I am not, as a rule, a fan of green tomatoes. The first one I ever tried was at a well known New York deli. It was pickled. Or rather, half-sour pickled. And it was one of the worst things I’ve ever tasted. Maybe if it had been more sour, it would have tickled my [...]

I was recently at a potluck and learned an important lesson about myself. I shouldn’t be allowed to stand next to the salsa verde. At least, not if anyone else wants to have any. Not only did I eat more than my fair share on whatever bread was around, I also had a bit more [...]

Swirl ribbons of fresh, fat spears of asparagus, an unusually colored carrot and lightly pickled rhubarb together with a touch of minced shallot, a pinch of thyme leaves, a sprinkle of sea salt and a splash of fruity olive oil and sherry vinegar. Add a bit of fresh from the farmers’ market soft chevre, if [...]

My first taste of raclette was in the small town of Chamonix that lies in the shadow of Mont Blanc. Cameron and I were there for our honeymoon where we spent plenty of full days skiing. And by a full day of skiing, I mean ski a run or two and then head to one of the amazing little restaurants tucked into the mountain where we’d fill ourselves with hearty ham and vegetable soups and cassolet, fresh breads and cheeses, and of course un petit pichet de vin and then slowly roll our way down the hill back to our hotel. A nap usually followed, and by then, we’d have at least a tiny space in our bellies ready for dinner. Just enough, say, for a shared raclette for dinner. Yes. That’s right. We ate cheese for dinner. And it was fantastic.

We aren’t really a Thanksgiving holiday tradition family. We never did much around it in my house growing up other than maybe having turkey cutlets for dinner (more likely, we’d just have chicken). Cameron is Canadian, so he skips celebrating his harvest festival much earlier than I do in the Seattle.

Actually, this is not exactly true. We do have a very set Thanksgiving holiday tradition, but it has nothing to do with turkeys or cranberries or pumpkin pie (although, I do love a good pumpkin pie).