Early mornings in this years garden plot have been so inspiring, my heart sings to be there, and I love to share the beauty. As the garden builds momentum, the glory of summer and how we can celebrate the earth right into our kitchens fills me with joy. I hope it does for you too….
Category: Garden to table
Rustic squash, olive and cheddar galette … and the first snow of the season
Yesterday was beautiful … and bittersweet. The first snow of the season happened, in midst of the October eruption of golden leaves and fall prairie flowers. The familiar changes are always, to me, a bit startling and therefore so entrancing, creating magical landscapes in the tiniest and grandest of details. The afternoon before I had…
Pachamama’s Beautiful Food book proof is here! So close to publication!!
My heart was pounding when I heard the FedEx knock on the door this Tuesday, August 6. I was actually on a call with a client then, and had about 35 minutes to wait until I could open that door, lift the box and take a deep, joyful breath before I opened it. I…
Oh Joy! Pachamama’s Beautiful Food Cookbook is coming soon!!!
I am so thrilled to share with you – my longggg term dream is becoming a reality! Dear Readers and Friends, Gluten Free Eaters and Pachamama Lovers, My first job getting paid to cook was 41 years ago at a little diner in Iowa City, Iowa. From then to now there has been a whole…
Feta Stuffed Squash Blossom Summer Casserole
It was magical in the kitchen today. And it all started in the cool morning garden. 🙂 Take a quick peek: Then I had to celebrate with all the vegetables I brought home. As I said on my Garden Mandala post earlier today, “Point me to a garden plot in late February and I’ll…
Garden Mandala – a gratitude of bounty
Show me a garden plot at the end of February and I’ll be happy through November. July 30, 2018 So much to love How does Pachamama hold such beauty? Today: Rainbow chard, mixed lettuces, purple kale, blue lake green beans, burgundy beans, snap and snow peas and their greens, beets, squash blossoms, cucumber, and herbs,…
Roast Golden Beet Carpaccio with Walnut Sherry Vinaigrette
Unexpected. And glorious. Plant based and gluten free. Light, and perfect for picnics or special occasions. I had an inspiration the other day, cradling the two golden beets I had just pulled from my refrigerator in my hand, not wanting to simply boil them, or roast them for that matter, but something … something different….
May Day – Seeing Green in the garden
Gardening is embedded in my DNA, and reverberating in my heart. Growing, tending, dreaming, harvesting, cooking, sharing. Such bliss …. And another season of delight is beginning once again. This year’s garden is sprouting! Purple Peruvian potatoes … and the Red Sangres – Red and white, alternately planted onions. I bought these, and all the…
Eat Local Challenge : Foraged Fruit Poached Pears with Lemon Verbena Creme Anglaise
What a delight to combine these lovely Ela Family Farms pears with sour Montmorency cherries, elderberries, dried Stanley plums and local honey in a poaching syrup that is rosy and inviting! And then, infuse dried lemon verbena from my own garden this summer – in raw cow’s milk from Taft Hill Dairy, thicken the custard…
Ginger Plum Butter
Italian plums will always remind me of my mom when we were growing up, her delight when plum season arrived in the summertime, and her two bite technique for eating these plums out of hand, deftly plucking the pit from the halved fruit and forging ahead with the second bite without a hitch. She…
Grilled Colorado Peach Caprese Salad
Colorado peaches are a treasure. Grown on the spectacular western slope of the state, the peach blossoms sometimes, some years, encounter spring snows, freezing the blossoms and wiping out the seasons’ harvests. So those blooms that make it, create a sublime peach that knows both cool night temperatures as are par usual, as well as…
Cream of Grilled Endive and Asparagus Soup with Fresh Peas and Blue Cheese
Spring has leapt into Summer. “It’s the most glorious time, of the year!” Though by all counts, this time around, so far, summer is pretty darn hot. I sure was charmed by these sweet pea blossoms and new pods way back in May: You may remember, I was so very happy to secure a plot…
Grilled Endive and Quinoa Salad with Dried Sour Cherries and Toasted Almonds
This gardening season is going to be like no other in my life! I’m just thrilled to have secured a spot in one of the many community gardens here in Fort Collins, Colorado. By the time I got over to the gardens to really check out my plot, shovel, rake, gardening gloves and a desire…
Grilled Vegetable Ratatouille with French Pistou
There are two main styles of cooking, as my eyes see it today. One celebrates the simple purity of the ingredients and aims to let each one shine through in a merged state of clarity with the others. The other style contains more emphasis on stylistic appeal, sophistication, complexity – not to mention ambition. Both…
Pachamama's Beautiful Food 