Posted on

Everyday Cabbage Salad

Everyday Cabbage Salad

An Easy Salad for the New Year

“Lee put down his darning, moved his sewing basket to the floor, and changed his glasses.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

I took a big holiday break, and hope you did too. With some much needed breathing space I took a dive into Scandinavian fabrics and designers. Marimekko fabric currently has my undivided attention. Next trip to Ikea you will find me in the fabric department. Also Lotta Jansdotter books. Her Swedish workshop would be a dream vacation. I’ve signed up for her San Francisco workshop. READ MORE . . .

Posted on

Toasted Sesame Peanut Bars

Toasted Sesame Peanut Bars

A very good snack bar

“You’re burning that bacon. Charles turned quickly back to the stove. It’ll just be crisp, he said, I like it crisp. He shoved the bacon out on a plate and broke the eggs in the hot grease and they jumped and fluttered their edges to brown lace and made clucking sounds.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

It’s that time of year when sweets and all manner of other highly caloric scrumptious foods appear. The temptation to over indulge is everywhere. I’ve got a little diversion. It will satisfy the craving for something a little sweet with enough protein to power through the afternoon energy slump. The sesame flavor is the star of this recipe with the added bonus of peanut and coconut. A huge explosion of flavor and texture in every bite. This is a snack bar for those who enjoy the subtle flavor and crunchy texture of sesame seeds. There is anticipation of a great home made snack when the aroma of toasting sesame seeds fills the kitchen. Then the mingle of warm honey, peanut butter, coconut and vanilla seal the deal. READ MORE . . .

Posted on

Whole Wheat Sesame Tahini Cookies

Whole Wheat Sesame Tahini Cookies

A Great Cookie

“Every petal of blue lupin is edged with white, so that a field of lupins is more blue than you can imagine. And mixed with these were splashes of California poppies. These too are of a burning color—not orange, not gold, but if pure gold were liquid and could raise cream, that golden cream might be the color of the poppies. When their season was over the yellow mustard came up and grew to a great height.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

It’s already May and the only thing I know for sure is that a great cookie will brighten any day. Reminiscent of the iconic sesame candy halva, these cookies are fabulous. The edges are crunchy with sesame goodness while the center of the cookie stays soft. It all began with this recipe for The (Prodigal) Sesame Seed Cookie that I made last Christmas. I ended up making two, double batches. My chocolate loving family gravitated to these buttery cookies, scooping up two or three at a time. I knew then that this new flavor combination was worthy of more exploration. The backbone of this recipe comes from Maida Heatter’s Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Cookies. I took a different path and went sesame. READ MORE . . .