Love them or hate them, the little miniature cabbages called Brussels sprouts are prevalent in Northwest gardens and in the marketplace throughout the winter. They are an easy-to-cook, versatile and healthy addition to many recipes, from side dishes to main courses. Winter is the best time to enjoy these little emerald jewels, as they sweeten […]
Barb Bourscheidt
A Gig Harbor artist potter and community activist, Barb Bourscheidt is a freelance writer who writes on subjects of personal interest, usually the arts, gardening, cooking and the environment. A working artist, she creates pottery that reflects her love of nature, incorporating leaf motifs on surfaces of functional kitchen, garden and decorative ware. Although posts are infrequent, Barb has a personal blog at clayladybarb.blogspot.com.
Posted inFood & Entertainment
Deck the Halls at a Winter Greens Party
Winter brings long, dark days, and historically humans have found ways to chase away the darkness. The tradition of festooning homes with evergreen boughs, berries and cones dates back to pagan times. In Europe, pre-Germanic people gathered evergreens because they are sturdy, last long and stay green until spring. Using natural winter berries for color […]
Posted inPeople & Places
Three-Dimensional Beaded Treasures
Paulette Hoflin is a sculptor known for the uncommon material she chooses. This material can be less than an eighth of an inch in size, but when gathered en masse by multiple stitches of fine thread, the beads can take on the three-dimensional quality of any shape she chooses. Roughly 45 years ago, Hoflin delighted […]
Posted inHome
A Place Apart — The Home and Garden of Rick Gudmunson and Judi Cleghorn
In 1975, an almost derelict cottage overlooking Case Inlet sat overgrown with blackberry brambles. The previous owner, who was Judi Cleghorn’s uncle, had died, and when the estate was settled, Cleghorn and her husband, Rick Gudmunson, made arrangements to buy the little house. The young couple had been house-hunting, and as Cleghorn’s parents lived on […]
Posted inAt Home
Farm-Fresh Tomatillos (and Salsa Verde)
Autumn brings the final ripening of the garden, and tomatillos are at their sweetest-best as the vines begin to decline. Tomatillos, or “husk tomatoes,” are native to Mexico and have been cultivated since pre-Columbian times. A member of the nightshade family (Physalis), they grow wild throughout the Americas except in the coldest zones, as they […]
Posted inFood & Entertainment
Il Lucano Ristorante Italiano
The unmistakable, booming, Italian-accented, jovial voice of Michele “Mike” Simone leaves no doubt Il Lucano is Gig Harbor’s iconic Italian restaurant. Simone makes the rounds of tables, greeting customers, inquiring about the quality of food and thanking them for patronizing his business. “I love feeding people, making them happy through what they eat,” he says. […]
Posted inAt Home
The Versatile Peaches
In the early ’70s, my husband’s job took us to Yuba City, California, which lies at the confluence of the Yuba and Feather rivers. The region is a lush growing area for almonds, walnuts and peaches. Our next-door neighbor’s mother grew several varieties of peaches on a 6-acre orchard, and as there was a labor […]
Posted inPeople & Places
Stone Carvers in Action at Northwest Stone Sculptors Symposium
A gentle breeze wafts through the tall trees surrounding the cluster of cabins, tents and canopies in the forest not far from Port Orchard. Friendly voices are mixed with the knock and rattle of air compressors and the rat-ta-tat-tat of hammers, drills and chisels — the tools used by stone carvers who turn common-looking chunks […]
Posted inFood & Entertainment
The Boat Shed at Manette — An Eclectic Mix of Fine and Casual Dining
Celebrating its 40th year in business, the Boat Shed Restaurant at the base of the Manette Bridge is fast becoming the latest destination eatery for locals and Seattleites alike. From the humble beginnings as a longtime bait shop discovered in the late 1970s until the present day, this location has always focused on serving the […]