The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

As a young budding cook, one of the earliest staple recipes I mastered was perfecting my flakey pie crust. With just a few ingredients, mainly butter and flour, the key to a perfect batch is all...

Sometimes, when researching for this column, I like to search through my vintage cookbook collection for inspiration. It can be amusing, and sometimes a little frightening, to imagine what home cooks...

In a flash another holiday season has arrived, the time of year where gatherings are increasingly centered around a warm kitchen. To prepare, I research and gather recipes throughout the year to add t...

As with many famous Italian American recipes, the origins of Chicken Vesuvio are slightly shrouded in mystery. Named after Italy's infamous Mount Vesuvius, the dish shares many qualities to chicken...

An abrupt change in the season arrived this past week and with it our first hard frost. Since then, all I have wanted to do is wear sweaters, listen to true-crime podcasts, and gently simmer things...

As the days have been getting shorter, and the mornings colder, my oven has been working overtime. Harvesting another beautiful pumpkin from our garden, and looking for some extra comfort this past...

This time of year, I often find myself craving the warm smell of a bubbling pot of homemade mole. A quintessential part of Mexican cuisine with pre-Columbian roots, mole is made in a spectrum of...

When it comes to satisfying casserole dinners, bubbling in the oven, few are as popular as lasagna. Over the years, I have collected many variations on this homey favorite, from vegetarian delights to...

To regular readers of my column, it is probably no secret that autumn is my favorite time of year. In anticipation of cooler weather, I have been pulling my cozy sweaters and flannels out of storage...

In my mind, the simple art of roasting a whole chicken is one of the most comforting and satisfying skills to practice in the kitchen. Getting the timing just right to develop crispy skin while the...

When we moved to this house, we discovered a prolific plum tree and a sad pear tree in our backyard. After a couple years of disappointing pear harvests, we did a little research and discovered that o...

Overwhelmed by summer squash and tomatoes, I occasionally forget the diverse list of things that we planted from seed in the spring. This week, John came back from the garden with a colander full of...

While some things in the garden are starting to slow down, our prolific zucchini plants keep producing. Despite our best efforts at gifting these green wonders by the basketful to friends and family,...

Late summer is a productive time in the garden. There are moments when it feels like keeping up with the harvest is impossible, with mountains of summer bounty taking up valuable counter space in the...

My favorite dessert recipes are those which rely on a combination of ripe, seasonal fruits with a few simple pantry ingredients to make culinary magic. This summer, after patiently waiting for three...

Each summer-growing season in the garden is a little different from the last. Things that thrive one year can struggle to flourish the next. Despite all the surprises and unpredictability, the one...

Of all the things we grow in our garden, it is the annual arrival of ripe, juicy tomatoes that I most look forward to. A perfectly plump red fruit, still warm from the sun, sliced and served simply...

My recipe explorations are most often the result of a sudden, random craving. This week, I was reminded of a memorable artichoke dip that a friend had served at a party, many years ago. While...

Recently, a family friend presented us with a box overloaded with lovely, plump apricots from his yard. As they are one of my favorite fruits, and one that we don’t have growing in our own yard, I w...

Despite the summer heat, we have been busy working on some over-due home and garden projects. Sometimes after working all afternoon, the idea of standing over a hot stove to make dinner feels like a...

This time of year, apart from the occasional burger or sausage on the grill, I find myself craving meals made up mostly of fresh seasonal vegetables. There are certain vegetables and fruits that...

As any avid gardener can attest to, the passing of each season is measured less by specific days on the calendar, and more by the fluid schedule of when certain plants bloom or have edibles ready to...

My mother and I moved to the great State of Washington just before my 12th birthday. First settling on Whidbey Island in north Puget Sound, I immediately fell in love with such local delicacies as...

Every June, I anticipate the first batch of ripe strawberries in our backyard. Checking the patch each morning I look for the bright red fruit, like little ruby gems, peeking out from under the shade...

At our last Seattle apartment, I had a lovely container garden along the perimeter of our sunny, but narrow patio. Mixed among the pots of ornamental flowers I planted a selection of favorite culinary...