I was SO cocky. I was just so sure of myself. “Wait for help!”, they said. “I’ve got this!”, I said. “You’re going to wear yourself out!”, they cried. “It’ll be easy!”, I vehemently assured them. And then, those darned cabbage rose wallpaper demon spirits set out to put me in my place, arms dangling…
Biscochitos- New Mexico State Cookie
The biscochito, spelt bizcochito in New Mexican Spanish, is a cookie that was developed in Santa Fe de Nuevo México. The cookie was originally created by the Spanish colonists and the Native American Pueblos, based on lard cookies from European cultures, especially of Portugal and Spain. (www.newmexico.com) Thanks to a recipe found on the good…
New Mexico on My Mind…
I am so excited to be going back to New Mexico for the holidays, that I am creating all the Christmas classics in my temporary Idaho kitchen today! I have pork stewing in roasted Hatch chilies for my green pork tamales, and I’m about to get started on Biscochito, that delicious, anise-kissed, cinnamon and sugar…
Shokupan with Tangzhong
The magic of light, delicious homemade sandwich bread is the Tangzhong method; a type of roux made with either milk and flour (milk bread) or water and flour for a simple sandwich loaf called Shokupan in Japanese. If you’ve not yet tried it, read further and give it a try… don’t get discouraged by the…
Going to the Farm
I have had the good fortune of getting to spend the last 10 days with our daughter at Foghino Farm. We’ve been preparing for winter, cleaning out the old, and breathing new life into this century-old farm. There’s something to be said about days of hard work, meals with fresh, farm-raised foods, quiet nights by…
Reflections from a Pizza Oven
I walked out this morning to appreciate the amazing sunrise, and caught the reflections from our trusty, slightly battered pizza oven. 15 years, 8 military moves (3 overseas), thousands of pizzas, almost as many people, and hundreds of pizza parties celebrating holidays, birthdays, retirements and life. If you’ve been at our home during one of…
Reflections of a Mom
When the kids started leaving home, making their own ways in this world, I would wake early in the morning and quietly celebrate them on their birth day. I still do this for each of our [adult] children’s birthdays. This morning I wake to reflect on Andre’s life. What gifts can a Mom possibly give…
Tomato Sauce
Homemade tomato sauce really enhances any recipe its used for. Although these aren’t my daughter’s tomatoes (@foghinofarm), I have to make due with what I have at the ready. If you have a farmer’s market near you, do yourself a favor and visit it; you’ll not only be helping a farmer or market gardener, but…
Scenes From a Sicilian Village
Scenes from a Sicilian village • when my husband and his family left their beloved Sicilian home, it was in hopes of finding that sweet American dream ~ more than forty years later, we are looking at a quiet sweet dream of our own, returning part-time to Galati Mamertino, to live out our “Godfather”-like days,…
Pistachio Au Lait
Oh, Family Mart, what will I do without you? From the friendly greeting upon walking in, to the always delicious fare you offer (honest-to-goodness jammy eggs), not to mention NOT having to take out a loan for bread and milk, as is often the case at the American second cousin, twice removed. The Japanese shops,…
New Mexico Red Chile Sauce
You can take the girl out of New Mexico, but you will never take New Mexico out of the girl! Whether cooking for the holidays or a birthday, or just because it’s taco Tuesday (or Wednesday, Thursday, Friday…), one of my favorite cuisines is and will always be, New Mexico style Mexican food…and yes, there…
Cranberry-Peach Cream Scones
In today’s episode of Cleaning Out the Pantry, I reached for a bag of unsweetened, dried cranberries and some delicious dried white peaches from Trader Joe’s, courtesy of Mik❣️ For an explosion of flavor, I soaked the dried cranberries and peaches in one cup of warmed apple cider with a tablespoon of Braggs Apple Cider…
