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Cucumber Radish Salad. After slicing the cucumbers, lightly salt them. No need to drain off the salted cucumber juice. You want it to mingle with the fresh squeezed lemon juice. The result is refreshing. The cucumber and radish slices are crisp. I used baby radishes from my garden. But larger radishes will do. Persian cucumbers have a thin skin; it's not bitter. Other slicing cucumbers may be substituted but you might peel them first. Now a special thanks to my readers. To Connie who said my...
Red currants are in season and friends are harvesting their red currant bushes. What better way to prolong the delicious richness of flavor, than making jelly. They remind me of the wild high bush cranberries that I picked in Alaska. They are full of seeds and I choose to to use a hand-crank food mill. The result was perfect. I also took care not to overcook to prevent the pectin from setting too soon. I cooked with the berries on the stem, for the first part of cooking. I took great care to...
These fresh ingredients create a saucy salsa. I used vine ripened tomatoes. A Roma tomato has a thicker pulp if you prefer a thicker salsa. Just three Serrano hot peppers, with the seeds, gives this salsa a spicy punch. For flavor, a little goes a long way! Ingredients Vine ripened tomatoes, 5 medium Serrano peppers, 3 large Cilantro, 1 bunch Lime, 1 Salt, 2 tsp Preparation This recipe uses a blender and it's easiest to add each ingredient as they are cut. Cut out the small area at the top of...
Grilled vegetables on an indoor electric grill. The surprise ingredient to grilling vegetables is white balsamic vinegar. It lightens the flavor. Splash it on but not heavily. The vegetables' flavor first comes from the grill. Use the vegetables you have on hand or shop to your preferences. Ingredients Yellow summer squash, 1 small Red onion, 2 slices Button mushrooms, 9 Orange bell pepper, a few slices Olive oil, 2 Tbsp White balsamic vinegar, 2 to 3 tsp Salt & pepper, to taste Preparation...
Goulash is a family recipe. My adopted father was Polish American. This meal was a regular favorite and adapted to our Alaskan lifestyle. My mother made this with moose burger. My polish grandmother, Margaret made sure all her favorite ingredients were stocked in our cupboards. She loved adding a can of dark kidney beans and seasoning with a bit of ground sage. I adapted the recipe by adding chopped bell pepper and substituting jarred/canned spaghetti sauce. Our original family recipe used...
Made with berries. It's June and fresh berry season. To make room in our freezer, I pulled out several containers of frozen berries from last season. I found strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and cranberries. It was a delightful selection! I used an electric dehydrator. Ingredients Berries, 12 cups Parchment paper Oil spray for cooking Preparation Drain the berries of excess liquid. Fill your blender to the 6-cup mark. Use the smoothie setting to blend. Pour into a bowl. Repeat. Measure...
Any chili sauce will work. I used one from Vietnam found in an Asian store or Asian aisle of the grocery store. This recipe can be simply made. Scoop and plop the Mayo and chili garlic sauce. Add the Worcestershire by two quick splashes. The lemon juice brings the entire dressing together. After you add to the shrimp salad, mix the dressing in, looking to coat the greens. This served three. Ingredients Mayonnaise, 1/2 Cup Chili Garlic Sauce, 1 teaspoon Lemon, 1/2 fresh squeezed Worcestershire...
Fresh local seafood is wonderful! I pulled out my largest aluminum bowl to hold the shrimp. Alive, jumping around. I kept them in the bowl until ready to cook. I cooked them immediately. I pulled out my very large canner, to boil the shrimp. I use a Brita water filter to filter the cooking water. I filter the water and add sea salt to the cooking pot. Coonstripe shrimp are sweet and we enjoy them warm. They are cooked whole. The water must cover the shrimp in the cooking pot. Ingredients Fresh s...
