pottery, holidays, portland, fair

hannukkah craft fair at Leikam

leikam craft fair banner

Looks like I am selling my pottery in person this year! Leikam Brewing in Portland -- our town's only kosher beer brewer -- will be hosting craft fairs for both Hanukkah and for Christmas. The first of these is on November 21st, in time for Hanukkah starting on Nov. 28th…

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pottery, making pottery

modern handle methods

Photo of two mugs with pink wax on the handles

When I learned how to put handles on things ... and generally join pieces of clay together ... back in the late Middle Ages, I learned it the way folks have done it for millenia. Score heavily with a sharp tool (like fork), slip, and score again. Then press together and try…

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pasta, vegetarian, italian food

pesto production

ravioli with pesto

In Portland, it is once again final basil harvest. Any basil that's left in the garden will go to seed or just wilt on the cold nights, so we turn it into two things to last the rest of the year: dried basil, and pesto. This is a recipe for…

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summer, seafood, good first recipe

one-pan tomato garlic salmon

broiled white salmon in a pan of roasted cherry tomatoes

Believe it or not, one of the things we do when we stay in a small town vacationing is visit the local library. And in exceptionally nice cases -- and the library in Eastsound is exceptionally nice -- the library offers "guest cards" for a fee that let visitors like…

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jewish food, seafood

Salmon with blackberry-honey compote

salmon with blackberries, on a plate with green bean ragout

Since we were having Rosh Hashana on the road, I wanted to cook a themed dinner in our rental cottage. And since we were on Orcas Island, it was gonna involve fish: king salmon, given the season. It helps that fish is a traditional Rosh Hashana food, although you're supposed…

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vegetarian, vegan, middle eastern, salad

tabouleh++

large bowl of tabouleh with many other veggies in it

I love tabouleh, which can be a bit of a problem around our house. Not that my sweetie hates it; it's just that she likes tabouleh as a bulgur & tomato salad with parsley, and I prefer it as a parsley salad with tomatoes and bulgur. So, there's a bit…

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