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Garden Plan
As soon as my seeds arrived from Botanical Interests, I sorted them out in order of when they need to be planted. I also included seeds I bought last year, and seeds we’ve been saving all year. I came up with a rough garden plan. It went through several revisions once we started working and…
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Cranberry Apple Crisp
It’s Christmas Eve, the wee one is asleep and we’re finishing up the last of the presents. Time for a little midnight snack. This Cranberry Apple Crisp makes kissing by the Christmas tree taste so good! Ingredients: 3 organic granny smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced into 1/2 inch strips 6 oz fresh cranberries 1/4…
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Garlic Lemonade
It’s inevitable. Every year my daughter gets the sniffles after Halloween, the effect of a combination of moldy leaves on the ground, sudden cold wet weather, and too much candy. Garlic Lemonade is my go-to remedy for coughs, cold and the flu. I found the recipe in Dr. Aviva Jill Romm’s book, “Vaccinations: A Thoughtful…
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Halloween Party Food Menu
Every year we throw a Halloween party to celebrate my daughter’s birthday. We have a big family with many young cousins, so that alone makes the parties pretty big. In addition, my daughter likes to invite her whole class to the parties as well. Not everyone comes, of course (whew!) but we usually get at…
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Banana Crumb Muffins
I love bananas, but sometimes a bunch of them start turning brown in the fruit basket and they have to be rescued, stat! If I have only two bananas left, I make Banana Bread or this basic Banana Muffins recipe. If I have at least three bananas, this is what I do: Ingredients for Muffins:…
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Apricot Sorbet
A few days ago I was visiting my aunt and found her apricot tree heavy with fruit. My daughter and I helped ourselves to the ripest ones. “If you touch it and it just gives itself to you, then it’s ready.” We came home with a shopping bag full of ripe apricots. Here’s what I…
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Lemon Sorbette
What do you do with an abundance of lemons in the summer? Lemon Sorbette! I tried this recipe from The Ciao Bella Book of Gelato and Sorbetto: Bold, Fresh Flavors to Make at Home. Here’s my version: Ingredients: 2 cups water 2 cups organic sugar 1 cup freshly squeezed organic lemon juice (from about 6…
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Banana Bread
Ingredients: 5 tablespoons butter, softened 1 cup organic sugar 1 large egg 2 egg whites 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 very ripe bananas, mashed 1 3/4 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/3 cup walnuts Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease bottom and sides of a…
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Banana Muffins
Ingredients: 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 cup butter, softened 2 cups firmly packed organic sugar 2 eggs 2 very ripe bananas (peeled and mashed) 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 cup cashews Preheat oven 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cream together butter and sugar. Beat eggs, bananas and…
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Farmers Market Finds
Our local farmers market is back! The Coastside Farmers Market at Rockaway Beach in Pacifica, California is the best source of locally grown produce from May through November. Today was the first farmers market day of the year. It was great to see my favorite vendors again. There’s the Indian food stall, the only seller…