My first harvest of rhubarb this year yielded 8 cups chopped. To harvest, I twist and pull from the base of each stalk. Then I cut off and discard the leaves. I keep the lower base in water to keep them fresh. Then chop fresh, about an inch from each end. Then chop into one-half inch pieces. When chopped for this recipe, use immediately. Freeze the remainder, raw, in freezer bags or containers. Ingredients Rhubarb, 7 ribs (4 cups chopped) Flour (1 cup) Oatmeal (3/4 cup) Brown sugar (1 cup)...
Red potatoes are our favorite. Asparagus is one of our favorite vegetables. A hot oven on a cool day with herbs wafting throughout the house is very pleasant. With plenty of herbs, salt is not necessary for this recipe. Ingredients Red potatoes, 3 medium per serving Asparagus, 1/3 lb. Olive oil, ¼ cup Italian herbs, 2 tbsp Garlic granules, 1 tsp Preparation Clean the asparagus and remove the hard ends. Set aside. Peeling the potatoes is not necessary, simply cut away where the potato...
We are blessed to have family members who fish, hunt and gather Yes, springtime! Love the flowering trees, shrubs and fields. Springtime foods available include asparagus. The robust asparagus, thicker than a school pencil. Sold by the bunch. I prepare by soaking in cold water. Swish it around a bit. Then hold under cold running water. Hold each asparagus spear in both hands and snap. Use the tops in this recipe. Save the bottoms for another recipe. Ingredients Asparagus, one bunch Garlic, 1...
We are blessed to have family members who fish, hunt and gather wild berries. That's a triple blessing! We live in a giving community. This halibut was gifted to my husband, Kevin, and I by our nephew and niece, Tandy Grossglass and Donna Ikebe. It came to us filleted, with the skin left on. We baked one side for this recipe. Ingredients Halibut side, enough to feed 6 Lemon juice, ¼ cup Minced garlic, 2 tbsp Butter, 4 tbsp Fresh parsley, minced. ½ cup Cracked black pepper...
Quiche is one of my favorite breakfast foods. Adding smoked salmon makes it even better! Use a moist smoked salmon. You can substitute the cream with milk. Ingredients Pie Crust (single) Smoked Salmon, 1 cup, crumbled Onion, 1 small, chopped Olive oil, 1 tbsp Mild cheddar cheese, ½ cup shredded Cream, 1 cup Milk, ½ cup 4 eggs, beaten Dried parsley, ¼ tsp Preparation Lay the pie crust onto the pie plate and flute the edges. In a small frying pan, sauté the onion in olive oil...
You can make this recipe and add to rice, pasta, gnocchi (featured in pic), scrambled eggs or vegetables. You can adjust the flavors by the type of spices or herbs you add. Always make it fresh. We used the milder scallions but green onion or other onion varieties are excellent choices. Fresh garlic is a must. This is a gentle, slow cook, so do not overheat your pan. Thank you to the kind people, in Safeway recently, who said they enjoy reading my column! Ingredients Plump scallion, ½...
I snacked on two of these slices. I now have snacks for a few days. Way better to grab a slice or two of these instead of chips. These turn out soft on the inside with a slight crunch on the outside. We keep nutritional yeast in our cupboards to sprinkle on popcorn. In this recipe, it provides a nutty flavor to the coating. They bake up quickly so stay near the kitchen and use a timer. I set two timers: The one built into our kitchen stove and the timer in my cell phone. Ingredients Firm Tofu,...
A no fuss recipe to cook kale. It's softened just enough. I used curly kale and left in the rib of each leaf, cutting just the stem at the bottom. I freeze the raw stems to later make vegetable broth. Flavors and seasoning added after the kale is cooked. The lemon adds tartness. A great way to get leafy greens into your diet, during any season. Ingredients Curly kale, two bunches Water, one cup Vegetable bouillon, 1 tbsp Lemon, ½ fresh squeezed juice Salt, to taste Preparation I used a...
