tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83144417256223728522012-01-24T17:57:58.527-05:00Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.comBlogger541100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-71485387472347233832012-01-24T17:57:00.002-05:002012-01-24T17:57:58.540-05:00

Saturday I picked up my half lamb order from Back Forty Acres. I had decided a couple of days earlier that I wanted to use some of it for an Indian lamb dish. I had never made anything more complicated than saag in my kitchen (as far as Indian food is concerned). After some Internet sleuthing, a quick inventory of my existing ingredients, and a trip to the grocery store, I was ready to cook. I

Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-49932487542963546792011-11-21T20:12:00.001-05:002011-11-21T21:05:07.750-05:00

Mom's Kitchen said: "Surely you've got cinnamon in your spice rack." Of course I do. It's one of those things---along with thyme and chili powder---that my spice collection never lacks. We think of cinnamon primarily as a baking spice. Not so! It is very versatile. Let's face it: butternut squash by itself is...lacking. It's not the most exciting vegetable around. I've found creative ways

Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-23416129436817725412011-08-17T19:39:00.001-04:002011-08-17T19:41:29.543-04:00

After dropping the ball on July's Spice Rack Challenge (probably because I was thinking only about my upcoming vacation), I am ALL OVER this one. Why? I love cumin. I put cumin on everything. Okay, well, not literally everything, but it is one of those spices that disappears more quickly than others from my collection. It seems as if I am always upending an empty jar of cumin over one of my

Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-49513124806716585562011-06-02T18:47:00.000-04:002011-06-02T18:47:27.599-04:00

Wow. So much for posting every month in 2011. Slacker, thy name is Sun Runner. But! Yesterday I picked up my first box of the season from Tantre Farm. Oh, glorious green bounty of spinach, kale, lettuce, tatsoi, spicy mix, radishes, green onions, and asparagus! How fortuitous, then, that one of the herbs available for selection was mint. I love me some mint. I grow mint in my herb garden. Well,

Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-48176752730765897362011-01-24T19:02:00.000-05:002011-01-24T19:02:38.836-05:00

Yesterday I met up with some of the Michigan Lady Food Bloggers for a soup swap. I brought my tub of chowder and went home with five large containers of soup, which will feed me for days. My offering was a vegetable chowder. 4 tsp canola oil 1/2 cup green bell pepper, diced 1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced 1/2 cup shallots, minced 1 tsp curry powder 3 cups corn kernels 3/4 lb red-skinned potatoes,

Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-71499640436250307952011-01-18T23:21:00.000-05:002011-01-18T23:21:07.060-05:00

My, my, my it has been a while since I posted here, hasn't it? I find the lack of attention paid to this blog rather shameful, considering how much I cook. Fortunately, I have an excuse to resuscitate my food blog: a monthly cooking challenge put together by my fellow Michigan Lady Food Blogger Mother's Kitchen: the Spice Rack Challenge. The focus for January was on rosemary. Rosemary. It grew

Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-1988890166694439422010-04-26T20:07:00.002-04:002010-04-26T20:42:47.322-04:00

A while back my friends in Sacramento, California, sent me a box full of lemons from their lemon tree. After some pondering I decided to use some of them to make homemade limoncello.They smelled so good, you just can't even imagine. It was a burst of summer in the middle of a Michigan winter.I did a simple Google search for "limoncello" and after some perusal settled on this recipe, from the

Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-20034422533343174092010-03-01T21:11:00.004-05:002010-03-01T21:38:34.213-05:00

A random comment on Facebook did what nothing else could: prod me into updating my poor, sad, neglected food blog. I don't even know how I can be called a Michigan Lady Food Blogger since I haven't updated my food blog in five months! I've had the pictures for this sitting around since LAST SUMMER. There's no excuse. I'm just lazy as heck.When I discovered how easy it is to make your own ice

Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-31875132906456724862009-09-13T19:06:00.000-04:002009-09-13T19:26:45.471-04:00

I think I could write a poem about the colorful elegance of my dinner tonight. I "fridge shopped" again, plucking things from the crisper drawers which I thought would blend nicely in my big stainless steel pan. I combined two recipes from my last Tantre share newsletter, because I wanted to use both the daikon radishes and the tatsoi. Add an onion, red bell peppers, garlic, and carrots (all from

Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-83980725514363852432009-08-28T20:35:00.000-04:002009-08-28T20:51:16.110-04:00

I rummaged through my refrigerator and threw together a dinner of no particular provenance or coherence: chopped tomatoes, onions, garlic, a bunch of leafy greens, and shredded roast chicken. The veggies were from my Tantre farm share and the chicken was Back Forty Acres. I sauteed the veggies, splashed some broth over the mess to keep it moist, threw in the chicken, and let it simmer. I had

Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-35619030492858205922009-07-10T20:32:00.003-04:002009-07-10T20:45:38.068-04:00

I was going to call it "Instapasta," and then "Garbage Can Pasta," but I think "Kitchen Sink Pasta," as in "Everything But The..." works best. This is what I make when I want a fast, easy meal which uses up ingredients I already have hanging around the fridge and pantry. Whatever is on hand. Tonight's version went like this:Whole wheat mini shells (carbs for my long run tomorrow)Kale (farm share)

Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-5288572432765992352009-07-01T19:17:00.003-04:002009-07-01T19:31:19.851-04:00

Now that the vegetables are flooding in, I have turned once again to one of my staples in order to utilize them: the frittata. I have learned there really is no wrong way to make a frittata, and you can put almost anything into one. For the one in the picture, I used Tantre Farm spinach and scallions from my farm share, added sun-dried tomatoes, and topped it off with grated Parmesan cheese. The

Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-42437176189807465272009-06-08T22:05:00.004-04:002009-06-08T22:18:25.639-04:00

It's that time of year again. Farm share time.It was a long dry spell between the closing of the 2008 Tantré Farm season and the beginning of this year's influx of vegetables. I picked up my first share on May 26: spinach, scallions, radishes, potatoes, lettuce...oh, the drive down the familiar road was like coming home. I dived into a sea of green and I don't want to come out. Tuesday evenings

Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-82806161736192797712009-05-02T17:14:00.012-04:002009-05-02T17:44:42.267-04:00

That's fancy talk for "pork liver pâté," which is what I made for the Michigan Lady Food Bloggers' "April in Paris" gathering on April 26. The theme for this event was French cooking, using Julia Childs' seminal Mastering the Art of French Cooking as inspiration. (Aside: Julia was a fellow Smith College alumna, class of '34. Smithies represent!)I decided I wanted to use the pork liver from my

Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-19404336342971159082009-02-23T11:10:00.002-05:002009-02-23T11:13:55.164-05:00

This morning before I left for work I put half a pound of Rancho Gordo Runner Cannelini beans into some water to soak all day because I am going to use them for dinner tonight (Chicken with White Beans and Rosemary).I just remembered that I forgot to pull the chicken thighs (you know, the "chicken" part of this meal) out of the freezer to defrost.It's Monday; what can I say?

Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-74957089535364913452009-02-04T17:17:00.012-05:002009-02-05T18:11:13.296-05:00

The spreadOn January 24 the lovely ladies of the MLFB descended on my house for a late-afternoon get-together that was intended to transport us back to those warm and luxurious days of summer. If it had to be winter outside, then it could also be summer inside, if only for a few hours.I can't emphasize enough how fortunate I feel to be part of this group of women. You guys (gals?) rule!This is

Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-22520826058323724962009-01-12T17:26:00.009-05:002009-01-12T18:18:47.068-05:00

In a couple of weeks the Michigan Lady Food Bloggers will be descending on my house for a "sweep away the winter blahs" event, the theme of which is "Summer in January." I decided to take the concept for a test drive, inspired by a recipe for homemade ketchup that was in my most recent issue of Saveur. From there, it was a natural branching-out to pulled pork made with one of the last two

Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-50126780307431015462008-12-17T18:15:00.000-05:002008-12-17T18:14:50.232-05:00

Buddy thinks: "If they just look away for a second...all of this could be mine!"On Saturday I met up with the lovely Michigan Lady Food Bloggers at Patti's house for a cookie exchange. Well, not really a cookie exchange, but an all-out treats extravaganza. A cookietravaganza? Either way, it was good eats, good treats, and good conversation. I brought three varieties of cookie to the gathering:

Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-89844106299222280332008-12-17T17:39:00.007-05:002008-12-17T18:01:50.825-05:00

This was another offering for the MLFB gathering. This is one of my Old Standbys. I make these cookies all the time. This recipe is from Cook's Illustrated New Best Recipe.Ingredients:2 1/4 cups (11 1/4 ounces) all-purpose flour1 tsp baking soda1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon1 1/2 tsp ground ginger1/2 tsp ground cloves1/4 tsp ground allspice1/4 tsp salt1 1/2 sticks (12 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened

Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-7291967839476820042008-12-17T17:21:00.009-05:002008-12-17T17:39:39.016-05:00

This is one of the cookies I brought to the MLFB Cookie Exchange last Saturday. This recipe comes in many guises-- Pecan Balls, Snowdrop Cookies, Snowball Cookies, etc...but whatever you might call them, they are little spheres of crumbly goodness. This particular recipe was my grandmother's. It was on a card, written in her elegant early-20th century upbringing script, nestled in her recipe box

Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-68947755189353920982008-11-25T17:54:00.007-05:002008-11-25T18:11:57.825-05:00

Last weekend I picked up my final share of the season from Tantré Farm: the Thanksgiving share. It was so massive I had to split it into two pictures.Root vegetable bonanza: squashes, potatoes, rutabaga, onions, more potatoes.More veggies! Brussels sprouts, turnips, radishes, chard, cabbage, kale, spinach, beets, cauliflower, parsley...I know I'm forgetting something...The whole thing. That's a

Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-4375526555930535082008-11-06T10:10:00.003-05:002008-11-06T10:22:27.433-05:00

I am convinced that olive oil, salt, pepper, and 35-40 minutes at 400 degrees can turn anything into edible gold.Case in point: Brussels sprouts. Most people cringe in horror at their name, fearing mushy, steamed green blobs. However, since I transformed a previously-hated vegetable (broccoli) into something I ate as fast as I could shovel it into my mouth by the holy trinity of olive oil,

Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-79456452163640767632008-11-01T17:27:00.002-04:002008-11-01T17:38:32.360-04:00

The last share (sniffle).Last Wednesday I picked up my final share of the year from Tantré Farm. I opted for the three-week extension to the regular 20-week season because I just could not bear the thought of being without my glorious vegetables. However, there is nothing more I can do now as the season is officially over. Once I have worked my way through what is left in my crisper drawers and

Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-37675030874191451062008-10-26T13:19:00.009-04:002008-12-12T08:23:08.047-05:00

I received an enormous head of cabbage with my farm share in early October. Confronted with this nearly soccer ball-sized sphere, I wondered what on earth I was going to do with it. I said something to this effect at work one day and my co-worker, who is from Romania, found for me this recipe for a meat and cabbage stew in the style of the Secui (Székely) people of Romania.Pork steaks from our

Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-51654964485895683442008-09-07T13:11:00.009-04:002009-02-21T12:57:47.821-05:00

Yesterday afternoon I was delighted to attend a gathering of foodies and food bloggers from the area. We convened on Shayne's home in Livonia, ten "lady food bloggers" and assorted husbands and children, for an afternoon of homemade goodies and lively conversation.Shayne's homemade mojitos with fresh mint from her garden. Yum!I had been unable to attend the previous gathering due to being on

Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-71592927596731051932008-08-15T19:29:00.012-04:002008-08-15T20:07:09.713-04:00

The end result, served for breakfast at my parents' house in Ohio.Blueberries ripe for the pickingLast week after work a co-worker, Lori, and I headed out to The Blueberry Patch, an organic blueberry farm in Grass Lake. I have driven past this establishment countless times in the past but never stopped. It was time! Time for ripe, luscious, sweet Michigan blueberries! I had never really thought

Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-38617334775748438262008-08-03T18:07:00.005-04:002008-08-03T18:23:53.613-04:00

