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Holiday baking is memorable. Baking to give and, if you are lucky, to receive. Sharing your home baked goods brings a cheery smile from the recipient. My step-mother, Dorothy, baked Christmas cookies and candies for two weeks. She would have a small box handy, lined with wax paper to put in her assortment of sweets. Her generosity instilled in me to share my home baked goods, home cooked meals and simple groceries with others. Since the start of COVID-19, my husband and I have shared food with...
Roasting fennel will caramelize and mellow their flavor. The sweet potato sweetens the dish. The tomatoes round out the dish. The fennel arrived in a winter CSA box from Boldly Grown Farm. A winter CSA box is so appreciated. The nutrition program at the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community distributes just 20 of these boxes every two weeks, to tribal members. I appreciate fresh organic vegetables and incorporate them into our diet frequently. Ingredients Fennel, one bulb Sweet potato, one small Rom...
This recipe stretches the food budget. It was a side dish for three of our meals and a small casserole for a friend. It is also thrifty, depending on store prices, around $7 total. It is a bit spicy which makes it enjoyable Ingredients Jiffy Cornbread mix, one small box, 8.5 ounce Eggs, 2 Butter, ½ cup Sour cream, one cup Corn, one can, 15 ounce, whole, drained Creamed corn, one can, 15 ounce Jalapeños, one 4 ounce can, drained Preparation Empty the cornbread mix into a bowl. Melt...
When I travelled to the Kingdom of Bhutan in 2011 with Margrit Elliot, meals, hotels, in-country travel were included in the daily rate of $150. Margrit, lives with her husband, Bruce, in La Conner. She conducted medical missions, under a non -profit. On our trip, we each carried a suitcase full of medical supplies. Each item available over the counter here in the States. In Bhutan, much needed, such as gauze. Arriving from Bangkok, Thailand into Paro. Destination of Thimphu with travels to...
I was looking at the few seedless Mandarin Oranges sitting on the counter. We ate fresh ones daily for over a week. Time to use the rest up. No need to smash them for this recipe. Each tiny orange segment keeps a bit of orange juice inside to enjoy with each bite. Ingredients Salmon, one fillet or portion Seedless Mandarin Oranges, 2 or 3 Honey, 1 tablespoon Butter, 1 tablespoon Preparation Rinse and pat dry the salmon. Optional to line a flat baking sheet with aluminum or parchment paper. Lay...
Tajin is a product I have seen sprinkled on fresh fruit. I have enjoyed it on slices of fresh watermelon. That is why I have a small bottle on my spice shelf, right there in front, so I see it each time I reach for the black pepper. I recently bought a stem of Brussel Sprouts at Schuh’s in Mount Vernon, WA. Ingredients Brussel Sprouts, 3 per serving Olive oil, 1 tablespoon Tajin, 1 tablespoon Preparation Cut each Brussel Sprout in half, top to bottom. Add in the olive oil to a shallow baking d...
Initially I was going to prepare this recipe in my large, heavy Dutch oven. But the 5.6 pound bone-in pork butt would not fit in the Dutch oven with large chunky vegetables. So, I prepped everything in a large stainless steel skillet and then transferred it all to a large oval slow cooker. For the ratatouille, I used a large Asian eggplant I bought at the small Asian Market on Riverside in Mount Vernon. Plus, I added the last medium size zucchini from our garden. Ingredients Pork roast Garlic cl...
I have three sage plants growing in our raised bed garden. The oldest is a Purple Sage which has tiny flowers that are a light purple. Early mornings in the garden, this summer, was so relaxing, looking at individual sage leaves to hand pick. It’s easy to cut stems of herbs, to tie together and hang to dry. I do that often. To hand pick, I looked for the beautiful leaves. Most of the leaves were beautiful. Ingredients Sage leaves Preparation Rinse the leaves and blot dry with either a kitchen t...
Lasagna made with zucchini slices taking the place of lasagna pasta. Fresh tomatoes taking the place of a jar of pasta sauce. When you take the time to prepare the zucchini, the result will be astounding! Ingredients Zucchini, 1 medium Garlic, 3 cloves Onion, 1 medium Tomatoes, 4 medium Ground beef, 1 lb. Olive oil, 3 tablespoons Garlic granules, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon Basil, fresh (4 leaves) or dried (1/2 teaspoon), optional: Mozzarella cheese, 1 ½ cups Cheeses of your...
Frequenting the local farm stands, I was intrigued by kohlrabi. Always cautious to try a different vegetable, I decided the kohlrabi must be delicious. I was not disappointed. First, I was determined to find the right size to feed two people. I found them at Pleasant Ridge Farms, just a few offered at a time. Accompanying it, in this dish is a beautiful yellow pepper, I received as a gift from Steve Hedbom. He described it as sweet and as nicely accompanied with other vegetables. Ingredients...
