EatWriteRepeat

Notes on food-life from my kitchen

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Elodee’s Dream Cake

I’ve always felt that writing and concocting food are disciplines that mirror one another. On one hand, you pick up a pen and with one word at a time, you build a feast for the heart and mind, keeping character arcs and plot lines intact, carefully measuring out conflict and raising the stakes, until at last: resolution!

Baking a cake is not so very different. You begin with an idea—a ache for a…

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Pumpkin-cashew cookies (whole30)

So, if we’re going to be purists, whole30 rules leave no room for “baking” and if you’re a whole30 purist, you might want to skip this particular recipe . . . But I am not a purist in methodology, I’m only a purist when it comes to ingredients.And these cookies definitely keep to the rules. —Dried apricots, lightly-salted cashews, pumpkin puree, chia seeds, coconut oil, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon,…

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Rhubarb Hazelnut Tart (Gluten Free!)

Rhubarb Hazelnut Tart (Gluten Free!)

Here it is, the middle of June, and all my summer food adventures have thus far been concocted with such frantic abandon (Hello sun! Hello air that doesn’t hurt my face! Hello GREEN!) that I’ve only just remember I have a food blog. Ahem. Hello food blog.

All that to say, I took a deep breath and a little care to snap pictures and make recipe notes with this one. Partly because it has been…

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Lilac Simple Syrup

Where I live in the more northerly-regions, the massive lilac bushes in my yard hit peak bloom this past week. Everything smells of lilacs. I cut armloads of blooms and filled the house with blossoms. On every surface, a vase. Lilac season is so short—the blooms open, flourish, close, and die in a matter of days, and they won’t flood the world with their color or fragrance for another year. So my…

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My Black Friday Christmas List

My Black Friday Christmas List

Black Friday is the day after tomorrow. I know this because my mailbox, email inbox, and voice mailbox are full of offers promising to save me all the dollars, on all the things, for all the people, forever and ever amen. I’m exhausted just thinking about all the savings. To help me sort through it all, I’ve put together a Christmas shopping list. Perhaps you’ll find it useful as well, should you…

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Eggnog Pie Crust

There’s eggnog everything, right? Kinda like pumpkin spice? I don’t know. I’m not cued into Starbuck’s influence on the tastebuds of the world as I used to be. But of one thing I am certain: Eggnog is yummy. And the more ways I can incorporate it into my holiday eating experience, the better. It was from this belief that eggnog pie crust was born. Is there any better accompaniment to a pumpkin…

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Blitzkuchen

I think all of my childhood memories orbit around food. *thinky face* I’m not sure if this is good or bad. But Blitzkuchen (blitz-koo-chin) is one of my favorite memories. It means “Lightning Cake” in German because it’s so simple and so quick to make. Imagine something that crosses the bridge between a perfectly soft sugar cookie and a spongy pound cake, and there you have it. When I was little,…

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Tortellini Soup

Yes, I know. I am blogging two soup recipes back-to-back. In some circles this is a crime. In my opinion, this is winning. And if ever there was a soup with which to commit aforementioned “crime” this is it. A perfect addition to a windy fall day. Three-cheese tortellini soup with roasted red tomatoes, wilted spinach, and enough fresh Parm to make your heart sing. Throw in an accompanying glass…

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savory pumpkin soup

Fall is definitely in the air. Cool nights. Crisp mornings. Sky so blue it hurts my heart. And I am loving every second. Not that I’m rushing anything. Seriously. Here in northern Minnesota we typically have winter from the end of October till early May. So much fun. *heavy sarcasm* Even so, I am in love with fall, and soup and I are basically bffs. This savory pumpkin soup is warm and smooth…

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sweet potato with sautéed tomatoes and figs

sweet potato with sautéed tomatoes and figs

Eating clean is an experiment in texture and flavor. You experiment with combinations you wouldn’t usually try because usually you’d have a Everything bagel slathered with cream cheese. Eating clean takes discipline. mmmm. cream cheese . . .  Ahem. Right. Clean eating. It’s September second and the inter-webs are flooded with words about and recipes for pumpkin spice. I was initially thrilled,…

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tomato basil salsa over chicken breast

tomato basil salsa over chicken breast

I wish I could say something poetic about the glut of tomatoes in my garden this year. But alas, I can not. Because I got a harvest totaling six tomatoes. Six. I had twelve plants of all different varieties, but between the unnaturally cool spring, the obnoxious amount of rain we’ve had, and my lack of attention to the garden as of late, the tomatoes plants all bit the dust. So. The six fruits I…

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Cauliflower-Rice Stuffed Peppers

Well, the time has come. I must lay aside my mixing cups, my sugar and flour, the almond and vanilla flavoring—it’s time to set aside the pastry and fruit, the chocolate, and cinnamon glaze. It is nearly September and this summer saw a bakery style transformation occur in my kitchen. And somehow my closet also transformed. All of my clothing shrunk. Ahem. But cooling evening temperatures and…

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Cinnamon-Rum Ice Cream

It’s Sunday morning and after a cold rainy day yesterday and a very cool night, I’m caught somewhere between late summer and early fall. This is evidenced by several nectarines on my counter, quickly becoming over-ripe. I’ve baked them into almost every muffin, cake, and pastry I can devise this week, so it seemed unwise to bake them into anything else this morning. (My waistline doth protest!)…

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Nectarine Galette

Late summer. August. The season of purple cone flower and golden yarrow, cicada song, heat, and stone fruit. Peaches, plums, nectarines, apricots . . . the apples and pears are close behind, but for now it’s all about achingly sweet fruit that melts into pastry dough and oozes out of pie crust. Welcome to my favorite part of summer. This quote from Natalie Babbitt sums it up perfectly for me…

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rustic pastry with preserves

rustic pastry with preserves

This recipe totally cheats. Just felt like I should start with that so you’re prepared when you see pancake mix on the list of necessary ingredients. Like I said. Cheating. If that bothers you, you can totally mix up your own dry pancake mix from scratch. In fact, I have a great recipe right here. Just leave out the wet ingredients! There. That’s done. Moving on. I love recipe for its simplicity.…

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Cinnamon Rolls

Weekend food is not typically my favorite. Often I feel as though I get stuck in the kitchen while my tribe goes off galavanting. HOWEVER. Sunday morning food traditions are an exception. When I was a child, my Mom used to make a large pan of cinnamon roll on Saturday night. They would rise, gaining girth and height until she would pop them into the oven Sunday at dawn. The whole house would…

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Pesto

There are so many varieties to this gorgeous idea of herbs and olive oil blended and tossed over pasta. Parsley . . . Cilantro . . . Rosemary . . . I even whip up a batch of Balsamic-Lemon Spinach Pesto that’s really delightful! But truly, my favorite variety is the traditional one. Basil. The earthy sweetness. Crisp and almost acidic, but not quite. Green like fresh grass. It’s hard to find a…

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