Monthly Archives: June 2012

Postcard from Up North

Walstrom boathouse POST

Absence diminishes commonplace passions and increases great ones, as the wind extinguishes candles and kindles fire. ~ Francois, duc de La Rochefoucauld (Another reflection on the bay, its own version of red, white, and blue.)

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Nougat Glace: ice cream without an ice cream maker. And more.

Nougat glace POST

Among the sweets I adore there is in fact a hierarchy of that which captures my imagination, attention, and I’ll say it: love. I reserve the right to revise this statement at any time, especially when confronted with something like … Continue reading

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Technique: How to whip meringue

Meringue in mixer POST

What they say about literary technique is also true of culinary technique: you must first master the basics before you can take liberties with them. That’s why when we learned to whip egg whites at Tante Marie’s, we were given … Continue reading

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Ingredient: Cherries

Cherries at Bill's POST

When you come from Michigan, there is so much to say about cherries that you practically come to a halt thinking of where to begin. When you’re Lebanese, cherries are known for their pits as mahleb, ground and used as … Continue reading

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Favorite Things: Stand Mixers. What color is yours?

Sunbeam speeds POST

As with anything, it’s the physical that is always the first sign of attraction. There must be some kind of color chart that indicates the meaning behind the color you choose for your stand mixer. Or maybe I should write … Continue reading

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Postcard from Up North

Yellow NM LTB POST

Talent develops in tranquility, character in the full current of human life. ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (Yellow NM–Northern Michigan–racing sloop on Little Traverse Bay. She knows well both tranquility and full current, talent and character.)

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Radish & arugula salad. Here let us feast.

Radish salad POST

When the landlady at the first apartment I lived in with my sister in Chicago told us she was selling the old grey stone and it was time for us to move on, I was excited about the prospect of … Continue reading

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Can I count on your vote today?! For pie, that is…

Calling all pie eaters. And pie lovers. And pie-I-couldn’t-care-less-ers. The Huffington Post Kitchen Daily is having a contest, and in it you’ll see my lemon meringue tart, made here a few months ago. The three pies with the top votes … Continue reading

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Ingredient: Radishes

Radishes at Bill's POST

Bill’s farm market opened last week (up here we’re just entering a world of bounty now. Takes a while in these parts). I remember last October I asked Bill about some radishes, really wanting to make a particular dish with … Continue reading

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Postcard from Up North

Poppies at Walloon up close POST

Guard well within yourself that treasure, kindness. Know how to give without hesitation, how to lose without regret, how to acquire without meanness. ~ George Sand (Field of poppies, Walloon Lake. The flowers here give without hesitation all summer long.)

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Lamb shish kebab; meet me at the grill

Laham mishweh platter POST

I was always someone who was bothered by the division of labor in our house growing up. Boys mowed the lawn. Girls changed the beds. But the gathering of men at the barbeque—that one never bothered me. Instead it just … Continue reading

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Serious Garlic Sauce, or Toum

Toum POST

The first time I had ever heard of toum—the crazy good, strong garlic sauce that is a ubiquitous Middle Eastern condiment for kebabs and other barbecued meats—was just a few years ago. I had recently met my friend Janet, a … Continue reading

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Favorite Things: Stainless Skewers

Skewers 2 POST

Grilling days never really end in my world. Like some of you, I will brave the cold well into the deep chill of winter to get my grilled meats. But dashing in and out in the cold temps is a … Continue reading

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Postcard from Up North

Public Beach Raft POST

No one can see a reflection in running water. It is only in still water that we can see. ~ Taoist Proverb and a poem (There comes a time when one appreciates being quiet, being still, and taking a deep … Continue reading

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Lebanese Potato Salad with lemon and mint

Potato salad bright POST

I was surprised when I returned from Lebanon recently to find the herbs in the back corner garden had come into their own. City-dwelling for so many years made a porch gardener out of me, and I confess I had … Continue reading

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