Cherry tomatoes thrive in our area. I grow borage to attract bees to pollinate our garden. An abundance of cherry tomatoes allow us to share them. This recipe creates a small half pint full of flavor. Ingredients Approximately 50 cherry tomatoes Garlic clove Rosemary, two inches, fresh or dried Olive oil, ½ cup Preparation Wash and slice the cherry tomatoes. Place in a dehydrator, cut side up, and set temperature for 135 degrees. I dried them for 8 hours each, on two separate days. They...
There are different ways to create pasta or noodles out of summer squash. I used a vegetable spiralizer purchased from Pampered Chef. The small amount of olive oil and fresh garlic cloves transforms your summer squash into a wholesome delight. I served mine with a meat sauce, like what I make for spaghetti. The beautiful yellow summer squash we received as a gift was from Anita Mesman’s garden. Ingredients Summer squash, 3 small/medium Butter, 1 tablespoon Garlic cloves, 2 Salt and pepper P...
Oh, the delights of summer! This is a recipe you make fresh over the summer harvest months. Finish a jar, then make another batch. Give yourself some time to prepare this recipe, as there are a few steps. Ingredients Cucumbers, 5 cups, sliced Kosher salt, 1-1/2 tablespoons Onion, 1 cup sliced White vinegar, 1 cup Sugar, 1 cup Cider vinegar, 1/2 cup Brown sugar, 1/4 cup Mustard seed, 1-1/2 teaspoons Celery seed, 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric powder, 1/8 teaspoon Preparation Soak the cucumbers in cold...
We have zucchini abundance from our garden. The goal was to grow enough for our consumption. So far I am keeping up with it! This is a summer squash recipe. Use yellow summer squash or smaller zucchini. A smaller squash has a thinner skin. Ingredients Zucchini, 2 smaller Onion, 1 medium Olive oil, 1 tablespoon Sour cream, ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, ¼ cup grated Cheddar cheese, ½ cup grated Ritz crackers, small tube Preparation Use the olive oil to coat the bottom and sides of...
Ingredients Rhubarb, two cups chopped Orange, 1 medium Water, 1/4 cup Sugar, 1/3 cup Preparation Using fresh or frozen rhubarb, add to a medium sauce pan. Cut orange and add. Add sugar and water. Stir to mix the sugar around. Cook on medium low heat for 40 minutes. The rhubarb will soften into a sauce. Serve warm or cold. Serve with or without the orange pieces....
With very little effort and a measure of patience, you can have a very tasty condiment for your home cooked hamburgers. Ingredients: Jalapeños, 3 Red onion, one medium Garlic cloves, 6 to 8 Kosher salt, 3 tablespoons Filtered water, 4 cups Preparation Slice the jalapeños, wearing protection on your hands. Peel and slice the red onion. Peel and leave whole the garlic. Mix the salt with the water, stirring until dissolved. Begin layering the jalapeño slices, the red onion...
Are you a gardener? Radishes are easy and fun to grow. They are planted, as seeds, in the spring. I allow a few to flower for the bees. This year I cut the long stalks with the seed pods when they are young tender green pods and just a few have a reddish tinge. I cut the pods, leaving the stem, cutting the tiny pods as well. Ingredients Radish seed pods, 4 cups Pint jars, 2 Brine: 1 cup bottled water 1/2 cup white wine vinegar 1/2 cup rice vinegar 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 tablespoon Kosher salt (salt...
Experience teaches us to be prepared. I was prepping to make pickled beets and opened two small jars of Pickling Spice. Between the two jars, I had just one tablespoon. Not nearly enough. As I poured them into a small bowl, I studied the contents. I was guessing I had enough different fresh spices to make my own pickling spice. Remarkably I did. Ingredients Mustard Seeds, 2 tablespoons Whole Allspice, 1 tablespoon Coriander Seeds, 2 teaspoons Cloves, 2 whole Crushed red pepper, 1 to 2 teaspoons...
Aqiimuk’s Kitchen by Patricia Paul, Esq. made its debut as a weekly recipe column in the La Conner Weekly News on March 14, 2012. Home-style cooking using every day ingredients and fresh fruit and produce from the local area and family farms is the focus of food columnist Patricia Paul. She uses her traditional Inupiat name, Aqiimuk, in the column’s heading and occasionally gives the Inupaiq – northern Alaska Eskimo – names for her recipes. Patricia draws recipes from her Alaskan Esk...
When I cook halibut, I think of my adopted dad, Roman Edward Witkowski. He loved to fish and passed that interest onto me. When he passed, I selected his 24-foot Reinell boat and the 18-foot Tioga motor home. Then Kevin and I hired a driver, from the Ziegler family, to drive both down the Alaska Highway, to us, here at Swinomish. We hired the Bill family to fish our boat. Then we used my boat as a down payment on the house, thirty years ago; and where we reside to this day. When I select cuts...