Dreaming of sunshine: 3 of My Favorite Recipes from Last Year’s Garden

My garden is sleeping under 3 feet of snow. I am left to day dream of sunny afternoons spent among lush, green, growing things. While I wait for spring, I’d like to share a few of my favorite recipes that I made during the 2021 gardening season. The first is my absolute favorite, Pea Salad. The second utilizes the harvest I’m most proud of, Spaghetti Squash Casserole. Lastly, Pot Roast with Roasted Vegetables, which is the first fall dish I make after the last harvest in the fall. They’re all Read More …

Naked Mojitos, Purple Flowers, and Fancy Hot Chocolate

After having the pleasure of trying my hand at growing and using a few different cultivars, my sweet tooth ultimately tipped the scales in favor of chocolate mint. This species is readily available at nurseries, grocery stores, and other large home improvement convenience stores. It is a strong grower, and in my humble opinion, the best of the frequently available mint varieties to make mojitos with.  Chocolate mint is a peppermint that is a cross between watermint and spearmint (mentha x piperita). It has a USDA hardiness rating of 5 Read More …

Wild Tundra Blueberry Jam

Gathering the blues… Growing up above the Arctic Circle in rural Alaska, blueberries were the only treat we needed and it was the only dessert we wanted. We’d have them fresh during the summer and then frozen in the winter, but my favorite was blueberry jam on a fresh bread roll from the oven. The whole family would go out picking berries and on a good windy day, we’d be out all day well into the evening. While picking our only sense of time was the position of the sun Read More …

Raspberry Muffins – A Battle for Berries

Fresh Alaskan berries are a hot commodity in my house, and if you don’t squirrel away your portion of the berries as soon as you get home from picking you’re likely to find that someone has eaten your portion before you know it! Luckily, after years of bickering over disappearing berries, and countless disagreements about what to use our prized frozen cache of berries on in the winter months, we came across Todd’s recipe for Blueberry Swirl Muffins and collectively fell in love with how well the recipe paired with Read More …

Tofu and Kale Scramble: Part of a Simple Life

Choices to be Made: An Introduction Fast friendly author Julie Montagu, the Flexi Foodie, has several amazing books about superfoods. Superfoods Superfast features 100 energizing recipes to make in 20 minutes or less. As a mother of a rambunctious 3-year-old, full-time employee, student, and homemaker who often takes care of her partners’ three children too, this book and style fit perfectly into my life. I find that even with all of the tasty choices that include kale the “Kale and Tofu Scramble” is one I use most often, although the Read More …

Red Cabbage Kraut Brightens a Winter Plate

When winter gets dark and the vegetables sitting on the supermarket shelf seem somewhat sad, sauerkraut is a beautiful and healthy addition to your plate.   In Anchorage, you can buy local sauerkraut at farmers’ markets and many stores. However,  it’s easy and fun to make your own so you can keep enjoying your garden’s harvest even when it’s snowing outside! I started making sauerkraut five years ago when my boyfriend showed me how. Krauting our garden cabbages has been a part of every harvest since then. With each batch, Read More …

Alaskan Carrot Cake. . .Dogs Love It!

Every summer I look forward to purchasing Alaskan grown carrots when they show up at farmer’s markets then local grocery stores. Also, each winter I’m unreasonably sad when the commercial supply of Alaskan carrots is gone for the year! I’m not a vegetable gardener, choosing instead to grow flowers for cutting and arranging in vases. If I ever tried my hand at growing vegetables, I would definitely plant carrots. It’s a funny coincidence that the family recipe I cherish the most is my Grandmother’s carrot cake. I have fond memories Read More …

The Scrumptious Scramble

One day I was hungry so I looked around the kitchen and found that there were eggs, potatoes, garlic and cheddar cheese, so I made them into a delicious scramble. I made it several times for my family and I, with varying quantities of the ingredients until I decided to make it into a proper recipe with repeatable results. Because I was making it into a recipe I thought that I might as well improve it at the same time. I was eating chili pepper on eggs a lot so Read More …

Mom’s Raspberry Rhubarb Pie

The first recipe that comes to mind is the raspberry rhubarb pie that I make with Mom’s pastry. So I just HAVE to include the pie crust recipe too. Mom used to make this recipe up often so that she had several pie crust “balls” in the freezer, ready for any occasion. Mom’s raspberry rhubarb pie was a favorite at the church potlucks and I used to excuse myself as I cut in line just to get a small piece before it was all gone. I believe that I learned Read More …