The summer's bounty of fresh green beans is upon us. What to do with the flood of beans! Thanks to a generous friend I acquired the book A Canon of Vegetables: 101 Classic Recipes by Raymond Sokolov and in it I found this recipe (page 28). It was just meant to be.6 tbsp canola oil1 lb green beans, ends snipped and cut into 2-inch pieces1/4 lb ground pork1 tbsp rice wine (mirin)1 tbsp soy sauce1 1

Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-1189555876081390232008-07-31T15:34:00.002-04:002008-07-31T15:39:22.224-04:00

I know, I haven't been posting. I even have stuff on the camera card that I really need to upload to the 'puter. It was momentous: John ate green beans! And didn't complain!Things You Never Want To Hear In A Kitchen:CHOP CHOP CHOP CHOP CHOP CHOP CHOP CHOP CHOP CHOP CHOP CHOP CHOP CHOP CHOP CHOP CHOP CHOP CHOP CHOP CHOP CHOP CHOP CHOP CHOP CHOP CHOP CHOP CHOP CHOP CHUNK"Uh-oh."'Quickly inspect

Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-9445423355220789822008-07-16T20:23:00.013-04:002008-07-16T20:36:31.170-04:00

I recently spent a week on vacation in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, with my family. While there, I cooked a couple of meals, my mom and dad cooked a couple, we went out to dinner once, and we had the meal that everyone visiting the New England coast should have: a boiled lobster dinner. We ordered lobster from a fresh seafood place not even a mile away from our beach house in the morning and picked

Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-24789658373352180612008-06-26T21:26:00.002-04:002008-06-26T21:50:13.354-04:00

Whoa.We just demolished almost an entire whole chicken (Back Forty Acres, of course) which I prepared in the time-honored way of chicken a la redneck, in other words, a chicken with an aluminum beer can shoved up its...! In this case the vintage brew of choice was Budweiser, the grill was Weber, and the dry rub was fragrant.That bird came off the grill smelling of heaven. I couldn't even wait the

Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-63400287149132849262008-06-25T18:06:00.005-04:002008-06-25T18:15:30.543-04:00

The contents of my Week 4 share box. Usually I post about each share after I've made some things from the vegetables within, but this week it was all too pretty to just divide into bags and stick in the fridge.I think...I'm going to make myself a gin smash with some of that fragrant spearmint and contemplate what I can make for dinner tonight.

Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-32728327617157783682008-06-25T17:32:00.012-04:002008-06-25T18:01:45.177-04:00

Beets, beets, the musical root, the more you eat, the more you...wait a minute...wrong plant.Yes, this was the first week beets were included in my farm share box. Having never once eaten beets in my entire life (as far as I know), I had no preconceived prejudice against their taste; indeed, the only things I knew of beets were 1) the pickled and canned ones look kind of gross and 2) their juice

Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-38968567936415994122008-06-16T18:10:00.004-04:002008-06-16T18:16:16.229-04:00

These are sausage patties I made (yes, using my own two hands) using the ground pork from "our hog" from Back Forty Aces. Bacon is visible as well.I served these for brunch on Father's Day as accompaniment to a massive spinach fritatta I made using the rest of the spinach and green onions from last week's farm share as well as a full dozen eggs from Back Forty (chill, people; there were seven of

Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-88815013916974339792008-06-16T17:33:00.005-04:002008-06-16T18:05:21.338-04:00

As soon as I saw "arugula" on the list of items I was to receive in my share this week the first thing I thought was "farmhouse sandwiches!" Italian Farmhouse Sandwiches are a long-time favorite in my family. Who can argue with open-face sandwiches redolent of garlic and piled high with fresh vegetables and savory meat? I don't even know where the original recipe came from. This is one of those

Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-71528013226594893732008-06-13T08:42:00.002-04:002008-06-13T08:49:39.683-04:00

I have not been una buona forchetta this week. My farm share is sitting mostly untouched in the fridge. I haven't cooked dinner at home since Monday. Opera rehearsal/performances are kicking my butt! However, John picked up the chickens from Back Forty Acres yesterday so now we have five broilers in our deep freezer. I want to make a whole roast chicken on the grill tomorrow when my parents are

Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-1682054114556410932008-06-08T13:57:00.006-04:002008-06-08T15:04:19.436-04:00

