Sweet Potatoes & Pears: Perfect Soup Combo

  I like to save one sweet potato from the autumn garden and suspend it in a hanging planter with enough water and a little fertilizer touching the bottom. Eventually the tuber produces vines with edible leaves and makes for a fun climbing houseplant.  When harvesting the sweet potatoes, we usually find a fair number of nice sized, but weird shaped potatoes. These funky specimens … Continue reading Sweet Potatoes & Pears: Perfect Soup Combo

Two Way Lentil Soup: Vegan or Not

Lentils: They can be frugal or fabulous. We grew up with the frugal version: brown lentil stew on meatless days. Friend and cookbook author Triset De Fonseka uses red lentils in her Sri Lankan dals. I’ve enjoyed the fabulous, too, like pan roasted salmon on a bed of black/beluga lentils.  Out of all the lentil recipes that folks make, though, lentil soup is at the … Continue reading Two Way Lentil Soup: Vegan or Not

Warming Tea and Bone Broth

As usual, on Thursdays, I chatted with Matt Swaim today and the subject was St. Blaise. He was a healer, especially for conditions of the throat. I thought it would be good to share a couple timely recipes now that we’re in flu and cold season (still!). The reason we have the blessing of throats on his feast day is when he was condemned to … Continue reading Warming Tea and Bone Broth

Love Stuffed Bells? Try Stuffed Bell Pepper Soup!

Looks like we’re starting out 2021 much as we ended 2020. The pandemic is still why many of us are working, and cooking, at home. The latest news is that we may be entering a super critical stage. So I’m limiting outings even more to keep myself, my family, and others safe. That means few trips to the grocery, so for the next few weeks, … Continue reading Love Stuffed Bells? Try Stuffed Bell Pepper Soup!

Small Batch Broccoli Souffle Casserole

It’s happening to us, and most likely you, too. A smaller gathering for Thanksgiving. So here’s a small batch recipe of our favorite broccoli casserole. The bonus is that it can be frozen and baked, covered for some of the time, and baked a little longer than if you’re making it fresh. This is the casserole I chatted with Annie Mitchell on Sacred Heart Radio/Sonrise … Continue reading Small Batch Broccoli Souffle Casserole

Matt Swaim’s Minestrone Soup

October is the month of the rosary. One of the most popular mysteries is the Luminous mysteries. They focus on the life of Jesus and the work He did from the time He was baptized to offering the first Eucharist. A most recognizable event is when Jesus turned water into wine at the wedding in Cana. It was the first miracle Jesus performed. Jesus and his … Continue reading Matt Swaim’s Minestrone Soup

Slow Cookers Go Way Back to Bible Days

As many of you know, Thursdays are my day to chat with Matt Swaim of the Sonrise Morning Show on Sacred Heart Radio. Today, we talked about “slow cooking” and how that kind of cooking was done during Bible days. Slow cooking/cookers have Biblical roots! (Well, sort of) We are all cooking more it seems and with the kids back in school, many virtually, we’re … Continue reading Slow Cookers Go Way Back to Bible Days

Turkey Lentil Chili – 4 Ways to Cook It

I can tell by gazing out my kitchen window that winter has arrived on my little patch of heaven. I can see the East Fork river through the bare trees on the hill. Today the sun is throwing sparkling patches of light on the water. It puts me in the mood for a big pot of turkey lentil chili.  I have Eastside reader Mary Ann … Continue reading Turkey Lentil Chili – 4 Ways to Cook It

Spanish Style Gazpacho and Manchego Crostini

Today I decided to try a recipe for “really the best gazpacho ever” shared a while ago by a reader. My reason for trying it today was that I harvested a basket of ripe tomatoes with spots or cracks and had to do something with them, and quick.  So I cut bad parts off and plugged in my blender. I blended the tomatoes with red … Continue reading Spanish Style Gazpacho and Manchego Crostini

Next up: Salmon Corn Chowder

Well, how could I resist? I just had to make salmon corn chowder. Why? Thank colleague Matt Swaim of the Sonrise Morning Show. We chatted early today and I shared a chicken chowder recipe (see chicken corn chowder post).  Matt is a creative and sometimes “out of the box” cook and said he makes a version using salmon and shallots and whipping cream. So except … Continue reading Next up: Salmon Corn Chowder