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DIY Yule | Natural, Minimalist Decor for Winter Holidays
Holiday decor is not my specialty. Decor in general is not my strong point. But the ritual of creating natural decorations as a part of my celebration of the seasonal shifts? That is absolutely my forte. In 2019, I know “the holidays” for most people are a break from work and the rare time of year when they see family. And while those both have applied to me on different years, my celebration is typically a much more personal one. And it lasts much longer than a singular day or weekend. The making of these garlands and wreaths and ornaments are the celebration. They’re the therapeutic acceptance of change and…
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Pumpkin Cinnamon Buns with Date and Walnut Filling
With fall in full swing, and Halloween and Samhain only a day away, it’s time to break out the pumpkin spice buns. Now, I’ve made plenty of sweet breads on the blog before ( pumpkin chocolate babka, cinnamon walnut challah, and orange and cardamom sweet rolls to name a few), most of which are heavily spiced and heavily festive. This one is no exception. I like what I like, okay? This recipe, however, is the first on the blog to feature the look, technique, and texture of a classic cinnamon roll (think Cinnabon). While it’s nothing fancy, it is something that can be tricky to get just right, especially when…
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Simple Cherry Galette
The reason this cherry galette recipe only has three pictures is because, well, it wasn’t supposed to be a blog post. I was wanting a picture with some purple/maroon hues to add to the portfolio, so I threw this together and took the shots, only to realize afterwards how DELICIOUS it was. I’d made an extra rough pastry for the sake of visual texture, and halved fresh cherries instead of using canned pie filling so it wouldn’t look too soupy… but the result was unintentionally amazing. I had one bite and then ran upstairs to my office to type up what I could remember of my impromptu recipe and I…
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Pistachio Chiffon Cake (Alien Free)
I scoured the internet. For days. And I couldn’t find a pistachio cupcake recipe that wasn’t neon green. This started about three weeks ago when I was browsing things-I-don’t need at Costco, and fell upon a bag of very well-priced, pre-shelled pistachios. I told myself I’d be a fool not to utilize this rare and important opportunity. So, you know, I put them in my cart along with the coffee scented honey, hibiscus hard cider, 4 pound bag of goji berries, and a cheese I can’t spell. Upon returning home, I began doing a bit of recipe research for some pistachio inspiration. Pinterest, Google, and Instagram were filling my feeds…
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Corned Beef and Cabbage with Honey Carrots and Savory Bacon Mash
The sun is shining and it’s almost forty degrees! My heart is singing. There still snow on the ground, but I wanted at least a hint of spring while I write this post. St.Patrick’s Day has always been a marker of more tolerable weather for me. In fact, that’s really all I liked about the holiday until recently. Truth time: I’ve never been a fan of corned beef. Something about it just didn’t taste like meat to me. But it definitely didn’t taste like a plant either. It messed with my stomach. Turns out, most of the packaged, pre-brined corned beef you can buy has been curing in that pickle…
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Romantic Valentine’s Day Dinner for Two in Less than 1 Hour | Filet Mignon with Shitake Risotto and Citrus-Glazed Endives
Guys, I actually timed this one. Less than an hour. For all of it. Start to finish, including vegetable chopping. And it’s honestly one of the most delicious meals I’ve made in this short amount of time. The flavors are diverse and complex, and the ingredients (or some version of them) can be found in most grocery stores. It’s fancy, it’s accessible, it’s easier than it looks, and it’s not steak and potatoes. The secret to getting it done quickly is utilizing multiple pans, and having multiple burners going at once. In the recipe, I’ll lay out the exact system I used so that you can maximize your time, and get…
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Roasted Apple and Butternut Soup (Vegan)
Is it fall again yet? No? Darn. We’re doing this anyway. This soup actually does fit wonderfully into winter, considering the fantastic shelf life of winter squash (which is actually grown and harvested in fall). The acorn and butternut you see in the pictures? I bought them as decor before thanksgiving. If you keep them cool and dry, they can be eaten months later, and there’s hardly a discernible difference. Few fruits or vegetables are that hardy, so these dense squashes are a total gold mine for those who make an effort to eat seasonally. Eat better, save the planet, folks! On the soup: This was inspired by a recent…
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Spiced Walnut and Eggnog Challah
One of the benefits to being an agnostic, atheistic, cynical type, is the flexibility one has with one’s holidays. You can analyze what you’re really celebrating for and how you want to do that, if you want to at all. Do I want to stick to my more beloved traditions? Yes! Do I also want to steal bits and pieces from everything and everywhere to handcraft my perfect, customized winter holiday that has everything I want and nothing I don’t? Also yes. Does that mean taking Jewish cuisine and infecting it with modern Christian tradition to be eaten at a heathen’s table? You bet your butt. In all honesty, I don’t…
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Roasted Beet and Fennel Salad with Simple Lemon Dressing
Are you looking for a fresh, light side dish for your holiday table that isn’t another green salad? Are you looking for simple, seasonal recipes that feature winter produce? Do you just LOVE beets? No? None of those apply? Then just trust me on this one. I know beets are far from glamorous, and some of you may be wondering what fennel even is. –It’s not deformed celery. It’s it’s own thing, but these vegetables, in season right now, are totally underrated. Fennel’s sweet, licoricey bite goes very well with the earthy flavor of beets. Roast them up, add a bit of acidity in a dressing, and you have a gorgeous,…
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Apple Cider Sangria
It snowed all night. I needed an apple cider sangria recipe. Montana may not be so lucky as to have a second “Indian summer”, so I thought I’d push out at least one more autumnal recipe before all is lost to the Great White Blanket. And I needed a sangria recipe that made me feel like we still had yellow leaves on the trees. Hence the apple cider. I suppose it would be pretty easy for this recipe to be converted to a holiday drink if needed– and don’t hate me for this– but I actually think it would be wonderful served hot with some whole spices steeped in.…
ADVENTURES IN FOOD, TRAVEL, AND PHOTOGRAPHY
