Kate's in a pickle

Happy Halloween/All Saints Day

2009-11-01T17:59:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween, All Saints Day, and Leftover Pumpkin Innards Day (the latter is a personal holiday I observe.) Tomorrow, I bring you a recipe for Melt-Your-Face-Off Chili. Today, light up yesterday's Jack-o-Lantern, roast some pumpkin seeds, and watch the horror movies you couldn't squeeze in yesteray. Ah. I love fall.

Easy as (tamale) pie

2009-10-28T20:00:00.000-07:00

My lunch has been causing a sensation in the break room for the past two days. Every time I sit down, at handful of people circle my chair and coo, "Oooh, what is that?" I swear, it's just something you throw together: cornmeal, beans, onion, a pepper, and tomatoes. You know, those boring ingredients that populate the pantry and lurk in the crisper. But when they come together, you have some

A fine pie and a stand-up guy

2009-10-25T14:30:00.000-07:00

Two weekends ago, my husband got a call. He learned that, after a lengthy fight with cancer, his Grandpa Lawrence had finally put up his boxing gloves and stepped into the next adventure. Lawrence was so beloved by his children that my husband, Raymond Lawrence, carries his name. Larry carves a Thanksgiving turkey in Ulysses, Ks By his own account, Larry, or simply "Grandpa" or "Daddy" --

David and the squash

2009-10-10T20:45:00.000-07:00

So there's this guy.... He's handsome, his cooking induces swooning, and his eyes light up every time he sees me. It's not too early to say that I love him, even though he's old enough to be my father. His name is David, and he's the resident food sampler at my nearby Zupan's Market. David's job is a food enthusiast's dream: he gets to create masterful recipes using seasonal foods Zupans has

Falling in love with fall...and chewy cookies

2009-10-02T15:11:00.000-07:00

As my husband and I settle into our new home, we're delighting in the new scenery -- sweet peas and blackberries that crowd the roadside, flanks of tall evergreens, ferns and moss. We discover a new plant, road, or park almost as often as we discover a new favorite restaurant (Burgerville, I love you and your sweet potato fries!)We try to hike around, exploring new paths, like this one in Gabriel

Peaches and pizza

2009-09-23T19:10:00.002-07:00

Now that I'm fully a working girl, I often trudge home after 6 0'clock with no inspiration for dinner. My mind goes blank as I walk through the front door, just as it does when I enter a Fred Meyer/Target/Trader Joes. I stare blankly into the florescent-lit abyss and ask the same questions:What did I come here for? What did I write on the list? What do I already have for dinner? What goes with

Guest blog: Mr. Ray cooks Cajun

2009-09-20T21:27:00.020-07:00

Every so often, my husband Raymond likes to cook in our kitchen. He "feels like cookin'" in the way that my grandfather "felt like workin' in the wood shop." My husband enters the kitchen alone and solemn. He makes noise with pots and pans, curses, and chops celery; then, hours later, he emerges victorious, carrying something delicious. His exquisite dishes that require this level of

Whirled together

2009-08-30T13:24:00.044-07:00

When I was a kid, I adored leftovers. Stuffing and turkey spread over rolls after Thanksgiving? I'm on it. Pot roast transformed into sandwiches with Miracle Whip and bread? Sold. I even liked casserole dishes like Danish Shepherd's Pie, which exist mostly as an excuse to clean out the pantry and freezer.My mother encouraged this behavior. She cleverly invented the Smorgasbord Dinner, a meal

You know, like "tuh-mater..."

2009-08-24T21:40:00.041-07:00

I've been slow in sharing some news here on In a Pickle. There's no delicate way to break it:Two weeks ago, I moved to Portland, Oregon.There. I feel much better.Most the people I love back in Wichita know the story. In early June, I applied to be a radio operations coordinator for Oregon Public Broadcasting. After a month and no call, I forgot about the whole deal. My husband lined up gigs with

Warming hearts and bellies

2009-08-05T20:47:00.000-07:00

I thank Summer for the array vegetables--yes, vegetables -- that she brings.This time of year, most bloggers dreamily describe the fruits of summer -- the delicate blackberries, the sunny strawberries, the crimson raspberries. They write of dainty tarts and fruity parfaits, foods that are perfect for blistering summer afternoons. I love the fruits of summer. When the thermometer tops 100 degrees

Mince herbs, not words

2009-07-10T16:14:00.000-07:00

Behold, my beacon of summer, the zucchini tart.For my own, persnickity, word-snob reasons, I've decided to call this dish a zucchini tart, not a quiche. And I don't care if saying "tart" is less accurate than saying "quiche." The word "quiche" to me is loaded with memories of roll-n-bake Pillsbury crusts, chunks of mystery ham, and bagged cheddar cheese. When I think of that kind of food, I have

Fix it with cookies

2009-07-05T20:56:00.002-07:00

This is our youngest cat, Calpurnia.She looks sweet, right? Most of the time she's too shy to cause mischief. She lies on the window seat, watches the neighborhood, or haunts the kitchen near her bowl, squeaking plaintively for food. Calpurnia is skiddish, sweet, and sleeps a lot. But sometimes, when the sun shines just so through the shades, Calpurnia leaps from lounger to LIONESS!She's what the

