This Korean classic is showing up everywhere in my life recently. We stumbled upon a magic bowl at Matt's in the Market in Seattle and something called a Seoul Bowl is on the menu at Snow City Cafe at the moment.  This weekend, Adam made this for us and the result is something I could eat for breakfast, lunch, or dinner: anywhere, anytime. Is it fair to call it Bibimbap? It gets at the essential ingredients with a few twists. Whatever we call it, it is my favorite thing to eat right now. 

It is a happy day to get in a motorcycle ride, smell the fresh scents of fall, and make a nourishing meal. 

Adam and I came up with this on the fly yesterday. This recipe took very little effort, made the house smell amazing, and will provide leftovers for salads and soups.

1 pound pork belly
1 pound tough, fatty meat (leg of lamb, brisket, or flank steak)
2 red onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
3 jalapeños, halved and then sliced - keep the seeds in if you wish (we do)
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp chipotle powder
1 tsp black pepper
3 limes, juiced
28 oz can fire roasted tomatoes and juice - Chop the whole tomatoes if necessary.
Adobo sauce from one can of chipotle chiles, 4 or so chipotles, chopped
2 cups chicken broth
Liquid Smoke - Use this at the end if desired. Just a few drops will do. Sometimes we omit this if the we're adding things like lamb bacon or something that is already bring a lot of smoke to the party. 

I feel profound gratitude when we get to eat food that has been harvested from our place in the world. It feels like the right way to be, connected to the process of life, death, and life. Last fall, my uncle and cousin took a moose from the wetlands behind our cabins. The fruits of their labor has nourished us, and one of our favorite things to do is to mix it with Alaskan grown fat back. It transforms ever-lean game into some lip-smacking goodness. We've had the good fortune of receiving deer and moose from friends and family. We're immeasurably grateful to those generous hunters. 

This season is intoxicating with its urgent colors, especially in Alaska where fall lasts only a few weeks. Because of its brief but brilliant influence, I fully surrender to the mood of it all. Our food becomes heavier to match the landscape, even the colors of fresh cut flowers in my vase echo the season. 

As so many recipes do, this one came to our kitchen from Adam's mom, which came from her friend, Penelope, which may have come from...?

​I've been making this recipe for field trips, classes that I teach, and Adam and I for a couple of years. By now, I'm not sure how similar it looks to the recipe origin. What makes this so great is that you too can make it your own. 

In this recipe we are using our own pork sausage with a seasoning we adapted from Charcuterie.

A little over a year ago, we saw Laura and Shane walk down the aisle at the Nature Center. Finally, here is our rib recipe. There are a few steps, but the process is very simple. Enjoy!

Ceviche has a long standing history in the Vogel/Conoan clan. This acid-cooked dish is a tradition at family weddings and has been a refreshing main course for years. 

The traditional halibut ceviche recipe has been morphed into new iterations over time. Adam has a great salmon ceviche recipe that uses orange, lime, lemon, and habaneros. This last weekend, inspired by the fresh seafood at Pike's Market while visiting Laura and Shane, we made something new. 

Recipe

1. Finely chop 1 lb shrimp into 1/4 inch pieces
2. ​Finely chop 1 lb scallops into 1/4 inch pieces
3. 2 tbls plus 2 tsp salt
4. Cover with half lime and half lemon juice
5. Taste the juice and add salt until it tastes like the ocean.
6. Stir fish every hour. After about four hours, check the biggest piece of fish for doneness.
7. Once cooked, drain the juice and add onions and peppers.
   
   1. Minced onion: Eyeballing it, add 1/3 of the volume of meat in onions.
      
   2. Minced habenaro, serrano, and jalapeno: Eyeballing it, add 1/3 of the volume of onions in peppers.
      
8. Serve ceviche over diced avocado and tomato. Top with cilantro!

This post is about a conversation. For the last decade, Kasia and I have talked about food, recipes, family, and life. Occasionally, the conversation would lead to an invitation of sharing a kitchen and cooking traditional Polish food. This weekend, I was honored and delighted to welcome Mrs. Zych to our home and cook along side my dear friend. We cooked for hours and made pierogis three ways. Dziękuję​, Dziękuję, Dziękuję.

Cabbage Filling
Crisp bacon, then add diced onions to the fat and brown. Pour boiling water over sauerkraut, squeeze liquid once cooled. Add bacon, onions, salt, and pepper and cook in pan. 

