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Reducing One Time Use Plastic Bags

Produce Storage Options

Reducing one time use plastic bags in the kitchen with mesh bags, reusable produce storage containers and terry cloth bags.

“After awhile, said Cyrus, you’ll think no thoughts the others do not think. You’ll know no word the others can’t say. And you’ll do things because others do them. You’ll feel the danger in any difference whatever—a danger to the whole crowd of like-thinking, like-acting men.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

The new year is synonymous with change, resolving to do better, be better. A marker of personal improvement. This year I’m making an attempt in reducing use of one time use plastic bags. It’s a simple resolution, yet requires a commitment to changing behaviors decades in the making. As far as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is concerned my resolution doesn’t really matter. It’s only if more us begin to reject all the one time use plastics and cardboard we consume that true change will occur. READ MORE . . .

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Homemade Potpourri for the Holidays

Homemade Potpourri

The warming spices of winter in an easy potpourri recipe for the holidays.


Aron seemed perfectly calm. He sat in the living room, looking at cartoons in old numbers of the Review of Reviews. From the kitchen the odor of the bursting juices of roasting turkey began to fill the house.
East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

We humans are makers, creators, hands busy creatures, dreamers. We know what motivates us, where we find our joy. All that talk about results oriented, achieving goals can cloud the joy in doing. I find it spilling over from my previous life in management. I track myself with lists, the daily, the goals. The, the, the. Attending the International Food Bloggers Conference really clarified my motivation to blog. I find joy in the making. When lost in the process, the doing is my bliss. I’d bet you’re a creative too, because we all are. This year’s IFBC experience was like having my vision checked and then realizing that my new glasses helped so much. I couldn’t believe I was making do with my old pair. Why did I wait so long to see clearly?

Essentials

Homemade Potpourri for the Holidays is a project that rewards the doing. The best way to start making potpourri is to take a brisk autumn walk. Gather fallen pine cones, seed pods or dried berries. All these autumn things are currently littering every path and sidewalk. The experience of gathering and choosing each item begins the creative process. I like an array of colors, shapes and textures but choosing just one item from outside and bringing inside is all you need. Once in the kitchen the aroma of warming spices, apple and tangerine are a pure jolt of winter bliss. I made a big batch so I would have extra for gifting. Even a small project of one bowl of Homemade Potpourri for the Holidays has its reward. This isn’t an exacting recipe for potpourri, it’s more of a nudge of inspiration to set you on a path of autumn discovery. Make your own joy. READ MORE . . .

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Lemon Verbena

Dried Lemon Verbena

Have you discovered Lemon Verbena?

Joe held the cup to her lips, and she drank the tea in little sips, breathing in over it to cool it. That’s enough, she said when the cup was only half empty. How was the night?

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

Have you discovered lemon verbena? It’s an easy to grow herb that has the scent and flavor of lemon. It’s sweeter than a regular lemon, even sweeter and milder than a Meyer lemon. The older leaves are tougher and best for tea. The newer, more tender leaves are easier to chop finely to use in baking. If combined with lemon zest, the whole lemony thing gains intensity. It can be used in place of lemon zest in most recipes. Classic shortbread cookies flecked with lemon verbena and lemon zest are a lemon lovers dream. I’ve infused milk with the leaves and then made a mildly herbaceous and lemony cake. Pound cake or shortcake destined for soaking up summer berries and their juice sing with it’s assistance. For more lemon verbena joy Bon Appetit has several recipes and so does The Kitchn. READ MORE . . .

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Quick Pickled Strawberries and a Kale Salad

Quick Pickled Strawberries

Quick Pickled Strawberries and a Salad to Remember

The word got around when a girl really wanted to know.
East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

More strawberries? Why yes, but savory this time. It’s spring and local berries make me insanely happy. April’s Food in Jars Mastery Challenge is quick pickling. All manner of vegetables can be pickled, with a variety of vinegars, spices and herbs. I’ve shared quick picking before, spicy red onions and earthy beets. But pickling sweet berries was an entirely new concept. When I read about Quick Pickled Strawberries I was intrigued. I had to give it a try. And wow, what a pop of flavor! Sweet and tangy, all at the same time. A salad to remember, Quick-pickled Strawberries are perfectly matched to the robust flavor and texture of kale.

Essentials

If you’re losing interest in salads, listen up, quick pickling will have you not only making healthy salads again, but craving salads again. The time it takes to make quick pickles is minimal. The tangy flavor boost quick pickles offer is nothing short of amazing. Quick pickling is not hours spent in the kitchen, chopping tons of vegetables or using canning gear. Quick pickling can be fifteen minutes of meal prep to jump start a week of healthy salads. All that is needed is a spotlessly clean jar with a tight fitting lid, vinegar and salt. The barest hint of sugar and spice add to the intrigue. The choice of what to pickle is entirely up to you. READ MORE . . .

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Pomegranate Jelly with Balsamic Vinegar

Pomegranate Jelly with Balsamic Vinegar

An Easy Jelly Making Adventure

“The Trasks were well established in Salinas. Lee, once he had given up his brackish bookish dream, made a new kind of place for himself in the house beside Reynaud’s bakery. On the ranch his possessions had never really been unpacked, for Lee had lived poised to go someplace else. Here, for the first time in his life, he built a home for himself, feathered with comfort and permanence.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

This months’ Food In Jars Mastery Challenge was just the motivation I needed to try making a jelly I’ve thought about making many times, Pomegranate Jelly with just a hint of balsamic vinegar. Not enough balsamic vinegar to taste, but enough to add depth, a mystery flavor, to the naturally tangy pomegranate. Jelly now gone rogue, somewhat sweet and very spreadable, a fitting accompaniment to toast and crackers. What I really, really like about this jelly is its’ use in either sweet or savory applications. It’s somewhat akin to cranberry sauce or lingonberry jelly. Definitely making this very easy Pomegranate Jelly recipe for the winter holiday season. Cranberries take a rest, a new flavor has arrived. READ MORE . . .