Even though our household is only two people, we still stock up at Costco. Their produce, frozen fruit, eggs, spices, and beverages are surprisingly good. Himalayan pink salt – $4.49 Avocados (6) – $5.49 Bananas – $1.99 Grapefruit – $6.99 Cherries – $13.99 Eggs (2 dozen) – $6.99 Avocado oil – $9.89 Green tea (100 bags) – $13.99

Last Friday I took Cupcakes and Cocktails with Dustin Rennells in a class provided via Blog and Tweet Boston. My school is right next door (152 Arlington St vs. 122 Arlington St), so I’ve often thought “hey, maybe I should take a class there” on my evening walks back to the T. Six years later, I am glad that I finally did! If you take this class (it’s being offered again on March 28), definitely get dinner beforehand. The BCAE provided a cheese & fruit plate for us to snack on and Polar seltzer for us to drink, but I think I would have been on a sugar high and…

Quinoa Salad 1 cup quinoa 2 cups chicken stock 1 Tbsp olive oil 1 15oz can chickpeas 1 cup Castelvetrano olives 3 cups baby spinach 1 cup chopped celery 3 Tbsp lemon juice 3 Tbsp nama shoyu sauce 2 tsp Penzeys Ruth Ann’s Muskego Ave seasoning 1/2 cup chopped scallions 1. Cook quinoa in chicken stock. 2. While quinoa is cooking, saute chickpeas and olives in olive oil. 3. Chop the celery and scallions. 4. After about five minutes, add the celery and spinach. 5. When the quinoa is done, combine it with the chickpea-olive-spinach-celery mixture in a large bowl. 6. Mix well and add the lemon juice, nama shoyu…

Today’s chilly snow day called for some spicy chili. The following recipe made 6.5 servings. 1 tbsp olive oil 2 pounds ground turkey 1 28 oz can crushed San Marzano tomatoes 1 15 oz can Muir Glen fire roasted petite diced tomatoes 1 can tomato paste 3 cloves garlic 2 jalapeno peppers 1 red bell pepper 1 green bell pepper 1 cup chopped celery 6 tbsp chopped scallions Spices: I was out of Penzeys Chili 3000, my go-to for chili, so I experimented with a combination of chipotle, cumin, oregano, red pepper flakes, and Aleppo pepper. Next time I will stick with the Penzeys Chili 3000. I browned the turkey…

Loving these red lentils with a few additions. I was home sick and didn’t have the tomatoes or coconut milk that other recipes called for, so I looked for simple red lentil recipes that I could improvise with. Spiced Red Lentil Dal 2 tablespoons peanut oil (used olive oil) 1 large onion, chopped 1 cup celery, chopped 1 cup dried red lentils, washed and picked over 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger (used powdered ginger) 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1 tablespoon mustard seeds 2 cloves (used a pinch of powdered cloves) 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper Salt 2 tablespoons cold butter (optional) (used this) Chopped fresh cilantro leaves for garnish. (used…