Let me guess..The friends, family, co-worker, neighborhood holiday parties are filling your calendar and you’re trying to decide what food to bring. We all want to bring a great dish to the party, but we don’t want to slave over the stove while our friends are laughing and drinking bottles of bubbly in the other room without us! The solution is a dish that you can prep ahead of time, just pop into the oven and serve.
I love a bowl of chili when its chilly outside. It warms you up and fills you up, without even trying too hard. I really enjoy trying chili when I’m out at local restaurants because EVERY chili is different. When I do, I waiver between meat or vegetarian chili, and either will do. But when it comes to my own homemade chili, I prefer strictly vegetarian. I’m always adding variety to my homemade chili by changing which vegetables I include or adding and omitting to the variety of beans. It continues to keep each bowl of chili unique.
Quiche is so versatile. It’s a dish that can be made into breakfast, lunch or dinner. Nearly any ingredient you think of can be added to a quiche and turn out incredibly delicious. This versatility makes it a staple in any kitchen. Once you’re familiar with the crust and egg:cream ratio, the variety of quiche are endless. With the bounty of tomatoes in my garden and the beautiful fragrant basil that sits in my kitchen, this Tomato Basil combination just seemed natural. This quiche not only served us up a FULL helping for dinner, but breakfast or lunch the next day as well!
Last Sunday was a Northern Michigan PERFECT summer day, a warm and sunny Sunday. I spent the morning in the garden harvesting a bounty of fresh produce and the afternoon by the water reading a great book and jumping in the cool, blue lake. Truly, it couldn’t have been a more perfect day.
Heirloom tomatoes are beautiful, colorful gorgeous fruits. They make salads brighter and bolder. These heirloom varieties also have a historical context too, as their seeds have been passed down through several generations. Preserving their diverse varying colors and incredible flavor.
Summer is a beautiful time that I absolutely cherish, especially living in Northern Michigan. The weather is beautiful, the sun is shining and there is plenty of fresh produce to be found. My summer weekends are often packed with activity on the water and in the sun. Its the simple things that make my weekend special. A 9 Bean Rows croissant and Higher Grounds Coffee while at the Farmers Market on a Saturday morning. An early morning run with my dog when the weather is still cool and the sun is rising. The calm, fresh water on my skin… simple, yet it means everything.
It doesn’t get much better than a Northern Michigan summer. In July and August there is no where else I’d rather be. The fresh water lakes, gorgeous beaches and plentiful barbecues keep me tied to the shoreline snacking on fresh fruit until my fingers (and inevitably my white skirt) are died a deep red or purplish hue. I cant get enough of the fresh fruit scene you’ll find at local farmers markets this time of year. From blackberries, tart cherries, peaches, blueberries, raspberries and more, I’ll stuff my belly and my freezer to the brim.
Its truly summertime and salads have been on my mind a lot lately. Its not just because this is swimsuit season, but rather the available local produce is growing and my salads are becoming more colorful and flavorful by the minute. In my opinion, salads (and most dishes for that matter) turn from good to better when you can keep these two factors in mind: Color & Texture.
’tis the sweet spring season for Wild Leeks! Their garlic scent and spring onion flavor are a true sign of the season, and I’ve been really looking forward to foraging some of my own now that the weather is beautiful. It truly takes every ounce of self-discipline I have, on days like these, to keep myself indoors and productive during the 9-5 work day. Luckily for me, my boss is a sweet, kind 70 year-old active man who loves and encourages an afternoon walk through the forests in our “backyard.” So on Monday afternoon during my beautiful afternoon excursion, I brought along a butterknife & went foraging.
I love books, and book clubs are a great place to gather for book lovers. Throughout my life I’ve always made time for reading and I truly enjoy fantastical and fiction-themed stories that take me away to another world. When a new friend suggested a Book Club with a gathering of like-minds and plenty of food and drinks, there was no way I could miss it. I couldn’t think of a better way to explore stories with engaging conversation. Plus, the opportunity to get to know new friends who clearly share my interests was an opportunity worth taking. We’ve since filled the cold months with warm fires, four great reads and plenty of conversation on and off the topics of the books themselves.