Vin de Orange

Vin de Orange is a fortified wine infusion that takes the whole fruit, peel and all, and turns it into boozy liquid sunshine. French Vin de Orange can be found in historical documents as far back as 15th century. Read more ›

Fresh Paneer Cheese

Fried, grilled, or baked, paneer is a great fresh cheeses to make from scratch. The delicious milky lemony flavor can be tilted to sweet or savory dishes. Paneer is a lightly pressed cheese, which makes it easy to slice, dice and plank. This is great for one important reason. Paneer doesn’t melt! Read more ›

Sour Cherry Season is Here!

Oh my goodness, is it the summer solstice already???  That means my sour cherry tree is just about ready.  I picked 3 quarts today and more are on the way.  It’s a race between me and the birds so I have to be on my guard.   Read more ›

My Tomato Garden

It’s almost time to plant my tomato garden, if this Minnesota weather ever cooperates. (Today it’s trying to snow.) In Minneapolis I like to plant around Memorial Day weekend, just so the ground is nice and warm.  Read more ›

3 Fresh Cheeses from 1 Recipe

Exciting news this month! I wrote an article for the local Twin Cities beer rag, Growler Magazine, with how to make three fresh cheeses from one easy recipe.  Check it out! Read more ›

Barcelona Sangria

I’m still dreaming about Barcelona. Food, wine and art saturate the place, making it my perfect destination. If I want to evoke Barcelona with no effort? I open a bottle of cava. A little more effort? I make sangria. Read more ›

Barcelona Paella

I have never made paella before. It’s one of those dishes that is so specific to Spain, nay to each person in Spain that cooks it, that I felt weird attempting such a dish before tasting it first hand. Read more ›

Oranges, Taronjes, Naranjas

És la temporada de taronja! It’s orange season! I just returned from a visit to Barcelona, that spectacular city on the Catalan coast.  While technically in Spain, the Catalan people beg to differ. Read more ›

Earl Grey Kombucha

Earl Grey is my new favorite tea for making kombucha. While the tea is just a black tea blend, it’s the addition of bergamot orange oil that makes it especially lovely. Read more ›

Naturally Fermented Lime Ginger Ale

Want to try your hand at wild fermentation? Ginger ale soda is an easy first step. Made from freshly grated ginger, lime zest and juice, sugar and water, fermented ginger ale works with wild yeasts and bacterias present on the ginger and in the air. Read more ›

Fermented Dill Pickles

I’m a dill pickle girl all the way. My mother’s dill pickles are the #2 thing I can in the house after tomatoes. So imagine my surprise when I found a fermented version that almost rivals my mom’s? Read more ›