe you are feeling like me right now–eager to get well so you can bring the brigade to the doorstep of someone else soon! 🙂

Note: the flower pic above is from my visit to my garden yesterday morning. My neighbors took such amazing care to keep my plants watered and fertilized during my convalescence. Maintaining my garden is a huge job. I’m not sure how I will ever repay their kindnesses.

a treat


"mochi cream", originally uploaded by perago89.

I just remembered that John bought me a mochi confection yesterday from the Asian market, and it’s waiting in the fridge for me right now.

I am a lucky girl.

it irks me

You know what bugs me? When my kids and/or spouse start hovering around the kitchen at about 4pm saying things like:

What’s that I smell cooking?
Have you thought about dinner yet?
I’m hungry.
Will dinner be soon?

I don’t know why these questions drive me batty, but I suppose it has something to do with the look in some people’s eyes when I tell them we’re having Turnip Toss for dinner and, of course, turnips are their very least favorite food. Or maybe it’s because at 4pm on many days I’m still not sure what’s for dinner and it’s like squirting lemon juice into my “I suck at motherhood” wounds every time I hear that question and I have no answer.

I feel perpetually overwhelmed by the demands of prepping food for two strapping young teens and a verra hungry man-spouse. Adding to that, the late afternoon is probably my grumpiest time of day and so I’m already not on the mood to be reminded of my shortcomings. Yah.

the kind of person I am…


That last quarter of a killer brownie that’s still sitting in the pan from dinner the other night. The one that just keeps getting smaller because everyone else isn’t selfish enough to eat the last brownie…

I eat it for breakfast. No guilt whatsoever. Because that’s the kind of person I am.

Killer Brownie recipe

Really, these are the best brownies. Crispy on the edges, fudgy in the middle. Rich, rich, rich with no fantsy-pantsy chunks or caramel or rice crispies. Just pure unadulterated brownie.

8 oz of unsweetened chocolate (use organic or fair trade so you can eat your brownies sans guilt)
1 cup organic butter (I use unsalted, but if you use salted butter, cut the sea salt to 1/2 tsp or less)
5 free-range eggs (meaning that the chickens are free range, not the eggs themselves…)
3 cups organic sugar (get this fair trade, too, if you can!)
1 tablespoon vanilla (I didn’t use organic, but will when I use up all the vanilla I already own. I’d recommend the special vanilla* for any Mormons trying this recipe)
1-1/2 cups organic white flour (though next time I’ll try a mixing in some whole wheat flour just to see what happens)
1 teaspoon sea salt
optional: 2-1/2 cups chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Melt chocolate and butter in a saucepan over low heat, then set aside (do remember to lick the spoon on this one–it will send you to all kinds of happy chocolaty places). In a stand mixer, beat eggs, sugar and vanilla at high speed for 10 minutes. Stir in chocolate mixture, flour and salt until just mixed. Add the nuts. Pour into greased 9×13 pan.

Bake for 35 min.

*Growing up in an LDS home that eschewed alcohol, “the special vanilla” referred to the vanilla beans soaking in a mysterious bottle of dark rum that we used for our extra-special recipes

photo by yum9me