HOMECOOKED PDX

When my kids were younger, I used to make granola religiously in the oven and then I fell off. I bought cereal. I made eggs, pancakes, waffles, grits, bacon, omelets, potatoes, and biscuits. Basically, I made all the good breakfast food and forgot about granola […]

Blanching is a simple process that basically means to quickly cook an item in boiling water. If you are freezing fresh produce from your garden or the market, this is a simple step that you can take to help ensure that your frozen vegetables hold […]

I make a variety of bean salads pretty regularly and white beans are one of my favorite types to use. White beans have little actual flavor on their own, so they work well dressed up all different ways. They are a firm bean when cooked […]

Here’s one more thing that you can use your Instant Pot for: elderberry syrup. This sweet elixir is a powerful tool in any medicine cabinet and it tastes pretty nice too. I have been drying elderberries from my two shrubs for four years now, since […]

Every year I grow several different types of peppers in my garden. This year I grew jalapeno, shishito, Thai, habanero, and scotch bonnet peppers. I always have dreams of making several types of hot sauce with my homegrown peppers, but in reality we only grow […]

The two elderberry bushes I planted a few years ago have exploded in the amount of fruit they bear, so much so that I can cut a ton of flowers back to make this delicious syrup and still have way more berries come late summer […]

One of my more recent projects around the house has been growing microgreens. I took a break for the summer, as the room where I am growing them was just too hot. But now that things have slowed down and cooled off, I am back […]

We had a week of rain in Portland, which led to me making a lot more soup than usual. I love soup, and when I get wet and cold, there is no comfort food I crave more. Especially, the sumptuously creamy kind. This simple soup […]

While hummus tends to get all the healthy dip attention, babaganoush is my favorite go-to dip. I was a waitress at a Turkish restaurant in college and that is where I first fell in love at first dip. Made from eggplant, babaganoush is similar in […]

I recently returned from Belize where I visited the amazing Che’il Chocolate Factory in Stann Creek. I never really gave much thought to how chocolate was made before this tour, and now that I know, I am in awe. I always find it so fascinating […]