Panko is a type of breadcrumb. It is consistent in texture and crisps up real nice when coating chicken to roast. I use bone-in chicken thighs. Panko can be used to coat fish and pork chops. I buy a fresh package each year. The technique I use in this recipe was to sprinkle directly onto one side of a chicken thigh and sprinkle the seasonings on top of the panko. Turn the chicken over and repeat. I left the skin on the chicken thigh to keep the meat moist. Ingredients Chicken thighs, 1 to 2 per...
These huckleberries were picked by our family who live in Eastern Washington. They made a light sugar syrup and water bath canned them. To be used later in pies. We were fortunate to be gifted two quarts recently from family visiting. I taste tested them for sweetness. The Instant ClearJel I bought online from King Arthur. It is a thickener for pies. You mix it into the sugar before adding it to your fruit pie filling. Ingredients Home canned huckleberries, one quart Sugar, 2 tbsp Instant...
The sour and tart taste of fresh cranberries, in this recipe, is softened by adding brown sugar. It also depends on how many crushed cranberries you put in each spoonful. Served with a side of rice, the rice absorbs the flavor. The kale of choice was dinosaur kale and the selection were smaller top leaves. Leeks and kale are bitter. Adding cranberries to the dish livened everything up. Aqiimuk's Kitchen is coming up on our 11-year anniversary. It's my pleasure to offer new recipe ideas each...
There was a time I would gag cooking and eating parsnips. I avoided them for years and years. They grow locally here in Skagit Valley and my preference is fresh local organic produce. I used more olive oil than normal. They simply soaked up the oil and three tablespoons were used. The smoky paprika added a bit of flavor as well as dried sage from our garden. Maple syrup to add a bit of sweetness. I collect different salts and it's a gift I always appreciate. Ingredients Parsnips, 3 Olive oil, 3...
This soup bean is awesome. I have cooked with it twice. It is so flavorful and makes a dark broth. Soaking beans is optional. I rinsed and soaked the beans in plain water for three hours. This package of beans was gifted to us by a local friend, Giuliani. I chose to cook on the stove in a big soup pot, one that has a lid. These are basic, simple ingredients. My signature dishes will have basic, simple ingredients. Ingredients Vaquero beans, 16 oz Water, 1 liter Olive oil, 2 tbsp Red onion, one...
These are cooked in the Instant Pot. A wholesome side dish. A pound of rye berries was included in a recent CSA box from Boldly Grown Farms. You can cook these on the stove top; it just takes longer. Once cooked, they remind me of super sized, chewy brown rice. Ingredients Rye berries, 1 cup Olive oil, 1 tbsp Water, 4 cups Salt, to taste Preparation Use the sauté mode of the Instant Pot. Add the olive oil and rye berries. Stir occasionally. The rye berries will begin to pop. Cancel sauté m...
There are many ways to enjoy this recipe. Try it on warm toast or a toasted bagel. This recipe makes enough to gift to that special someone who admires and enjoys your cooking. I chose to use fresh cranberries that I keep in the freezer. I took out just enough for this recipe and let them sit at room temperature, alongside the butter. If you want more sweetness, you can always add it directly, after you have buttered your toast. Ingredients • Butter, unsalted, 1 cup softened • Cranberries, &fr...
You may not find the smaller Brussel sprouts at the local grocer. You may find them in a CSA box. These were from Boldly Grown Farms winter CSA box. I prepared them for a family meal when my sister, Mary Jane Kellar, was recently visiting from Arkansas. We all enjoyed them as tiny morsels of goodness. Ingredients Baby Brussel sprouts, 1 pound Miniature bell pepper, 1 sliced Balsamic vinaigrette dressing, 3 tbsp Parchment paper, to fit a baking sheet Preparation Rinse and cut each end of the...
I ventured out to our garden today, packing my scissors out in a grocery bag. I told Chili, our 5-year-old miniature Australian Shepherd that we were going out to the garden. As the day was rainy, I put on my waterproof boots. The pickings were slim but I saw plenty of life. I pulled one green onion and left about five. I cut several stems of English thyme. I cut one short stem of chocolate mint and the tops of several sage plants. Once back inside, I cleaned the onion and put the herbs in a...
