One of my favorite things to eat is fresh spring rolls so I have them at least once a month in various forms.  Although Eric loves them too, he’s not a huge fan of eating the same things several times in a row.  That’s where this salad comes in helpful.  If I have a bunch of noodles, julienne sliced veggies and lettuce in the fridge, I can throw this salad together in two minutes! Read more

I’m definitely not a barbecue expert.  My father in law has gotten really into smoking and barbecuing, if I need to know something I can defer to him.  But one thing I do know is cooking to taste, and I put my tastebuds to work making an easy bbq sauce recipe.  I want to create a barbecue sauce repertoire and one day hold a taste testing to find out what kinds of flavors my family likes the best.  So far I’m quite partial to this chocolate bbq sauce that tickles the tongue with just a hint of spice. Read more

Our CSA started up a couple weeks ago and for right now is limited to greens, radishes and rhubarb.  In Washington there has been more rain in the first few days of June than there typically is in the whole MONTH of June.  This has definitely affected the local farms but the nice thing about CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture) is that they help farms be supported in the good or difficult growing years.  I’ve been playing around with our radishes the past few weeks to figure out some new ways to eat them besides with butter on fresh bread (which is amazing by the way!). Read more

This salsa verde recipe is the second recipe I requested from the chefs while I was in Mexico.  I had NO idea my post on pico de gallo and my hurt over the racism I’ve seen around me lately would spark such a debate, or the HATEFUL and ANGRY emails and comments I received.  I didn’t approve the comments but I have to say I was pretty shocked.  They say if you want lots of comments “be controversial”, but that certainly wasn’t my intention! Read more

This is a difficult post to write, but the topic of racism has been weighing heavily on my mind lately.  I’ve been volunteering in the Cultural Diversity Department for the City of Auburn for almost a year now, and through that position receive enough information and current events about diversity and racism to overwhelm even the most avid learner.  Now don’t get me wrong, I love learning, and I know it’s important to at least have an awareness of the happenings of your community, country, and world. Read more