“You have never heard of Banoffee pie?” asked my daughter Ashley. “I thought everyone knew about Banoffee pie!” Four years at Lincoln University in New Zealand taught Ashley many things. Most importantly was that she didn’t want to make wine or grow wine grapes as a profession, the careers that her major in viticulture and […]
Food columns
Posted inFood & Drink
Happy birthday, King’s Daughters, with an apology
The King’s Daughters Organization celebrates its 120th birthday this year. Actually, their celebration began last fall with the long-awaited publication of their cookbook, Dining with the Daughters. I wrote about KDO and the cookbook back then. Normally I don’t revisit topics so soon, but I have good reason to do so in this instance: I […]
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The goodness of granola
It used to be “the lumpy woolen sweater of the food world” according to an article in the New York Times last February. It’s true that for those of us who can remember the 1960s and 70s, it can still have a vague whiff of counterculture. And it’s still regarded as inherently healthy, although these […]
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Land Connection Play
A play? Really? I’ve known about and admired The Land Connection – a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting farmland, training sustainable and organic farmers, and promoting a vibrant local food system – for years, especially its executive director, Terra Brockman. I’ve attended Land Connection events, some at Henry’s Farm in Congerville, where Brockman’s brother Henry […]
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Spring in betweens
This time of year it can be hot or cold – or anywhere in between. It’s amazing to look at our yard and think of our daughter Ashley’s wedding there last year. Everything was green and blooming, and there were wildflowers everywhere; guests were amazed at the lush stand of ferns we inherited from the […]
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Frontier, FedEx and Gary
My FedEx delivery guy’s name is Gary. I hadn’t known his name until a couple days after the blizzard that dumped 18 inches of snow on central Illinois last week. In fact, I hadn’t even realized he was my regular FedEx delivery guy or that I even had a regular delivery person. But Gary has […]
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Ham or lamb it up
For many Americans, ham is the traditional centerpiece of their Easter dinner. In other homes – ours included – it’s roast leg of lamb. Lamb’s natural association with spring makes it a favorite this time of year with people of many beliefs and cultures. Sadly, many folks have only experienced roast lamb that’s overdone and […]
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Get creative with leftovers
I’ll never again be able to make some of the best things I’ve created in my kitchen. Not because they were complicated and/or expensive, although I’ve made a few of those, too. It’s because those creations – they couldn’t accurately be called recipes – were concocted from bits of leftovers or things that would spoil […]
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Bloody good fruit
True, the name is a little off-putting. And their exterior, mottled with vermilion and/or brownish purple, sometimes looks more like a nasty bruise rather than something good to eat. But the first sight and taste of blood orange flesh reveal why they’re so highly prized. Blood oranges are ancient, but they’ve only been grown commercially […]
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RIP Hostess
They’re gone. Kaput. Fini. When the Hostess corporation, maker of Twinkies, Ding Dongs and Ho Ho’s, announced last November that it was filing for bankruptcy and closing its factories, the anguished howls were as intense as the hand-wringing over the impending “fiscal cliff.” Overnight, Hostess snack cakes disappeared from stores nationwide. Boxes of Twinkies sold […]
