The piles of ice were impressive— a couple of them were at least eight to ten feet tall.
Read MoreCookery Maven Blog
Christmas Magic
The dogs are my alarm clock and every day (Christmas Eve or not), we are up at the crack of dawn. Getting out of a warm bed to take the boys outside can be difficult but sunrises are a welcome panacea to the cold and snow.
Read MoreMore Sassy Goodness In Puff Pastry
Ellen had a great idea. She asked if I would like go caroling in Bayfield on Sunday— I'm tone-deaf but it's Christmas and anything goes, right?
Read MoreHere Comes The Sun
Julian Bay is one of my favorite anchorages— it's open to the big Lake, the sand 'sings' when I walk on it and the tombolo is an amazing contrast the vast lake.
Read MoreSassy, Sweet & Spicy Goat Cheese Gratin
Remember that classic, old school appetizer with red pepper jelly, a hunk of cream cheese and Ritz crackers? It had all the right components but was seriously deficient in the aesthetic department.
Read MoreYorkshire Pudding with Bacon, Blue Cheese & Onions
Reason number 47 why visiting Jack in Madison is a good idea— Whole Foods. So, when Ted walked in the house with two Whole Foods grocery bags, I added number 48 to my list— when Ted goes grocery shopping and brings home bacon.
Read MoreChicken Stuffed With Prosciutto, Roasted Tomatoes & Fontina
Do you know what's good about having a friend whose husband is a vegan? Prosciutto, as in 'here take this with you, we won't eat it and I know how much you love salty, cured pork'.
Read MoreCatching Sea Smoke
My first experience with sea smoke came in a bottle of Pinot Noir from California. While it's an elegant, earthy Pinot— the real deal over Lake Superior is far more impressive.
Read MoreFoster Falls In October
Foster Falls was near the end of our fall magical, mystery tour of the waterfalls in Northwestern Wisconsin and it was a good one. Again, I had a general idea of where to go but a 'general idea' is in no way related to good, solid waterfall directions.
Read MoreThe Night Sky Over Mount Ashwabay
Northern lights over Mount Ashwabay.
Read MorePork Vindaloo- Dinner For A Cold Winter's Night
The snow stopped falling last night and now the temperatures are falling into subzero territory— it appears winter has settled in. The kids had another snow day and we slept in late, stayed in our pajamas well into the morning, shoveled a path to the sauna, made cookies and kept the wood stove stoked. There were a few hiccups with the major snow removal portion of the day— both snow removal tools (the plow truck and the snow blower) had far different ideas of how to spend their day than Ted's idea of clearing a path for our cars.
Read MoreSnowstorms, Gnocchi & Cheese
I wanted to keep it easy and this frozen gnocchi from Scotti Pecotti was not only easy but also really good. In my experience, frozen gnocchi typically means chewy potato nuggets but Scotti's had a nice soft texture.
Read MoreWisconsin's Northernmost Sugarbush
There are all sorts of things I've learned since I moved North— don't call the cops when a bear is in the yard, there is no such thing as a perfectly ripe avocado in the grocery stores, saunas are clothing optional and maple syrup really does come from actual maple trees. Okay, I did know about the origins of maple syrup but I hadn't ever actually witnessed the process.
Read MoreApples, Fennel & Lamb, Oh My!
With the iconic turkey behind me, it was time to broaden my dinner horizon beyond poultry. A leg of lamb was a good place to start— it's not something we eat every day, I found two bags of the quince and cranberry sauce I made last Thanksgiving in the freezer and I remembered an article I read in Saveur about Sunday roasts.
Read MoreGood Old Fashioned White Bread
Growing up, Thanksgiving meant a couple of things— turkey (of course), cranberry relish with lots of orange peel and three loaves of golden crusted white bread. My Dad didn't cook much, he was the grill master of red meat and chicken and the kitchen was my Mom's domain— except on Thanksgiving.
Read More