Ron Wilson Plant of the Week – Spice Bush Mar 18, 2021 Yesterday I was walking along our old country road when I spied something very yellow, sort of fuzzy and delicate looking. It was spicebush! Wow! I have one growing in my herb garden, but have never seen them in the woods here. That’s because I wasn’t looking during the right season. And now … Continue reading Discovering Spice Bush on a Springtime Walk
Oh gosh, I had so much fun doing my first Zoom presentation for the Boone County Arboretum’s Annual Tea with Josh, Nicole, Stephanie, Donna, and Kris last night. Log onto to their site to see just how lovely and productive this community arboretum is. There may be time for you to bid at the silent auction, too. My talk was about the 4 seasons and … Continue reading Boone County Arboretum Annual Tea Recipes
I was hoping to find some turkey wings at the grocery to make my do-ahead freezer turkey gravy (a flavorful gravy which can be used alone or added to turkey drippings). There weren’t any in the poultry case, but I did see some nice boneless pork chops on sale, so those went into my cart. My original thought was a simple dinner of fried pork … Continue reading Restaurant Style Sweet and Sour Pork/Chicken: Make it Yourself!
This weekend we celebrate Oktoberfest. Now I’m sure gatherings will be scaled down due to the pandemic, and some of you will be doing Oktoberfest at home. Oktoberfest salads are part of the fun. My German mother-in-law, Clara, made the best German potato salad. I remember it warm, with a bit of a bite from the vinegar. Problem is, like so many heirloom recipes, Clara’s … Continue reading German Potato Salad and Cucumber Salads for Oktoberfest
Today Matt Swaim on the Sonrise Morning Show and I chatted about Passover and its beautiful and significant meaning. And I shared yummy, yummy brisket recipes, along with one for unleavened bread and Charoset. PASSOVER FOODSJohn 13: 1-17 Talks about how the last supper was carried out with Jesus and his disciples, how he started by washing their feet. The Eucharist was born … Continue reading Passover Brisket and Unleavened Bread
Today Matt Swaim of the Sonrise Morning Show and I chatted about lentils. LENTILS: Ezek. 4:9 “During the first 390 days eat bread made of flour mixed from wheat, barley, beans, lentils and spelt…. There’s also a passage in Genesis 25: 25-34 where Jacob traded his bread and lentil soup for Esau’s birthright. Dried beans and peas were a mainstay of the Biblical people’s diet. Lentils … Continue reading Lentil Stew Has Ancient Biblical Roots
Mussels. What does that word mean to you? Expensive? Unfamiliar? Too difficult to cook? Mussels (or other bivalves, including clams) were not something I cooked early on in my food career. I hadn’t a clue as to how to store or cook mussels. And those little fuzzy beards hanging on? I couldn’t even go there! But I soldiered on, and found out that yes, mussels … Continue reading Mussels 101 and a Yummy Recipe
Butterfly pea tea – photo Wikipedia Fish in parchment A few food trends for 2020 have really caught my eye. Among them is the color blue. No, not blueberries. Or even blue potatoes. Have I peaked your interest? Read on. Purple yams Ube is the new “it” root veggie — actually more purple than blue. It’s showing up in ice creams and donuts. Mountain spinach Orach, … Continue reading 2020 Food Trends and Fish en Papillote
Rare beef tenderloin Just the mention of beef tenderloin in my recent column brought about requests for roasting. I can understand that, since choice tenderloin is expensive but so appropriate for the holidays and easy to roast. Plus it can be made ahead. If you’re serving this as part of a buffet, roasted asparagus sprinkled with Parmesan right when it comes out of the oven … Continue reading Holiday Beef Tenderloin with Latin Rub and the Secret to Extra Crispy Roasted Potatoes
