I’ve heard of rose hip tea before, but never been exactly sure what it was.  I always imagined it as something a curvaceous woman named Rose pours out of a pewter tea pot into dainty china cups with matching saucers. But on a weekend getaway at a cabin in Eastern Washington, we were hiking a nearby mountain and came across a bush with lovely pink and orange berries.  “Rose hips!” exclaimed Eric’s mother.  The image of curvy Rose flew from my mind, replaced with the image of Mountain Cabin Diana.  I immediately began plucking the glowing buds from the bush and filling one of my cargo pockets.  “You’ll probably stain your pants,” Eric said.  “I don’t care, I’m foraging!!!” Read more

Lemonade is a drink with endless possibilities.  After the great success of my strawberry lemonade, I’ve been daydreaming about different medleys like blueberries, or cherries, or even pineapple.  Unfortunately I don’t have any of those growing in my own backyard but I do have plenty of herbs, and lavender seemed the perfect choice to start with. Read more

Strawberries are one of the jewels of the food world.  They come in reds so bright they’re nearly glowing, the bigger they are the more they make you want them, and they’re often considered a romantic way to get your loved one to dash off the bedroom with you.  Personally, I’d take them over jewelry any day!  Unfortunately they don’t last as long as gemstones, but even if they’re too soft to eat fresh, they’re still perfect for strawberry lemonade. Read more

I used to work at Starbucks, and the funny thing was that I didn’t even really like coffee that much when I got the job there.  But I needed a job and it was only a 5 minute drive from my house.  Everyone seemed friendly there so I thought it would be a great place to work.  My introduction to the world of coffee started like a child entering a frigid wading pool one inch at a time. Read more

I guess this could be considered a milkshake recipe, or even a smoothie recipe, but calling it a frappe just sounds so sophisticated.  Peach and banana are a perfect combination, and this is a great use for bananas that are turning brown.  Just peel them, cut into a few chunks, and freeze in a ziploc bag until you’re ready to make this.  You can also make it without freezing the banana.

Read more