Lemon Nut Bars

Silent Bob is at it again ... rattling the cover of the empty cookie jar. I always have to chuckle at such a transparent plea for a sweet treat, but I suppose he knows I'll smile and catch his twinkling eye as he passes through the kitchen on his way out the back door. By the time he gets back in from a session down in the woodlot, the kitchen will smell sweet and lemony ... and it will be time for tea.

Ryder and Topalian's Edible Communities !

Tracy Ryder and Carole Topalian may be able to make a killer salad or fresh local fish fillet or free-range beef roast, but what they have done even better is to take the idea of regional foods and food communities and meld the technology of communication and advertisement on the Internet to create Edible Communities a publishing company that sells franchises and editorial support to regional entrepreneurs who want to publish regional magazines that support and advertise for local farmers and artisan food projects, local community gardens, and all things that support the locavore movement. Pretty clever, huh? So, a project that started with Edible Ojai blossomed to 64 regional magazines and counting. Not only do they produce hardcopy of these local foodie magazines so that copies can be distributed at farmer's markets, restaurants and through Chambers of Commerce, but they support on-line editions that are freely accessed and archived ... now, THAT'S game-changing!

Hungarian Csirke Paprikas

What is that under all that orange, you ask? Thick slices of chicken breast that have a warm bath of sweet red peppers, a hefty amount of sweet paprika, soft onions, and plum tomatoes in a chicken and sour cream sauce .... this is Csirke Paprikas - Hungarian Paprika Chicken.

This is a meal for a cold, raw night - a meal to be eaten by candlelight - a meal that calls for a nice crisp white wine ... its soft and silky sauce is perfect with buttered egg noodles. An easy roasted vegetable side or a simple plate of salad greens completes this meal. This is comfort food.

Another Beautiful Cake ... and Ham Salad!

I'm going to a party this weekend and I'm taking a big bowl of this ham salad and a beautiful little cake!

Sichuan Green Beans

Green beans are one of my favorite green veggies ... so when I see them in the market and they are in perfect shape, I buy them. I know. I'm bad. They're NOT in season here in New England, but damn! They looked so good and I've missed them so much since late August! Cut me some slack!

Donna Hay's Sticky Chinese Chicken

Until this week, I'd never heard of Donna Hay. Doing a bit of research, though, gave me a kazillion 'hits' to touch base on ...  from Donna Hay's General Store to the Donna Hay magazine, to numerous news and blog posts on Donna and her bright, crisp, stylish presentation of everything from pasta to potholders! She is, apparently, a media sensation Down Under ... cut from the same bolt as Martha Stewart, perhaps? Her background is squarely in the area of food styling and editing, as she spent her young professional life as food editor at marie clare. Since her early success and exposure, she has been savvy enough to develop a brand and market it to the max. Nothing wrong with that! This past year she stepped into the world of television when she began her fast, fresh, simple. lifestyle show. With an accompanying cookbook release, her star continues to rise.

I am making a fast, fresh, and simple batch of chicken legs today. While Donna's recipe is at its most basic, I did little things to enhance the spices and assure that the meat would absorb as much flavour as possible before I popped it into the oven. I also doubled the amount of sauce so that the legs were almost covered as they marinated.

The Orchard - A Memoir and Apple Turnovers

Today's post is about a good read and a classic pastry treat ... 

White Bean and Sausage Soup with Kale

I call these frost feathers and they are especially beautiful this morning! Every window in the upper story of the grey cottage is decked out with different patterns. The temperature was -8°F … that’s -22°C for those who use the Celsius measurements.