Author Archive: My Kitchen Wand

I am one of those people who just likes to know how things are made. It does not mean I want to make everything from scratch but each time I learn something new I either start thinking about what creative trouble I can get myself into or I have lots of gratitude for the fact […]

Vibrant fall colours, like the oranges, reds and purples we see in autumn leaves and Michaelmas daisies are wonderfully appropriate additions to a Mabon table. Golden hued apricots, the intense reds of cranberries and the earthy shades of purple grapes all reflect the tones of fall. There are many ways to bring these colours to […]

In the Hopi legends of the beginning of this world, the story is told of the tribes that had been cared for under the ground while the Earth was healed. When they emerged and gathered together in one place, each was asked to choose the seeds of a grain. The choices made determined where in […]

“…By and by the harvest and the labour ended, we shall come rejoicing bringing in the sheaves…” If you have a Protestant connection somewhere in your past you will likely find these words familiar. They come from a hymn by Knowles Shaw. Mabon, named for the son/sun of Modron, Welsh goddess of Motherhood is the […]

So after yesterday’s post you might have a little bit of dough left over. I was looking for a quick treat to finish off the pastry and had a left over pear. This is what happened when I opened the fridge. You will need for the pastry: 3/4 cup plus 4 tsp flour 1/2 cup […]

Yes, autumn is coming. The breezes have that lovely first hint of coolness to them. The leaves are dropping and all around the garden, plants are getting ready to go to sleep. I haven’t pulled morning glory out of the hedge in at least a week! But it is not here yet, so before we […]

Pesto or pestâ in Genoese, means to pound or crush and has come, in North America, to mean a Pesto Genovese, made from fresh basil leaves, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil and grated hard cheese often parmigiano-reggiano. The English word pestle is sourced from the same root. Pistou is a French variation with a mixture […]

It has been a precious few months of watching a garden grow that I did not have the responsibility of weeding. ( Which is not to say I didn’t pull a few here and there. ) Jean has been so generous with her time and information. The designed section full of cooking herbs to play […]

As late summer arrives so do Okanagan nectarines and I look forward to finding precious yellow fleshed balls of juiciness in the local fruit stands. Usually I am not willing to risk cooking with nectarines as local ones are a treat. I love them fresh and ripe, served with a piece of paper towel. Nectarines […]

In the early spring, I showed you this picture of the garlic just beginning to do it’s thing in Jean’s garden. There were at least ten different varieties that fell into two general categories, hard neck and soft neck. The hard neck varieties grow a center stalk that is strong enough to stand curly and […]