Recent Articles
10 Fall Crops to Grow Now
I have mixed feelings about late summer. I wait all winter for spring because I love getting my hands in the soil and harvesting the first fresh food of the year. All summer, I work constantly to keep up with harvesting food, cooking or preserving it and making sure it doesn’t go to waste. Now as […]
Zucchini Oat Bread
Do you know people who consider zucchini bread to be almost as good as eating the vegetable itself? I do. I know people that use this sweet bread as a way to disguise zucchini so their kids will eat it. That’s all ridiculous. Let’s just call zucchini bread what it is: cake. Zucchini bread of course […]
Miso Sweet Corn Soup
Maybe it’s because my garden’s tomato harvest hasn’t yet begun to overwhelm me or maybe it’s my tendency to hoard food for winter, but when I saw the recipe in Bon Appetit for this soup, my first thought was, “I need to make big batches for the freezer!” My urgency to make this miso sweet […]
Cherry Browned Butter Bars
Spring and summer bring a barrage of fleeting treats after long winters of eating mostly root vegetables and whatever I was able to squirrel away in my freezer or pantry from the previous summer. First, I eagerly wait for asparagus, then that magic time when asparagus and morels overlap for about two weeks, then it’s […]
Your Ideal Life and the Big Picture
This is a post I’ve been wanting to write for months. I’ve had the ideas swirling around inside and I’ve been putting words to those ideas while I work, walk the dog, do the dishes, work in the garden, cut flowers, and wash my hair. I’m sure none of it will come out as eloquently as I’ve […]
Rustic Kale Mushroom Galette
In case you clicked through to this post only to discover what the heck a galette is, all you need to know is that it’s like a lazy man’s pie. And, almost everyone likes pie. A galette is special because it has the best elements of a good pie like an impossibly flaky crust and […]
The Perfect Lawn and Why You Should Ditch It
Walking Lucy the other day was an exercise in patience at a time when I had little. I was on the first week of my new job where I am very fortunate to work right at home. During my lunch break, I wanted to enjoy at least some outdoor time with my girl, but I […]
Garden Pests: Controlling Leaf Miners Naturally
Maybe you’ve seen evidence of these dastardly garden pests on the once-perfect leaves of your spinach or chard. Leaf miners have all but ruined some of my leafy greens in the past, but last year I vowed that it would never happen again! To control garden pests without harmful chemicals, you need to first get […]
Smoky Skillet Shrimp with White Beans
Here’s something many people would not consider a gift: I left my corporate job back in December and have not worked full-time since. I admit, I have thoroughly enjoyed the gift of not having my days be super-structured and having more time at home. In the beginning, I had visions of finally this year having the […]
Cooking Oils Demystified
I get great blog post ideas from readers, and because I respect your privacy, I will not say exactly who gave me the idea for this post a long time ago. A friend whose name starts with “C” and rhymes with Marilyn and I have discussed cooking oils and we agree that it can be confusing. […]
Hi! I’m Brande. I’m a proud homebody, reluctant career girl, and happy wife to a nearly flawless husband. I’m not afraid of spiders, getting dirty, ill-advised kitchen experiments, or lofty ideas. Welcome! I can’t wait to get to know you. 
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