All posts tagged: Food

bourbon hot chocolate

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Yes, I’m posting about hot chocolate in June. As I write this, it is 48 degrees outside and our heat is on. Yes, I’m clearly smitten with bourbon and it finds its way into so many things I’ve made lately. And no, I don’t only consume chocolate, heavy cream, and bourbon, though if I were the type of person with a raging metabolism, I probably would. As good as it is on the rocks with ginger ale and lime on a hot summer day, the sweet warmth of bourbon also serves as an excellent comfort drink for a wet, cold-to-the-bone kind of day. 

small batch refrigerator pickles

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Cucumber season is coming to an end but I’m still getting one every few days.  I used my last batch a few weeks ago to make  jars of refrigerator pickles.  Refrigerator pickles are regular pickles, only they aren’t processed in a water bath.  The difference is that the shelf life is 3 months instead of 12 months. I really wanted to create pickles like my favorite brand – Woodstock.  They are garlicky and zippy.  My recipe isn’t exactly like Woodstock farms, but they had a nice bite to them! Refrigerator pickles 3 pint mason jars 6 minced garlic cloves 5-7 pickling cucumbers 2 1/2  tablespoons of pickling salt* 1/2 cup white vinegar 1 tsp peppercorns 6 dill heads 3 tsp dill seed 3 1/2 cups of filtered or bottled water **I couldn’t find “pickling salt” so I found really fine sea salt without anti-caking ingredients. Divide the minced garlic, sliced cucumbers, dill seed, and peppercorns up evenly and place in each clean mason jar. Boil the water, salt, and vinegar until all of the salt …

herby onion veggie gravy

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I was telling my friend, Becky, about my vegetarian gravy yesterday and she encouraged me to post the recipe.  Becky is one of my very first vegetarian friends and though I didn’t know it back when we first met, she was one of the inspiring people that–without trying–encouraged me to become a vegetarian.  She never pushed me not to eat meat.  She didn’t criticize my turkey sandwiches or tell me all of the ethical reasons I should give it a try.  She was simply healthy and had conviction about the food choices she made, which can be an even more powerful tool than steamrolling someone into giving up something that has been a foundational part of their diet for a lifetime. Thanksgiving, to me, is all about returning home to a warm place full of family and friends, yummy food, late night games of Pinochle, crunchy leaves, crisp air and sweaters, red wine, and stuffing and cranberry sandwiches for breakfast the next day. There are also mixed feelings because of the main food choice on this lovely and non-commercial …