Gardening can be difficult if you aren’t familiar with it. I mean, when do you start seedlings from seeds, and when do those seedlings get put in the ground, and what is the frost date for my hardiness zone, but first, what is a hardiness zone? This year we are starting most of our plants as seedlings. Then there are still a few plants we decided we’d just purchase at the farmer’s market in May. This might have to do with the fact that I am a farmer’s market addict, and... more

4 eggs 1 1/2 cups sugar 3/4 cup canola oil 2/3 cup orange juice 2 cups shredded zucchini, don’t bother peeling it 3 1/4 cups flour 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 1 whole grated peel from medium orange 3/4 cup chopped pecans Glaze 1 cup powdered sugar 2 teaspoons orange juice Preheat oven to 350ºF and grease and flour the bottoms of two loaf pans. I use 8″ pans. In a large bowl or a mixer,... more

Spring has sprung, complete with puddles to splash in. One of the things we strive for when planning our menus is making everything fit together into one nice, neat little package. We look to use ingredients in different ways throughout the week so that we’re benefiting from the ability of do-aheads and being able to buy in bulk. We also benefit from a well-stocked pantry. Monday – Maple-Glazed Steak Salad with Blue Cheese Tuesday – Quinoa Vegetable Paella Wednesday – BBQ Chicken... more

Maple and blue cheese meet in a perfect pair, on a bed of greens and a sweet, maple-glazed steak. This happens to be my favorite “meal” salad, and it needs nothing else. It’s sugaring season, when the sap in the maple trees is running, and while we do notice our maples in the backyard running, we don’t actually tap our own. However, down on the reservation where Ole works, they most definitely are participating in the sugaring off: taping and boiling, which inevitably leads... more

For the steak: 3/4-pound ribeye 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar 1/4 cup pure maple syrup salt and pepper For the vinaigrette: 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 1/4 cup pure maple syrup 1 clove garlic, finely minced 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil For the salad: 4 cups spring mix 5 thin scallions 10 cherry tomatoes 1/3 cup blue cheese crumbles 1/4 cup walnuts 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup Start by marinating the steak.... more

Spring makes me feel like a kid in a candy store, so do giveaways. Be sure to enter mine to win 3 cookbooks and a Pioneer Woman t-shirt! One of the things we strive for when planning our menus is making everything fit together into one nice, neat little package. We look to use ingredients in different ways throughout the week so that we’re benefiting from the ability of do-aheads and being able to buy in bulk. We also benefit from a well-stocked pantry. Monday – Asian Orange Chicken Salad Tuesday... more

My blog had its first birthday, and to celebrate, I’m giving away cookbooks to you, the readers, the ones that keep me coming back. It all started with a post on carrot cake, and 219 posts later, here I am, one year into this not-as-new venture and a crash behind me even! As I was writing this post (the first time) my host updated a few things (read: deleted) and magically all 219 posts disappeared. I was less than impressed with the magic trick. But all was well by the afternoon when my... more