A quick and easy vegetarian dish incorporating Thai yellow curry spices and fragrant coconut rice together with fresh seasonal vegetables and herbs. August is breathing hot and sticky on my neck behind me, reminding me of all that needs to be accomplished within just 30 short days. Salmon-colored post-it notes are strewn across the surface of my workspace, their notes marking everything from daily to-do lists left unfinished, annotations on the redesign of this site that was put off to accommodate... more

Pickle fans will fall over themselves in glee for these pink-hued radish pickles. The recipe take minutes to get in the jar, and then they’re ready for all the things that deserve a pickle. The aluminum on plastic runners squeals crisply, and I hear the screen door rubbing along its track. Wet feet slap the linoleum, echoing through the open room as the hard floor and skin made slick from the pool come in contact with each other. The refrigerator sucks air in on itself followed by the satisfying... more

A refreshing ice pop recipe that combines your favorite berries (these were strawberry) and green iced tea to form a quintessential summer treat. 10 Quick and Dirty Summer Facts Every spring I plant my garden with the greatest of intentions. I plan and plot, and I care for each plant as if they were a small baby. By mid-July I’m tired. I hate having to water the plants, and I often skip days – multiple – in between watering, even when it’s 98º F and 86% humidity *because* it’s... more

Gravlax at home: You know you want to, this cured salmon deserves a place atop crackers and cheese, topping off your morning bagel, in place of the Canadian bacon on your eggs benedict (this please, over and over again). Get the how-to. This thing I do, life, sometimes I am terrible at it. I fail. More often than not, actually. My house is in shambles. It has reached and then exceeded the acceptable level of dirt and grime for accommodating four children beneath its shingles. There are piles. There... more

Crunchy cabbage gets slathered in a honey-sweetened vinegar sauce for a barbecue salad recipe that is equal parts crunch and tang, and just slightly sweet. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” – Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776 The 4th of July, Independence Day, July the 4th, however you choose to style... more

This recipe for honey whole wheat ricotta pancakes stacked with strawberries and drizzled with a honey rhubarb syrup makes an easy breakfast or breakfast for dinner. I fully realize that in some areas of the country strawberries signify spring. In my area of the country, strawberry season started just two days ago. Here strawberries blush with the very beginning of summer. Last year they were a few weeks early, this year late, but most years they appear right after school lets out for summer. Children... more

After much pleading and prodding, Ole shares his secret sauce: Homemade South Carolina Style Mustard Barbecue Sauce. Or does he? Getting this recipe was like pulling teeth, and I’m pretty sure we have an impacted molar still hiding in there somewhere. Read on for barbecue wisdom. In the summer of 2003 I pulled the trigger. I was a lifelong (26 whole years) resident of Minnesota. I had a college degree, an honest job, a trendy apartment in uptown Minneapolis, but I wasn’t done learning.... more