A Fresh Approach

Previous Columns

• Memories of a San Francisco treat - 11/4/2009

  After a week in San Francisco, my husband met my flight, and as we headed out to the freeway asked if I'd like to stop somewhere along the way for a bite to eat.

• The 'perfect' roasted chicken - 10/28/2009

  At a time of year when all things roasted sounds particularly inviting, we're at our most motivated level for turning out a delectable, juicy, golden-roasted chicken.

• Winter squash are varied and vivid - 10/21/2009

  The colorful and dramatic winter squash could have their own show, with a cast of characters as varied and vivid as any Disney fantasy-styled production.

• There are plenty of Oregon apples to go around - 10/14/2009

  Finally, apple season has arrived, and if there's anything we know about Oregon, it's that apples thrive here.

• Waste not: Make a relish or chutney - 10/7/2009

  As the days of early autumn become shorter and the Northwest nights cooler, those once-prolific plots of tomato vines, pickling cukes and pepper plants aren't what they used to be.

• Calling all corn heads: Let's eat! - 9/23/2009

  Call me a corn brain if you must. My husband does.

• Don't let Oregon summers, tomatoes go to waste - 9/16/2009

  Until someone invents year-round summer in Oregon, the time to enjoy local sun-ripened tomatoes is now.

• Albacore is the affordable tuna option - 9/9/2009

  It occurred to me recently that Pacific albacore doesn't get the respect it deserves. Not in the "sushi-grade-yellow-fin-tuna" sort of way.

• Packing a snack for the outdoors - 8/26/2009

  Noontime, somewhere along the Lostine River, about five miles into the Wallowas of northeast Oregon.

• Keeping up with your tomato bounty - 8/12/2009

  Like a child sprouting from infancy to gangly adolescence, the first phase of a tomato plant's life seems to zoom by at breakneck speed.

• Give summer apricots the VIP treatment - 7/29/2009

  One summer, my folks headed over to Walla Walla for a few days. They were culinarily savvy enough to know about the region's super-sweet onion, the Walla Walla sweet.

• Food 101: Handle acid- and heat-sensitive green beans with care - 7/22/2009

  My last semester of college-level inorganic chemistry ended with a bang. I blew up the lab.

• Grilled veggies raise your chef status - 7/15/2009

  There are an impressive number of front-yard vegetable gardens sprouting up around my neighborhood this summer. Nightly walks have turned into casual scouting expeditions.

• Summer comfort food: baked beans - 7/1/2009

  The Outdoor Eating Season is in full swing.

• A few basic tips for freezing food - 6/17/2009

  Eons and eons before there were canning kettles and jars, there was ice. Very large ice, which came in the form of glaciers.

• How to make a well-tuned shortcake - 6/3/2009

  My sweetie had just taken a bite from one of my precious homemade biscuits, and I leaned in for his appraisal.

• Springtime onions are delicious by any name - 5/27/2009

  This time of year, when young onions are bursting up out of the ground, I'm often asked, "What's the difference between a green onion and a scallion?"

• Party planning reduces the fuss - 5/20/2009

  When my husband and I planned the rehearsal dinner for our son and his fiancé many years ago, I was firm about wanting to do all the cooking. It was for 87 guests, but I was a supreme optimist.

• An herb garden is essential for the everyday cook - 5/13/2009

  Herbs are a powerful force.

• A good option in tough times: Preserving - 5/6/2009

  We're a lucky lot here in the Pacific Northwest.