top of page



Polenta Surprise -- Carb-loading Through Romania
When we headed to Romania, I expected goulash. I expected sausages. I anticipated nights of knocking back Palinca and Visinata. I knew...
Linda Engelsiepen
Nov 22, 20216 min read


Eating Iceland
So you’re thinking about visiting Iceland — for the starkly beautiful landscapes, a glimpse at the Northern Lights, or to learn more...
-
Feb 5, 20205 min read


A Bag of Chestnuts, a Bucket of Apples
Fall is the time of changes, of transition and letting go, and this year, well, perhaps the transitions are rougher and the letting go...
-
Dec 16, 20164 min read


Eating Los Angeles — 6 Meals I’ll Miss, But You Don’t Have To
This post should really be titled “Leaving Los Angeles,” but I did that two years ago, when I uprooted from the smoggy basin and planted...
-
Aug 31, 20166 min read


Summer Oysters
We’ve all heard some version of when not to eat an oyster. Don’t eat them in months without an R! Or is it ending in an R? Or is it said...
-
Aug 5, 20166 min read


Soaring Spirits at the South Sound Spirit Gathering
Washington is well-known for its craft beers, farm-to-table cuisine, and world-class wineries. Everything that makes these industries so...
-
Apr 19, 20167 min read


Heart of Sweetness — A Valentine’s Day Chocolate Roundup
So, you’ve been taking a break from sweets after the indulgence of the holiday season. But aren’t you about done with your Whole 30, your...
-
Feb 11, 20168 min read


Absinthe Afternoon — A Trip To Astoria’s Pilot House Spirits
Maybe it’s a little bit decadent to be sipping absinthe in the afternoon, but absinthe has always had a bit of naughtiness to it, hasn’t...
-
Dec 14, 20153 min read


An Oysterville Thanksgiving
This year would be the first Thanksgiving I’d be spending with my honey, and the first in my new home “village” of Oysterville, WA (pop....
-
Dec 4, 20155 min read


Cranberry Fields Forever — Spirit of the Harvest
If you could name one iconic fruit of the fall, it would probably be that tart, crimson wonder, the cranberry. No Thanksgiving dinner...
-
Nov 11, 20154 min read


Portland’s Nostrana Restaurant Celebrates 10 Delicious Years
A little over a month ago, I made a dessert of homemade buttermilk ice cream and cardamom orange shortbread for a multiple James Beard...
-
Oct 30, 20154 min read


Summer Solstice Rituals & Recipes — Feeding the Internal Flame
My summer solstice ritual for a couple of years now has been to burn away the old and set intentions for the new, accompanied by a fine...
-
Sep 29, 20154 min read
Without An Umbrella, V. 3.0
So yeah, I’ve been away a while, and a lot has happened since I talked to you last. I made this my new front yard: I did a little...
-
Sep 1, 20152 min read
Fish on! First-time Salmon Fishing on the Columbia River
While I am now officially a Pacific Northwesterner, last year at this time I was just getting my sea legs – a term which, now that I live...
-
Aug 28, 20146 min read
A 1960’s Cocktail Party — Mad Men and Women Invited
Vintage – a pretentious word for antique? A fussy way to say “old but well-preserved?” A euphemism for middle age co-opted from oenology?...
-
Apr 10, 20145 min read
New Years’ 2014 — Razor Clams and Romance
I love the breath of possibility that comes with starting a new year. 2013 began with a dreadful head cold, lots of Dungeness crab and a...
-
Jan 30, 20146 min read
Figs — Summer’s Luscious Fruit
I’ve already lamented the quick passage of summer, which here in SoCal is flaming out in a blaze of 102° glory. I’m ready for even the...
-
Sep 6, 20133 min read
Summer Solstice 2013 — Rituals and Recipes
Yes, this is a blog about the summer solstice and I’m posting it in August. Admit it, the summer’s gotten away from you too. The earth...
-
Aug 7, 20135 min read
Tiramisu — Love it or Hate it?
Let me start by saying two things. The alternate title for this post, had the results been different, was Tiramisoup. Secondly, I don’t...
-
May 16, 20137 min read
More Oysters, More Romance, Another Seafood Party
I’ve never tried a long-distance relationship, unless emotional distance counts the same as air miles (I’m not naming names — please do...
-
Mar 27, 20137 min read
bottom of page