Dinner with Kirsten

This is one of those stand-by recipes that I’m always craving. I remember devouring this issue of Bon Appétit, way back in February 2005. I had just returned from a trip to Europe, where I ate my way through Paris and completely fell in love with the food. Would I ever taste food like that […]

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The undisputed pancake and waffle king in my family is Grandpa Chuck. Now, Grandpa has been making breakfast feasts using the same tried-and-true pancake recipes for as long as I can remember. So I was amazed when we got into a conversation about pancake recipe experimentation – debating the merits of sour cream vs. buttermilk […]

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Okay, I’ll admit it. A steady diet of Christmas cookies and holiday buffets has made my favorite pair of jeans a little snug. So, I decided to start 2009 right, with a healthy bowl of oatmeal and a banana – mixed together!

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On weekend mornings when I don’t make pancakes, Geoff invariably pops Trader Joe’s frozen banana waffles into the toaster. For frozen waffles, I have to admit they’re very good. That’s how I knew this recipe from The Pancake Handbook would be outstanding.

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I love leisurely Saturday mornings spent sipping strong French-pressed coffee and devouring stacks of fluffy pancakes. And these are the fluffiest, moistest, hands-down best pumpkin pancakes I’ve ever tried. The secret is whisking the egg whites until they’re foamy and then gently folding them into the batter – the pancakes turn into delicate soufflés. I […]

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While I was in high school and college, I ran my parents’ farm stand during the summer months. We sold tomatoes, peaches, melons, but most of all, we were known for having the best sweet corn. Sometimes I would wake up at dawn to pick corn with my Dad. We would drive out to the […]

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My Dad has a soft spot for mills (as in flour mills). My family used to visit them everywhere, on almost every summer vacation, and we would always leave with bags of freshly stone-ground flour, cornmeal and buckwheat. They would sit in the refrigerator for indeterminate lengths of time, dripped on and squeezed to the […]

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When my parents first bought the land that is now Vala’s Pumpkin Patch and Fall Festival, a pick-your-own pumpkin farm, they planned to sell strawberries. They planted acres and acres of the finicky sweet berries, placed ads in the local newspaper and sold them to whoever showed up. As an extra revenue booster, Grandpa Ernie […]

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When I was young, I used to have “sleepovers” at my Grandparents’ house. Even on the weekends, they would be out of bed at 7:00 a.m. (reading the paper, drinking coffee, and doing whatever people do that early in the morning), while I was still snuggled under the covers in the guest bedroom. Then, around […]

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