I love to make simple syrups for my homemade lattes. I've used everything that I grow to experiment with my syrups, some tastier than others. Basil syrup with a cinnamon latte, for example, does not go together. I make it a point to get as much nourishment from my own little corner of the world as I can. When a follower suggested I try making hazelnut syrup for my next flavor, I was intrigued, but quickly realized the inherent problem:  While I like hazelnuts, I don't grow them.  To tell you the truth, I don't know if hazelnuts even grow in Kansas. Not wanting to give up immed ..read more

You may not know this until you're already into the thick of it, but eggplant is a rather prolific plant. If you don't know what to do with it straight off, you might find yourself overwhelmed with the stuff. I find that eggplant is a rather polarizing fruit (yes, it's a fruit), where people either love it or hate it. I'm one of the freakshows that are actually ambivalent to it! I am not offended by it, nor will I ever seek it out. I will say that I do love a good eggplant parmesan, but when I received a boon of eggplant in my CSA share, I fully admit to being at a loss.  I don't love e ..read more

Have you ever heard of a Sand Hill plum before? Perhaps, a Chickasaw plum? If you haven't, take comfort in knowing that you aren't alone. Until this week, I hadn't heard of them either.  These small, tart and astringent plums are native to Kansas, where I live. They are so called because they grow naturally in sandy soil, which is a bit of an oddity for fruit-bearing trees. They are excellent for windbreakers in fields and atop hills, and even better for the wildlife as songbirds cannot get enough of them. If you love birdwatching and have some sandy soil, may I suggest the Sand Hill p ..read more

You do not need to spend money on a smoker to have delicious ribs at home.  I live in Kansas City, which is The Barbecue Capital of the World. (I said what I said.) Everyone and their mother has a smoker, a dry rub recipe, a BBQ sauce recipe, and at least one person in their social circle that has had a BBQ team compete in a competition or two. Because I was a chef for so long, I know many teams that have competed in the American Royal. I haven't ever, but I do enjoy the fanfare that comes along with it. I enjoy how the city comes alive. I also enjoy how much the citizens of this c ..read more

This post is generously sponsored by Oodaalolly Chocolate! This amazing company is all about highlighting the terroir of the Philippines through wonderful cacao...which turns into chocolate! These are my dear friends that are committed to supporting FilAm artists and makers as well as being authentic candy makers with quality products. I personally love the dark chocolate calamansi the best, but in this recipe I used the 70% dark chocolate and that's what I'll likely use in the future. Okay so you can use whichever chocolate you want, but my personal favorite chocolate to use for baking is f ..read more

 I am not exaggerating when I tell you that these take less than an hour to make.  I have this amazing CSA program where I live and they grow rhubarb on the farm. If you're a regular reader of this blog, you know how much I love rhubarb, so I won't bore you to tears with it this time. I share quite a bit of my garden bounty with my son's daycare so I give them occasional batches of beautiful and fresh garden produce for the children there. They love it because it's nice and natural and they know where it's been grown(in my backyard). I gave them some rhubarb recently but the daycar ..read more

Just a little something.... We have a rule in our house: you can have as many sweets as you want, so long as I make them. I can't do much about salty snacks, such as potato chips or crunchy pretzel sticks, but I can certainly control the kind of snacking my son and husband do. What is to be done when the desire for a sweet smackerel of something is there, but you don't want to go to the grocery store? You simply use what you have, and - if you're like me - you always have carrots around, especially in the summer when they grow abundantly. Everyone loves a good carrot cake, and everyo ..read more

  What to do in the heights of summer, when basil is a boon? Make pesto, of course! Since I personally love growing purple basil and because it was in such a plentiful supply at the farm, I wanted to see what would happen if I used purple basil to make purple pesto. Basil has a wonderful fragrance stored in its oils, so harnessing that fatty goodness was just too irresistible.  There are good fats and bad fats, or so they say, but the kind of fats I'm talking about is the kind that occurs naturally in plants, legumes, etc. Basil has an essential oil that is responsible for its uniq ..read more

  These aren't your average cherry cupcakes! Cherry, as a flavor, is often the favorite of many a child and a grown-up when it comes to choosing popsicles, candies, even flavors of over-the-counter liquid medicine. When you taste an actual cherry, though, it often doesn't taste like the artificial cherry flavoring. This is fine! Cherries have their own gorgeous sourness with plenty of astringency and tannin to give you a complex and interesting flavor that pairs quite well with sugar. The cherries I've used in this particular recipe are canned cherries from my own pantry. If you ..read more

I am one of the most privileged individuals in the world, for I've had to the opportunity to learn the art of pasta from one of the greats. I dare not speak her name, but rest assured: I know what I'm doing. I was even lucky enough to learn how to make their ricotta gnocchi. I wouldn't dream of sharing their techniques online for everyone to see, but I can give you my own version and my own recipe with a clean slate of ethics.  I do love gnocchi, and I think it's the perfect way to use a load of potatoes, aside from fries or latkes. Sure, mashed potato is great here and there, but what ..read more