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Create a Restorative Mealtime Ritual
Recently I introduced a class, Cooking as Creative Meditation, in which I share ways that home cooking can be a meditative practice supportive of our well-being. We take a new look at the entire cooking process from meal planning to experiencing a beautiful meal. We also explore gratitude for the many hands that make it possible for us to access and prepare food, a practice to carry out throughout the year. From the farmers who grew the baby potatoes we will roast in the oven to those who harvested them, there are many to thank for the dishes we make. There are those who laid out the vegetables at the…
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Baked Chocolate Donuts
Breakfast in bed may be a Valentine’s Day staple for some, but if you let me sleep in then wrap me in a fluffy robe, I’m happy to whip up a treat like these baked chocolate donuts. Skip the hot oil and heat up the oven instead to fill the kitchen with the rich scent of cocoa in the morning – or make them the night before and set the table in advance for the most indulgent breakfast, one that simply requires plating. Steeped in lore and made from the seeds of a tree whose scientific name is equally romantic – food of the gods – chocolate sets the tone…
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Strawberry Muffins
Cherished as a herald of summer, ripe local strawberries have long been a sign of the changing season. Their stains often match the deep pink color of evening sky outside the window while I bake. If you head outside on the right June evening, that sky will also feature the year’s Strawberry Moon, so-named by the Algonquin tribes who used the month’s full moon as a sign to gather plump wild strawberries. Enjoy the spectacle with one of these treats in hand, and eat one again the next morning. Every strawberry season needs a standout recipe that justifies another haul of fresh berries. Ingredients 1 cup chopped fresh strawberries 1…
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Classic Baked Doughnuts
Behind bakery case glass, rows of doughnuts sorted by flavor and color inspire everything from pop art to our senses. Chocolate glazes, pink sprinkles, and fluffy shreds of coconut look like every childhood breakfast fantasy while tags announcing berry, lemon, and maybe even maple bacon options speak to our appetite. Then there is the row of golden, cake doughnuts responsible for the scent inside the shop and sitting beneath many of the toppings and glazes. That’s the doughnut that inspired this recipe. Fresh doughnuts on a weekend morning have a distinct advantage over pancakes. They can be enjoyed the next day and the next. This recipe makes a dozen of…
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No Eggs Before Noon
For a new relationship or simply the day, the beginning is important. The hook. The tone. One thing that will not hook me into a beautiful morning is a plate full of eggs. Sure, I love a delicious eggs Benedict, but it struck me while breaking a gorgeous yolk that my eggs are never on the table in the AM hours…even at a restaurant. I don’t eat eggs before noon. As Americans, high protein breakfasts are pushed on us all the time. Even if it’s not eggs, we are encouraged to find ways to amp up the protein in our oatmeal or to feel quite guilty until lunchtime. Yet with…
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