Thursday evening we picked up our half hog from Back Forty Acres. 98 pounds of pure porcine pleasure now fill our freezer to the brim. Last night it was time to test (taste?) drive the pig.All rubbed up and nowhere to go but the grill.Mustard Seed and Thyme Dry Rub (from Weber's Big Book of Grilling):1 tsp mustard seeds1 tsp celery seeds1 tsp dried thyme1/2 tsp kosher salt1/4 tsp black pepper1/4

Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-36548617709815860902008-06-08T13:20:00.003-04:002008-06-08T13:57:46.130-04:00

A picture worth a thousand bites.This leafy bounty brought to you courtesy of my Week 2 share box. The above is composed of green and red leaf lettuces and will provide me with my work lunches all week. A couple big handfuls of this mix, some sliced radishes, homemade low-fat salad dressing, and I have the best-tasting salad in town.This week's share continued the leafy greens theme of last week

Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-20388825418379295762008-05-29T22:34:00.000-04:002008-05-29T22:34:45.707-04:00

At last, the Tantré Farm harvest has begun! I sent my information and deposit in back in January and have been waiting anxiously for the first share of the season which arrived (or, more accurately, was picked up) on Tuesday this week. Unfortunately I don't have a picture of the goodies that come in my first box because John has our digital camera and he's fishing in northern Ontario this week.

Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-43016455016839821762008-05-29T11:03:00.007-04:002008-05-29T21:15:14.015-04:00

This week while John is out of town I decided to see how I would do as a vegetarian. I would not attempt this experiment otherwise because my husband likes his meat and you should hear the complaints I get when I cook something without meat. It's now Thursday and I haven't had any meat since my ham sandwich for lunch on Saturday. So far, I'm not really missing the meat!The situation was greatly

Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-68993217985339107682008-05-25T16:09:00.003-04:002008-05-25T16:39:02.683-04:00

Yesterday, finally, I got the chance to work in my herb garden.My yard is a messy tangle of random plants that receive minimal tending, but my herb garden is the one area upon which I lavish love and care. The garden was in place when we moved into this house six years ago, but since then I have moved, replanted, and altered its makeup dramatically. Only two of the original plants remain: oregano

Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-61725777058747379912008-05-12T16:23:00.002-04:002008-05-12T16:29:28.194-04:00

Yesterday we filled out and submitted our pork cutting order to Back Forty Acres, and within a month we will have a freezer full of pork! I am so excited.

Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-71864303926159392322008-05-11T22:07:00.009-04:002008-05-11T22:41:34.249-04:00

I saw this recipe on 64 Sq Ft Kitchen last week and the mention of orange flower water made me anxious to try it. I had seen just such a bottle of orange flower water at Plum Market in Ann Arbor and I recall standing there looking at it wondering what I could use it for. When I saw the recipe on Warda's blog last week I thought, aha, here it is! I went to Plum Market on Friday and got the orange

Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-43633032595037512742008-05-09T21:54:00.003-04:002008-05-09T22:14:29.462-04:00

After a major overindulgence at lunch (a catered party to celebrate someone's 10th anniversary with my company) today, I was ready for something a little lighter for dinner. I picked up two yellowfin tuna steaks at Plum Market and whipped this up as a side dish to go with the grilled fish. I just wanted something light and fluffy but with a vegetable component as well.Ingredients:1 1/2 cups

Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-11546407475918438862008-04-30T20:56:00.006-04:002008-04-30T21:26:29.544-04:00

A couple of weeks ago we suffered a major beef-related catastrophe (hereafter referred to as Meltdown '08). Somehow, the chest freezer which holds our precious cargo of beef came unplugged and over the course of several days defrosted about half of the beef left in the freezer. I discovered the mess one evening and proceeded to have a gigantic screaming fit complete with abundant cursing.

Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-36567176856954897482008-04-05T16:47:00.005-04:002008-04-05T17:08:40.360-04:00

Ever since I purchased a large amount of beans from Rancho Gordo I have been searching for excuses to use them. What better way to put my Scarlet Runner beans to good use than in a hearty beef and pork chili?Rancho Gordo's Scarlet Runner heirloom beans. Majestic!Before I left for work Friday morning I placed 1/2 lb of these beans in cold water to soak while I was away. I had to do something after

Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-74358197066313359152008-03-18T18:24:00.009-04:002008-03-18T18:52:51.620-04:00

This is one of those things that I don't remember ever not eating. This is a classic food from my childhood and something I still make today.1 3-4 pound center cut pork loin roast (usually comes as two halves tied with string)For marinade:1/2 cup dry sherry1/2 cup soy sauce2 cloves garlic, minced1 tbsp dry ground mustard1 tbsp ground ginger1 tsp dried thymeMix together marinade ingredients in

Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-66544371826810577802008-03-09T14:03:00.010-04:002008-03-09T15:04:01.347-04:00

One of the more unusual pieces we got with our beef order last year was a heart. I had no idea what to do with it. Frankly, it scared me. It was huge and encased in a thick layer of fat. But there it was, lurking in our freezer, mixed in with the more conventional cuts of chuck roast and rib steak.I turned to the Internet to help me find a recipe that would make something frightening into

Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-72912168474664112422008-03-06T19:44:00.004-05:002008-03-07T09:06:43.665-05:00

Monday night I was getting dinner ready (putting together my mise en place) when I said, "You know...I really don't feel like cooking. I need a break." John said, "Well, then I will do it. I can cook, you know."And so we have: John Cooks. One night a week I will get a break from the chopping and stirring and standing in front of the stove as John, my husband, flexes his culinary muscle. His first

Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-19609379881208146112008-03-02T13:37:00.001-05:002008-03-02T14:03:13.148-05:00

Ah, chocolate and coffee. What a combination. These delectable little biscuits are among my favorite cookie confections. This recipe is from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook (2000), page 516.1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder1 tbsp espresso powder or finely ground espresso beans1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature3/4 cup powdered sugar1 tsp vanilla

Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-92178018056031715012008-03-02T13:06:00.001-05:002008-03-02T13:37:37.665-05:00

One of the cuts of meat we got with our side of beef order was a rump roast. I didn't really know what to do with it except snicker every time I said the word "rump." I was, therefore, very pleased to find a recipe for roast beef that specified rump roast (Real Simple, October 2007). 2 pounds boneless rump or rib roastKosher salt and black pepper1 pint grape tomatoes1 head garlic, cloves peeled8

Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-85689631909334099502008-02-24T09:53:00.000-05:002008-02-24T10:46:16.225-05:00

Friday night we had rosemary-garlic pork chops, oven-roasted broccoli, and bulgur pilaf for dinner. My most recent issue of Cook's Illustrated had an intriguing recipe for roasted broccoli. Cook's Illustrated is one of the most useful, knowledgeable food magazines available. I trust them completely. If they promised to "transform" broccoli, why, I had to try it. I tolerate broccoli in the best of

Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-75815459728236242712008-02-23T16:51:00.000-05:002008-02-23T17:33:21.505-05:00

Yesterday afternoon I found myself at home without much to do. I decided to make my favorite cake from scratch. It's so simple yet turns out delicious every time. After a quick trip to the market downtown for some key ingredients (can't have cocoa cake without, you know, cocoa), I was ready.Ingredients:2 cups all-purpose flour3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder1 1/4 tsp baking soda3/4 tsp salt1 1/2

Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-71595526682062323222008-02-18T22:12:00.000-05:002008-02-24T10:46:57.527-05:00

For my first real post, I decided to document what I made for dinner tonight. I had some asparagus in the refrigerator that wasn't getting any fresher, so I wanted to use it up the best way I know how: oven-grilled. Below I have the asparagus laid out on the baking sheet with the only other ingredients required for this delicious side dish: kosher salt, olive oil, and black pepper.Pass the olive

Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-65769311011064173972008-02-18T18:38:00.000-05:002008-02-18T18:46:15.821-05:00

I saw the phrase "una buona forchetta" in a book the other day. Translated from Italian, it means "a good fork,"and, when applied to a person, means that person has a vast love of and appetite for fine food. As soon as I saw that, I thought, That would be a wonderful name for a food blog.And so here we are. I hope to use this space to occasionally post pictures and recipes of things I create in

Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com0