To polenta with love

2009-06-17T09:55:00.072-07:00

The photographs in this post almost never emerged from their dark cocoon in my Canon SLR.Several weekends ago, as I finished capturing pictures of the guests at our Memorial weekend cookout, I heard a great *snap* *crinkle* *snap*when I rewound the film! My heart gave a spastic, sideways kick; film should never sound like a bowl of Rice Krispies! My mind composed two explanations for the sound:

Just et up with it

2009-06-01T20:44:00.025-07:00

What could be more simple and lovely after a long, weary day than beans and tomatoes? Nothing, that's what.Lately, about everyone I know--including me, really --has been hulking around in a lost, ho-hum kind of way. The first heat waves of summer are upon us, construction at Kellogg and I-135 is a daily drudgery, and the mosquitoes have awakened from their watery graves.Another reason we're all

To rice and beans and cheese

2009-05-30T08:17:00.038-07:00

To confirm your suspicions, I admit that yes, the month of May has wiped the floor with my good blogging intentions.Somewhere between finals, Final Friday, Memorial Day, two "part-time" jobs, graduations, birthdays, and road trips to exotic locales like Winfield and Kansas City, I lost grip of my cooking. My eating became nomadic and feral; I survived on oranges, iced coffee, brownies,

With mountains of whipped cream

2009-05-16T19:59:00.002-07:00

I've avoided writing a lengthy post about coffee since October, but I can hold out no more.I love coffee, I am a coffee addict, and I am a coffee snob. It's only fair you know this about me. The affair began in 2001, with my first timid sips of a Spiced Latte (prepared by the incomparable Holly Higbee.) My devotion has yet to wane.Most days begin with a mug of coffee with cream as I slide into

Late-night asparagus

2009-04-28T20:08:00.001-07:00

Late-night meals in my house usually don't revolve around asparagus. Even after the Wichita farmer's markets have opened in the spring and the only things one can buy are fresh asparagus, dewy blackberries, and blushing strawberries, asparagus is scarce in my home. I know my feelings toward asparagus may make Lynne Rossetto Kasper cry, but it can't be helped.Perhaps the sparkling, mineral-rich

With chocolate and fruit, and possibly booze

2009-04-25T21:49:00.001-07:00

My husband's birthday was last week, and I never had time to bake him a cake.Yes, I bought him a giant red velvet cupcake with sprinkles from Sugar Sisters and took him out for Cajun food, which both delighted him. But there's something especially cozy about baking a cake for someone. Especially a cake with chocolate and fruit, and possibly booze.I made a non-birthday cake this week, in my

These peanut butter cookies are great!

2009-04-10T10:35:00.048-07:00

Today's cookies are loved by every mouth they meet.* They're rich, chewy, dense...and often confused for peanut butter cookies.Not that peanut butter cookies are lacking in any way. Whether they're rolled in sugar or criss-crossed with a fork, I'm in love. PBC's are in vogue everywhere, from church dinners to the secret judge's lounge at forensics's tournaments. (What? You didn't know there was a

Sandwich love

2009-04-05T20:53:00.035-07:00

Oh dear.I was forced to break up with a constant force in my life today: the Walgreens Photo department. The store near my home ruined yet another roll of precious 35mm film, and it did so after raising the price of developing 24 exposures to $7.99 + tax ($10.99 for doubles!) I can't continue in this relationship after so many terrible developments.We've had our good times, me and Walgreens Photo

Recipe Index

2009-03-25T07:40:00.021-07:00

var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://ssl." : "http://www."); document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E")); try { var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-6660394-2"); pageTracker._trackPageview(); } catch(err) {} Gentle readers, I hope you enjoy perusing the In a Pickle index as much

Karen's Hazelnut Cookies

2009-03-22T19:39:00.002-07:00

Below is a picture of my Grandma Mickey, my grandmother on my mom's side. Mickey is famous in our family for her perfect pies and crescent rolls.She made snickerdoodles, ranger cookies, and moreShe's a neat lady, and I think that's evident in this photo. Just look at her and you'll see it: she's strong, majestic, and a little silly. I snapped this photo at a party she threw last year for our

Vanilla and mint clouds

2009-03-09T13:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was lazy in the way that Sundays ought to be. My husband and I slept in, petted the kitties, and I baked bread. Our friend, Tree, came over to visit in the afternoon, and the three of us sat around the kitchen table talking while the vanilla peppermint meringues baked.The best of 12 meringue photos I tookThe whole afternoon had a relaxed air about it, as if the day were pulled from that

Fast, wilted, and involving goat cheese

2009-02-25T07:00:00.001-08:00

Ever since my friend shared a link to this Salon.com article on local pizza joints, I've been jonesing for my favorite Wichita pizza place, Knolla's.To paraphrase, Anastacia Marx de Salcedo writes that since over 70% of pizza places in America are still locally owned, ordering large pie with extra anchovies is a tasty, effective way to stimulate the economy. De Salcedo argues that a pillar of

Citrus envy

2009-02-13T07:24:00.000-08:00

This week, our fair city was blessed with spring-like weather. Birds chirped, rain fell softly at night, and fat little baby clouds waddled across the sky during the day. I went for a walk in a light blouse and a floaty skirt one day; on another, our anemic house plants took a vacation on the front porch. We kept the windows open while I tinkered in the kitchen and my husband built a baby grand