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The Second Annual Holiday Artisan Food Tour made me want just one thing.  A Third Annual Tour. We started at the Madison Enterprise Center, run by Commonwealth Development (CWD), at 100 S. Baldwin where the…

  Marc Stroobandt, master beer sommelier from Stella Artois, and chef Michael Feker from Il Mito in Milwaukee, quickly won over a large crowd during their beer and food pairing demo at the Kohler Food…

It’s time for my annual tribute to squash: I love you, squash. You are utterly adaptable—you work equally well in a dessert or a savory dish; you are not afraid to flaunt your brightest orange,…

Fresh apple cider helps make the transition from fall into winter so much easier.  Here are six of my favorite apple cider recipes ranging from drinks to dinner. What are yours? 1. DRINK IT Hot…

I am truly thankful for our neighbors. We live in the kind of neighborhood where we entrust each other with house keys, pets and children. We have the kind of neighbors you can ask for…

I love taking road trips, but finding decent food to eat along the way is not easy. Given the choice of fast food or packaged gas station food, I prefer M&Ms. So imagine my utter…

Next to my picture in my high school yearbook are words that classmates used to describe me. “Loves winter” is among them. As an adult, I still love winter, but for different reasons. The encroaching…

Farmers Sarah Luetzow and Dan Neely of Butterbean Community Farm bring the country to the city each week, setting up a market-style pick up for their CSA members in the backyard of their eastside Madison…

by Melissa Faulkner, originally published in Madison Bcycle Blog June 8, 2013 Truffle quiche and radish salad Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words, and this will definitely be true of this post. I…

It’s too darn hot. But what can I do? It’s birthday month around here. My daughter celebrated hers August 11, and my husband’s birthday is August 22. For me birthday means cake. Let me just…

I didn’t realize there was a name for the dietary practice I have enjoyed for years–a Chocolaterian. Luckily, there’s also a place, the Chocolaterian Cafe, a small French-style cafe and patisserie located in the historic…

Originally printed in Madison Magazine – July 9, 2013 http://www.madisonmagazine.com/Blogs/Local-Flavor/July-2013/Summertime-Jams/ I would not consider myself a math lover. On the contrary, the only time I get excited about math is when I am counting my…

Sometimes you get lucky. Maybe you unexpectedly have a good hair day. Or your spouse surprises you with flowers. Perhaps you find money in a pair of pants you buy at a thrift store. Or,…

No one does local quite like Lisa Jacobson of Mermaid Cafe. Stop in to try the popular Bahn mi, featuring Jordandal Farms rare roast beef on Madison Sourdough baguette, topped with house-pickled carrots and radish,…

Originally printed in Madison Magazine – May 2013. http://www.madisonmagazine.com/Blogs/Local-Flavor/May-2013/Cooking-with-Mom/ Mother’s Day is behind us. Selfishly, I believe every day should be Mother’s Day. I know I’m not a perfect mom; sometimes I send my kids…

Sometimes you can have too much of a good thing, but not when it comes to grilled and roasted salsas! I love the combination of sweet fruit with hot peppers, and acidic tomatoes; mango is…

For some of us, managing to sit around a table with friends or family is as close as we will come to communal eating. In much of Africa eating together is an important part of…

Had I known how easy it was to make enchilada sauce, I would have made it years ago. Or, at least, I would have tried before now. On my recent excursion to Isla Mujeres, Mexico,…