Last week was the first full week of school for my kids and the start of my busy cooking schedule. I was itching to see my friends while also adjusting to the idea that I would need to squeeze several meals into their hectic after-school schedule. I hoped to find time to catch up with friends while ...
Kitchen Chronicles
Canning Time
I've been hearing from friends around the country that canning supplies--jars, lids and pectin--are selling out of stores. It's that time of the year, where we are packing in the last harvest of the fruitful summer. In my group of friends who cook together, we are swapping the last herbs, ...
Let Inspiration Strike
I couldn’t wait for my cooking date with Elisabeth. Both of our fridges were overflowing with vegetables from our farm share, 5 out of 7 of our combined kids were back in school and we were starved for some time to reconnect as friends. Our goals were simple: to use as many of our farm fresh veggies ...
Sticky Fingers
On a recent hot afternoon, I stood with my two kids in a church basement, cutting tomatoes, marinating portobello mushrooms, and arranging chocolate chips and marshmallows on a soon-to-be grilled banana. Along with five other kids and their parents, we were trying out a Sticky Fingers cooking ...
Back to School
Back to school can mean many things to different people. For me, a large part of it is getting my cooking life back to normal by organizing my cooking schedule. Although I cook with my friends a lot in the summer, it’s more spontaneous, when varied schedules may just happen to overlap. But now, at ...
Let it Rise
All across Denver, our kitchens are about to smell of heavenly homemade bread, the yeasty, floury aroma that's become pretty rare at home these days. We're gearing up for a bread swap. Here's how it works: We'll get together in teams of two and bake three loaves of bread, one each for the bakers ...
No Fuss Gaspacho
On a hot summer afternoon a few weeks ago, my girlfriend called and asked me if I wanted to make Gaspacho with her. Since making anything that required an oven or stove that day was out of the question, I instantly agreed. I encouraged her to bring over all of her vegetables that needed to be used. ...
Different Tastes
What do you do when you're cooking with a friend who likes a bit of fire in her spices, while anything too hot turns your stomach (or the other way around)? We often have this question come up while cooking for kids, too. When you're cooking with a friend, new or old, it's great to be open to ...
Turning Cranks
Two cranks were turning as my friend and I began our end-of-summer sauce making tradition — one was attached to a press, mashing tomatoes into a seedless, skinless puree, and the other was attached to a pasta maker, creating silky ribbons of dough. Our kids, one at each end of the kitchen, worked ...
Denver Food Tour
A friend is coming to Denver for the first time this weekend. She's a real foodie, so I can't wait to share some of our city with her. We're about to have thousands of people visiting for the Democratic Convention, so Denver is certainly on many minds. On my wish list: A quick peek at my ...