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Sometimes I forget that I like salad. I remember that I should eat salad, and then I react against the idea with the sulky resentment of a teenager. I go through phases when I dutifully buy bagged baby greens only to pull them out from the crisper drawer, strange and slimy, a few weeks later. In …

Read More about Cara Cara Orange and Avocado Salad (or salads, and how to make a good one)

January has been a month of getting back into the ordinary and the routine. Since we packed up our old apartment, moved into our new condo in October, travelled to both ends of the country in November, and enjoyed the usual rumble of holiday frivolity in December and the beginning of the new year, we …

Read More about Sweet Potato, Red Lentil, and Green Pea Curry

Winter arrived here with a vengeance last week. The temperature dipped below zero, the winds blustered, the schools closed for a couple of days. Snow came a few days ago and covered the sidewalks and rooftops along with the cars parked on the street. As I look out my window now, the wind blows disintegrating …

Read More about Hot and Sour Soup (with optional bacon)

It’s December 23rd, and I’m sitting in my pajamas by the Christmas tree with a mug of coffee and the severed head of a gingerbread person from a fresh batch of cookies. There’s nothing like the holidays. Yesterday was a solid day of baking with my sister Erin, and now we have containers with eight (!) …

Read More about Passion Fruit Pâte de Fruit (fruit jellies, or gummies)

If one wants evidence that cooking is an alchemical process, one need look no further than this rich, savory puddle of a gratin that once was a head of savoy cabbage. Savoy is the frilly, ruffled member of the cabbage family. Its leaves are more tender than green or red cabbage, and its flavor is milder and …

Read More about Savoy Cabbage Gratin, meltingly tender comfort

It turned cold with a vengeance here last week. My heart went out to the hardy trick-or-treaters who braved the wind, rain, snow flurries, and hail last Friday night. It’s been getting dark earlier. In the subsequent days the temperatures have rebounded a bit but it’s been cloudy and overcast. Our new place has windows …

Read More about Carrot Ginger Soup with Scallions and Pickled Ginger