Kate's in a pickle

Great orange!

2010-03-09T05:30:00.000-08:00

Everybody at my apartment complex is playing "musical houses." Within the past month-and-a-half:Mike and Randall in unit 1 moved awayso Fly Guy in 11 moved to unit 1And one girl from unit 6 moved awayso her roommate took an open one-bedroom downstairsand another girl moved into the opposite apartment,next to the laundry room.So Raymond and I joined the funand moved to unit 6,where the kitchen

Made with aloha

2010-02-19T11:31:00.000-08:00

Portland is the kicks, man, but I'm getting tired of the grey winter look.Yes, my brothers and sisters in the Midwest and the east coast are bravely shivering through round after round of snow, wearing layers and layers of socks, and finishing the latest Garrison Keillor novel with the heater cranked up to "molten lava." I feel their pain, but I envy their sunshine.I noticed how palpable the

Potatoes, Cajunified.

2010-01-17T12:30:00.000-08:00

When it comes to improvising in the kitchen, I like set up a few ingredients and run.......Today's ingredients: Yukon Gold potatoes, shallots, and kale. I chopped everything fine, started cookin' with butter, and when my kale turned bright green (a last, flailing hurrah before resigning to wiltedness) my thoughts turned to seasoning. How should these potatoes taste?On a normal, non-inspired day,

Midnight Brownies for a new moon

2010-01-15T00:00:00.000-08:00

Pfft on good intentions.I've been meaning to share this brownie recipe with you since the last blue moon on December 31, but preparations for New Year's Eve left the brownies and my resolutions list by the wayside. So now, I bring you brownies for tonight's new moon. These brownies perfectly quash a late-night chocolate attack, a specific craving I encounter when I'm up in the dregs of night

Party fruit pie

2010-01-07T19:00:00.000-08:00

My work finally quit bumming around and held its annual holiday party on Tuesday. Attending a holiday party during the holidays is so mundane. It's much better to party in January because you get to eat good food and watch your friends break their resolutions to "eat better." Ha ha!I arrived early to help transform a TV studio into a banquet hall. The other volunteers arranged centerpieces, set

A new year, a new decade, a new cornbread

2010-01-01T21:55:00.000-08:00

Heavens to Betsy, January 1, 2010 has nearly passed! It's nearly gone and I haven't shared my favorite recipes for a year of good luck. If you live in an Eastern time zone, I'm sorry. If you live in the Central zone on west, there's still time! Start melting some butter in a skillet and keep reading!Everyone's got a different way to usher in a new year. Some people ring bells, some people eat a

Plains on the inside

2009-12-28T20:00:00.000-08:00

window.google_analytics_uacct = "UA-6660394-8";Have the colors of a landscape ever inspired your dinner?I mean, have you ever looked at a particularly lovely place and thought, "I need to create something like this to eat. Something red and purple and orange...." Maybe you haven't and you think I'm delirious for thinking the Flint Hills in north-eastern Kansas have anything to do with food.Well,

It's a Christmas miracle!

2009-12-24T15:13:00.000-08:00

Oh boy.Yesterday was a doozy. Though we started out at a leisurely tempo with coffee and holiday jazz, Raymond and I crashed around midnight at our neighbor's party, quite full of mischief, casserole, and ham. Between those bookends, we all shared A Very Muppet Christmas, spiked coffee and beers at and (open!) bar down the street, and two very cold walks down an empty Barbur Boulevard.The evening

Nothing like I expected

2009-12-08T21:16:00.001-08:00

Oh dear. My pictures of Portland's annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony didn't turn out at all. According to this picture, the tree is constructed of sponged-on tempera paint, flecked with glitter, and topped with a gold foil star.The 70-foot tree sparkled in real life. At the ceremony, Raymond and I snaked our way through a jovial crowd and made friends (plus registered to vote!) in line for

Two (pecan) pies for the price of one

2009-11-26T12:50:00.000-08:00

Right now, I'm listening to Arlo Guthrie's "Alice's Restaurant Massacree" on KINK FM, my Thanksgiving noon-time tradition since I don't know, The Dawn of Time as I Seen It. My family used to listen to it on 102.5 KACY while we drove to my grandparents' house in Ark City, KS. Listening to "Alice's Restaurant" as I get around for Thanksgiving is a better tradition, I think, than watching that

Biscotti and things

2009-11-23T23:08:00.000-08:00

These biscotti didn't turn out as I planned. I meant for them to be fluffier, for the dough to remain uniform despite the chopped nuts. When I shaped the dough for baking, it stuck to my hands as if I'd coated them with honey. But even with all of these obstacles, the cookies turned out fine. I give this recipe full credit. The recipe's origins escape me; some time in college, I wrote it down on

Red and chili and tomato

2009-11-11T20:00:00.000-08:00

Tonight, I'm cooking a giant batch of red chili, my second in seven days. Excessive? Nah.Considering that the sun now sets at 5 pm (thanks, Daylight Savings Time!) and that it rains constantly, I hardly ever make the stuff. In fact, you should be pleased with the amount of restraint I exercise in the chili department. It's not like I've entered any cook-offs lately.Speaking of chili cook-offs,

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: