Tonight is “taco night” which means make a taco or burrito with any or all: chorizo from the Coop crumbled and browned, homemade refried beans, cheese, soft flour tortillas or a crisp corn shell. But what for a vegetable? Half a head of cabbage to the rescue! A slaw can be as simple as a squeeze of lime and drizzle of olive oil, but sometimes different flavors are nice. This one I’ve adapted from an orange-cumin dressing from years ago. But tonight I only had cabbage and a few elderly carrots on hand. See, even a cook like me needs dinner to be quick most of the time. Cheers! Print Simple Slaw ..read more

There’s no magic to bean salad or what some people call marinated beans: start with beans and add a dressing. This one I based on the bean salad recipe from Nepenthe in Big Sur, using tender new shoots of tarragon from starts I purchased at Woods Rose Market and am waiting to plant (because, Montana…ifkyk). I had garbanzos, giant white Coronas, and black beans in my refrigerator so I used those, but any white bean, fresh or canned, or a mix of white, red (kidney beans), black, and/or green beans will make a great bean salad. At serving time, a bed of undressed salad greens keeps the beans from ..read more

We call this madeleine cake at my house because it is reminiscent of the little French shell-shaped cakes. It’s the base recipe I used to create orange and strawberry-rhubarb versions, the strawberry one featured in the Spring 2024 issue of Edible Bozeman.  All of these are really good pound cakes based on Dorie Greenspan’s quatre-quarts. If you’re not at high-altitude (we’re at 5,000 feet in Bozeman and this recipe is built for that) reduce oven temp to 350° and use the same baking times as specified in the recipe. This cake is baked in the Lotus bundt pan by Nordic Ware. It holds 6-cups ..read more

Where I grew up in Almaden Valley, a suburb of San Jose, California, my mom and the other ladies on our street passed recipes on 3-by-5 cards. I’ve inherited the collection, and those from both grandmothers, and I can’t see ever parting with them. Some of those recipes are still relevant today, and this salad is one of them. I’ve upgraded the vinegar and oil but other than that, it’s circa 1970. Great for potlucks, picnics, grilling outside, and bringing to people in need of a meal. If you have a nice avocado, it goes great (however that was not my luck today for the photo. Ha!) For reference ..read more

Simple Syrup is easy:  equal parts sugar, water and whatever you want to infuse, from sliced peppers to flower petals. Heat until sugar is dissolved, steep, strain and you’ve got syrup for a few weeks. Keep refrigerated and use in teas, sparkling water creations, and cocktails. From the original Zocalo days, make Lily’s famous immunity infusion: muddled ginger slices, lemon, honey, hot water, herbal tea, and hot pepper simple syrup to taste. Photo by my friend, Samantha Lord.   Print Hot Pepper Simple Syrup makes about 1½ cups simple syrup; use in teas and/or cocktails Ingredients ..read more

It’s nice to know how to make a great cocktail, with and without the booze. I finally posted the grad party mojito recipe (makes enough for 72 drinks that are deliciously alcohol-free!) and it got me thinking about regular mojitos and how great it is to know how to make your own simple syrup. My friend Valerie Hemingway and I collaborated on the recipe published in the summer 2021 edition of Edible Bozeman, adapted from her son Edward’s book, Hemingway & Bailey’s Bartending Guide to Great American Writers, which is a hoot!  Photo by my friend, Samantha Lord. Print Mojitos with Mint Si ..read more

Refreshing and non-alcoholic, this recipe is built to fill two 2-gallon dispensing jugs, making 36 6-ounce drinks each, so a total of 72. Make the mint simple syrup days (or weeks) in advance, stash the bottles of lime juice and sparkling water in the refrigerator so that they are thoroughly chilled, and then for day-of party prep all you need to do it pour things into the jugs on site and squeeze some additional fresh limes if you feel like it. Print Grad Party Mojitos recipe fills two 2-gallon dispensing jugs, making a total of 72, 6-ounce drinks Ingredients Mint Simple Syrup (makes about 4 ..read more

Thanks to Kathryne Taylor of the blog Cookie + Kate, here’s a delicious home-made veggie burger that actually gets crisp on the outside! I like to serve these on a plate-full of arugula with cabbage slaw, toasted pepitas, avocado slices, and a dollop of Just Mayo’s Chipotle Mayo. Do as much as you can in advance—roasting the sweet potatoes, cooking the quinoa and beans (or use a can of beans!)—that way you only need to make the burgers and slaw at dinnertime. (For a quick cabbage slaw, finely shred half a head of cabbage and dress with juice from one lime, a tablespoon or two of olive oil, and ..read more

I developed this recipe for the 2024 Spring issue of Edible Bozeman. It’s a strawberry-rhubarb version of what I call my Madeleine Cake, which is simply a really good pound cake—quatre-quarts, as they say in France. If you have strawberry-rhubarb compote, add it with the cut up strawberries and rhubarb. No rhubarb? An all strawberry version is delicious. I’ve made an Orange version which you might want to try. If you’re not at high-altitude, we’re at 5,000 feet in Bozeman and this recipe is built for that, reduce oven temp to 350° and use the same baking times as specified in the recipe. This ..read more

Quickly cook the shrimp, deglaze the pan with a splash of wine, warm the fennel, carrots, celery, and onions with the pickling liquid, then pour everything over the shrimp. Refrigerate for a minimum of six hours to allow the flavors to develop and serve with sourdough, lemon wedges, and perhaps a pinch of arugula. This dish improves through day three, so don’t fret if you have leftovers, it’s great to have on hand for lunch!   Many summers ago, I toted this dish to a Dîner en Blanc held in front of our library. The shrimp held their chill and complemented our picnic of terrine, salmon ri ..read more