Potato Filling
Boil potatoes, skin, and smash. Add cotija cheese (traditionally it would be homemade), onion, bacon, salt, and pepper. 

Plum Filling
Cut dried plums and measure 1/4 cup sugar.

The Master

I cannot believe that my freezer is full of these sweet bites. 

A few months ago, my friend Kristi taught me the myriad benefits of bone broth, and I've made chicken broth pretty consistently ever since. However, I haven't committed to the super long intensive beef stock process until this week. The crock pot has been simmering away from 19 hours now. The house smells amazing. Here is the process. 

And now we wait with 17 hours to go...

The belly is incredibly rich and fatty. We often turn these into salmon jerky. When in a hurry, though, add salt and brown sugar and grill them up for a candied salmon delight. 

The cheeks and collar are succulent and rich. Just like halibut cheeks, these are a real treat. 

Thank you, Janis Joplin for your version of that old song; I've been humming it for weeks. Now that summertime, time, time is here, the first week has been about restoration. I am taking the dusty, stiff, and dried out parts of myself and bringing them back to life. When I work hard--which I love to do--the price of saying yes to work is saying no to writing, afternoon naps, and reading in the sweet sunshine of our deck. It is pure bliss to discover the nuances and secrets that our back yard holds for us. The chickens have their routine, and Wilson and I get moving slowly in the mid morning warmth. What abundance I feel in the early afternoon as I have finished some chores, the house is tidy, the flowers and plants and chickens are cared for, and there I am with nothing before me except the expanse of an afternoon--the truest form of wealth.

Mix together the following ingredients, add chicken thighs, and vacuum seal to marinade in the fridge for the afternoon. Then, Grill.

There is nothing better for the soul on a hot summer day than a bowl of gazpacho (Check out the Cooks Illustrated recipe). We started making this recipe a few years ago, and scorching hot days haven't been the same since. 

This year we created a monster tradition. Every couple chose their top 3 cookies that they can't face the holidays without, and then we all arrived at 9am (more like 10am for us) on Adam's birthday and began the great cookie bake off of 2014. It's the first annual CookieCon.

When Adam and I arrived, a little sleepy from the night before, Erika was pulling the first batch of cookies from the oven. spiced molasses, sugar, and butter scented the air. With Spiced Molasses Cookies from Cook's Illustrated done, there were only twelve recipes to go. 

It feels like Christmas is here before Thanksgiving, but that seems fitting considering Buffalo, NY has more snow on the ground than we do. In contrast, what seems perfectly right is spending a day baking cookies and celebrating Adam's Birthday with our big family. We miss you Laura and Shane. Happy Birthday my love. 

This is my go-to alternative recipe to the classic tunafish sandwich. The recipe is adapted from a sandwich recipe book that we got for Christmas from my mom. 

Mix salmon, onions, celery, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, capers, parsley, and basil. In a separate, small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, salt and pepper. Mix together with salmon mixture. 

Serve on a sliced, toasted baguette and top with fennel and arugula. 

This recipe comes from Kathy's kitchen. We have adapted it from the original Martha Stewart recipe. It makes for a great weeknight, very fast meal.

Cook pasta in boiling, salted water until it's almost done; drain. We finish cooking it in the pasta sauce. While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet and cook the garlic, red-pepper flakes, and anchovies for 1-2 minutes. Add tomatoes, tomato juice, capers, olives, and salmon. Lower heat to simmer and cook, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir the pasta into the sauce and finish cooking, 2 minutes. Serve and enjoy. 

This is my favorite salmon dip. It makes great a brewing snack. Sometimes we eat it with a salad for dinner. Like a good dinner party, it's fantastic after the ingredients mingle for a few hours. 

Drain the liquid from 3 of the 4 cans of salmon. 
Drain half of the liquid from the grated onion.
Mix ingredients from salmon to liquid smoke together. Add dill, cayenne, and pepper to taste. 

Sough dough bread
Broccoli or spiced clover sprouts
Tomato
Cheddar cheese
Salmon dip

Cook this in a skillet as if you were making a grilled cheese sandwich. It's good. 

1 filet yields about 6.5 half-pint jars
1/2 inch for headspace
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
90 minutes at 10 pounds of pressure after a 10 minute vent
32 half-pint jars fit in one canner