A creamy vanilla and buttermilk custard envelopes a pile of perfectly plump pears, all baked off in an all-butter pie crust. Yesterday my husband and I packed up our car. Not the family car that fits all the kids securely in their car seats, us in the front, but the small commuter vehicle he drives to work every day. We roused Kjell from his bed before the other children were moving in their rooms and drove across the state to visit the Mayo Clinic. As we made our way between the oil refinery, the... more

Easy steel cut oatmeal, kissed with cardamom and cream and full of the season’s finest pears. This is one breakfast worth getting up for. The world is silent, and I, in my house, stare out at the leaves, blowing in the cool wind. It’s a wind that can ever so craftily find the seams of your coat, inviting itself through layers of wool sweater and cotton undershirt until it chills your skin. Yet the sun shines as the leaves blow, and sometimes a few golden rays are all that is needed... more

The last of the everbearing strawberries and groundcherries from the market find love as a sweet jam. It’s been warm here, the kind of warm that makes you want to take long bike rides through the trail system that runs just east of your house, stopping to enjoy the view of the lakes and swamps in the area. Swamps are magical. The sun has been shining. Blaring, really. It’s like August in October at the moment, but with golden leaves on the trees and pumpkins on the menu for dinner. Rather... more

I have a confession. I don’t remember ever buying pumpkin in a can. Ever. I know my mom did when I was younger a few times, but generally, our pumpkin came from, well, a pumpkin. For years in high school I avoided pumpkin pie with it’s brown, creamy texture. Then I realized it was because I’d always had my pumpkin fresh. Fresh as in orange. When I started cooking with pumpkin on my own, I naturally went for the fresh pumpkin, but the grocery stores sell by the pound, and... more

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. I hear her from another room singing, “Mommy, mommy, mommy, mommeeeeeeeeeeeeeee,” in a singsong voice. She’s happy and singing, and I am listening. I turn... more

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. I have to tell you that I’m not feeling much like menu planning. We had a mock Thanksgiving dinner over the weekend, and after a marathon day of cooking and testing... more