Stephanie says

My friend and I were eating lamb stew the other night, he mentioning that he’d left some bones in for the collagen.   I asked if I could feed the lamb bones to the dogs? “Depends how big they are.   Size is all.” A statement that immediately touched my funny bone for the double entendre.   I countered with, “Yes, that’s what I’ve always heard” while stifling a laugh, but couldn’t contain the smile. He heard the laughter in my voice and knew right where I was going with this.   Given that I delight in making him blush, he gazed off in the middle distance, not giving me any encouragement.   I tried to behave myself.    He went on to say “They could choke on the smaller ones.” “Oh really, I’d have thought it’d be the bigger ones.” Total silence ensued.   Maybe ya had to be there.

Romanesco Broccoli -  It looks like fractal cauliflower, but it's broccoli.  I've wanted to grow some since I first shot this photo in a farmers market in Barcelona.  It was February and there were so much beautiful produce on display.  I have no idea where it was grown; probably not in Barcelona which lies at 41 degrees latitude.  Maybe Africa.  Morocco is just south across the Gibraltar Strait.  I'm envisioning a bustling souk with narrow lanes and all manner of goods for sale.  Wait, here comes Indiana Jones strolling into view.   This photo provides gardening inspiration.  It is possible to grow most of these vegetables here though perhaps not by me, if last year is any indication.  I dream on.  A trip to Territorial Seed Company yielded 25 seeds of Romanesco Broccoli, Veronica Hybrid which takes 85 growing days to maturity.  The staff lady said after the fractal head ripens, a second crop of regular lookin...

Gone but not forgotten because I've photographed this year's mantle display.  One of the first two photos is destined to be next year's Christmas card.

This photo doesn't do justice to the flavor of the dish.  What can I say?  I was too hungry to keep snapping shots. Now that the holidays are over, I’ve purged my kitchen of goodies and snack foods, (goodbye apricot filled cookies, pita chips and hummus) and returned to a Primal Blueprint life plan, which is primarily meat and vegetables.    No grains, no bread, no rice, no dried beans or legumes, no lentils (are lentils a legume?) Lots and lots of vegetables.   Winter is a good time to be eating in the purple vegetable group:   Dinner tonight included braised red cabbage (with bacon!) and beet greens in pot liquor with a dash of blackberry vinegar.   I’m browsing vegetable recipes constantly.   Found one for roasted radishes that sounded so good, I picked up a bunch today.   I’ll give that a try and get back to you with the results. I got in one final rice dish before beginning:   Sesame Chicken on a bed of brown rice. ...

This is a deliciously savory granola.  I made two batches for inclusion in holiday baskets and there was enough left over to save for my daughter's visit. I did a taste test as I'd upped the cayenne pepper by 1/2 teaspoon, (which adds a rich smoky flavor,) and it was so good that I finished it all off.  Oh well. Seeded Granola Adapted from Kim Boyce’s Good to the Grain DRY MIX: 1 cup raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas) 4 cups whole rolled oats 1/2 cup sliced raw almonds 1 cup raw sunflower seeds 1/4 cup flaxseeds 3 tablespoons sesame seeds 2 tablespoons poppy seeds 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper WET MIX: 1/2 cup honey or brown rice syrup (I used apricot syrup) 1/2 cup brown sugar 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter 1/2 teaspoon sea salt Preheat oven to 325ºF/165ºC. Toast the pumpkin seeds on a baking sheet until light golden brown, about 10 minutes (the original recipe said it would take about 18 minutes, but mine were done much faster, so mak...

We feasted on perfect Prime Rib for Christmas dinner following America’s Test Kitchen slow, slow cooking recipe.   It was amazingly tender and delicious.   After reheats the next day, there was about 3 cups fat-trimmed and diced meat left before I cooked off the remaining visible fat in a slow skillet These looked so pretty cooking Beef-Barley Soup with Mushrooms Recipe 2 cups dried barley, soak in 4 cups water for half an hour, or so.   2 cups leftover roast, diced   1 lb. mushrooms, washed and sliced 1 cup each of diced             Onions             Celery             Fennel Bulb 1 pint beef or chicken broth 1 cup red wine Salt and pepper Bring the barley to a boil, cover pan and reduce heat to a simmer. Sauté (in butter or vegetable oil) the onions, celery,...