About

By Jen

I was raised in a clan of cooks. I have spent thirty years continuing to cook for my tribe. Sharing food, that communal act of nourishment, is a legacy that I feel a deep kinship for. When I pinch a pie crust topping, I always think of my Aunt Carol; when I make enchiladas, I think of my great great-grandmother from Mexico, Delores. Pot roast reminds me of my mother and grandma Martha together. I have so many memories of gatherings that always were accompanied by food - don't we all? I may not remember the meal but I remember the laughter.

Coming together was always a celebration and there was always a sense of the food as one of the magical, nourishing ingredients that made that happen.  The tribe has changed - kids grow up, get married, move away. My Aunts and Grandmothers are gone but my mom still makes the best pot roast. Recipes are passed on; new favorites emerge, and we love to share what we are learning with each other.

This blog site is set up as a catchall for the cooking/kitchen adventures of a quirky multi-generational community of family and friends. As the person who tends to post the most on this site, I use this space to answer questions from the younger generation and put up recipes that they may want to make in their own kitchens. They have also started to post their own recipes and dishes.

This blog is basically an invitation to anyone who wants to nourish their souls and bodies. I believe that when we slow down and take the time to prepare a meal - whether we share it with others or simply feed our own palate - we are engaged in the act of love. Self love, love of others - putting good, wholesome ingredients together to feed our bodies is vital on so many levels.



Enjoy!



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Question: What can I do with a bunch of chicken?

By Jen
You are at the market and you see a 'bunch of chicken' on sale and you buy it. You're being smart economically but the question is now what to do with all this wonderful protein? Let's back up a bit. Before you go to the store, do a little planning. Markets usually have meats for sale in bulk. Chicken thighs, legs and breasts are often sold in bigger packages that lower the price per pound a bit. If the bones and skins are still on - the savings can be even a little more significant. Before you go to the store, plan on spending about 30 -45 minutes when you get home prepping whatever you are buying. Here's a note to self - don't go shopping an hour before you are going to be a starving maniac. Shop on a Sunday morning when you can relax, think and prep without it bumping up against work or hunger. So this is what I've done over the years - I like to buy thigh meat. When I've needed to save money, I've bought bone/skin intact thighs in big fa...
Read more

Super Tasty Red Sauce - with Spinach, Olives and Pesto

By Jen
 I was really making lasagna - and that dish did happen but its for a family gathering in a couple of days. I had left over red sauce, homemade pesto and some spinach. Sounded pretty good to me for pasta. Anyway - it tasted so good I thought I'd better write it down. The red meat sauce was a bit of a mix today. I used a pound of ground buffalo meat along with a pound of chicken mild Italian sausage (PCC). After this browned in some olive oil, I scooped it out of the pot and then added in a diced onion, leek, and a lonely shallot that had nowhere else to go. I like to cook onions and their ilk slow to soften, not burn. I add a little salt and pepper too. After the onion mixture is starting to get a little golden (and soft!) I add 3 cloves of chopped garlic. When the garlic gets aromatic, I add back in the meat and then follow that up with two 24 oz cans of crushed whole tomatoes and one jar of marinara sauce. I usually wash out the cans and jar with about a cup of water, adding that...
Read more

Crab Chowder with Cilantro Pesto

By Jen
Image
* Updated April 2022 as I visited my faraway child in KL...  This is a family favorite and one of my daughters, my faraway child, is craving this soup. The challenge is to bring what is a fairly simple chowder recipe to her high-rise apartment in Kuala Lumpur. I'm crossing my fingers that she can enjoy this tasty chowder while abroad.  We found everything - except crab. There are small clawed crabs in the market - but not what you want to sit and pick apart to make chowder. So we used scallops and one lobster tail (that wasn't worth the cost). My hope is that my daughter will play with the recipe to find ways to make it her own. Different chilies for the pesto; fish or other seafood for a crab substitute. Homemade fish or chicken stock made with green onions and ginger - there are so many ways that she will be able to experiment and have fun. For now, however, she wants the 'taste of home' - so we tried to make it as close to our NW favorite as we could. Let's get s...
Read more