IndyStar.com: Jolene Ketzenberger
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Head indoors for fresh farmers' produce and more
The mums on the front porch are still blooming, and one stubborn pepper plant in the backyard is still doggedly bearing bell peppers, but for us, this year’s growing season is pretty much over. For the Indy Winter Farmers Market, however, the...
Baking cookies, making memories
This year, I just might do it. I always intend to bake a bunch of holiday cookies, but somehow I never seem to manage more than a few pans of sugar cookies and gingerbread men. This year, I just might go all out — at least on cookies —...
OK, there's coffee, but pumpkin rules this drink
It’s almost Halloween, and you know what that means — time for the annual taste of fall. I’m not talking about stealing from the kids’ pumpkin bucket (although any Almond Joys are mine, unless her brother gets to them...
Exotic flash-in-the-pan dishes tempt, but . . .
I was just looking at a new cookbook from Gourmet magazine, one that promises “more than 1,000 all-new recipes.” Wow, I thought. That’s a lot of recipes. Then I had to wonder: Just how many of those recipes would I actually try? I...
Let these lime-flavored cookies Meltaway in your mouth
These little powdered sugar-covered cookies, adapted from “Martha Stewart’s Cookies” (Clarkson Potter, $24.95), feature the bright flavor of lime. Lime Meltaways Makes about 5 dozen 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room...
Put your best cookie forward
Leave it to Martha. I should have known the quintessential domestic diva would come through when I needed some holiday inspiration, especially a little holiday inspiration of the green and red variety That’s right — it’s time for...
No running when cake's in the oven
I’ve probably said all the mom cliches through the years. You know the ones: “Don’t you roll your eyes at me” . . . “You’d better watch that tone of voice” (followed by either “young man” or...
Million-dollar chicken dish wins over kids' taste buds
Sometimes, my kids can really pick a winner. They’ve tried plenty of dishes over the years (some good, some not-so-good), but they recognized a million-dollar dish when they tasted it. I had been reading a fun little memoir recently by...
On kraut and kimchee and thoughts of Grandpa
In researching this week’s story on Korean food, I got the chance to try kimchee, the fermented cabbage that’s a key component to Korean meals. And you know what? Kimchee made me think of Grandpa. Why would the spicy Korean condiment make...
Persimmon is the perfect answer to fall's call
Labor Day’s over, the kids have been back to school nearly a month, and it’s time to start thinking about fall. Lulled into a laid-back mindset by still-warm September weather, some folks may prefer to hang on to summer, but I’m...
Salmon, sun-dried tomatoes jazz up egg salad
It tastes like an egg. That was the consensus when the kids and I tried a couple of out-of-the-ordinary egg options I found recently at Saraga International Grocery, near Lafayette Square Mall at 3605 Commercial Drive. » The good egg:...
A handy kitchen device that lives up to its promises
I tend to end up with a lot of kitchen gadgets, but relatively few make it into the regular cooking rotation. I’ve tried various gizmos designed to make basic tasks easier, but I often find all they do is add extra time and effort. A silicone...
It's jarring (in a good way) to take this tropical turn
I noticed them the other day on a shelf in the garage, those boxes of canning jars I hadn’t used since we moved from our previous house three years ago. I stashed them there in a handy spot, thinking I’d surely be using them soon —...
Tempting treats bring fair food fans back for more
Elephant ears, corn dogs, lemon shake-ups. Ribbon fries, lamb kabobs, Hoosier ribeye sandwiches. Milkshakes, saltwater taffy, cotton candy. And maybe another lemon shake-up. That’s usually what’s on the menu when we head to the fair. The...
New ways to share the summer's bounty
You just couldn’t resist, could you? That’s OK — I couldn’t either. It seemed like such a good idea back in the spring to grow a few things in the backyard, didn’t it? So you went ahead and planted those zucchini or set...
Looks like one thing, tastes like something else
I’m not much for faux foods. I’ve never had much luck with — or interest in — making one thing taste like something else. Oh, I’ve tried a few times over the years, but recipes like mashed “faux-tatoes” made...
Frog Eye Salad a perfect dish for Fourth of July pitch-in
Frog Eye Salad — now how could I pass up a recipe like that? I came across a lot of great-sounding recipes researching this week’s story on pitch-in dishes, and some — like Frog Eye Salad — I just had to try. According to...
Sharing the farmland with displaced people
Anyone who has experienced the urge to grow tomatoes in the backyard — and enjoyed the satisfaction that comes in harvesting what’s been grown — can understand a desire to work the land. And anyone with a connection to the land who...
Long-running event is about the fish and so much more
“Our cod is an awesome cod.” That sign announcing the annual fish fry at Fairview Presbyterian Church, 4609 N. Capitol Ave., cracks me up every year. I love the lighthearted reference to the popular hymn. And apparently Fairview’s...
Sandwiching some fun between the slices
Maybe I should make my own mayonnaise. Or a little cherry tomato confit. Or some balsamic-onion marmalade. Because those sandwiches I’ve been packing for lunch lately need a serious infusion of fun. I know I’m not the only one who’s...
City Market turns ambition into action
What do fresh bread, fresh fish and hot tamales have in common? It may sound like the set-up to a joke, but Stevi Stoesz, director of business development at the Indianapolis City Market, is serious. She’s working on bringing all three —...
With spuds cooking, dinner's worth the wait
Do mashed potatoes taste as good if they're green? I think so, but the kids aren't too sure.Looking for comfort food recipes recently, I found a few for mashed potato that were just too intriguing to pass up.I've never been one to pass up a potato...
Sold on soda full of pop
The holiday guests are arriving, you're setting out snacks and fixing drinks, but if your company passes on beer, wine or a highball, what do you offer? A soft drink, of course, but what do you call it?Thanks to a college roommate from northwest...
Camp cuisine, s'mores or less
There's camp food in my future -- and I'm hoping it's more than s'mores.Although we've pitched our tent in plenty of state parks over the years, I'm not really much of a camper. Our sleeping bags are used for sleepovers, the camp stove stays...
Get in the cookie spirit
I just might be out of a cookie-baking job. The kids love them, of course, but I haven't done much baking lately, so my 11-year-old daughter has stepped up to the cookie plate.She's gotten handy with a mixer and has been baking batches of...
Winter mart on Central
It was a pretty nippy day to launch a farmers market.The new Indianapolis Winter Farmers Market, located at 2442 N. Central Ave., saw chilly, drizzly weather outside but plenty of shoppers inside when it opened Nov. 15.With temperatures at least...
Frugality is cool again
Have you heard the phrase "New Frugality"? If you haven't yet, it's a good bet you will.With unemployment rates up and the country officially in a recession, frugality is becoming a necessity.According to a recent Associated Press story, some...
New products are a real Joy
What exactly does "cooking at home" mean these days?Is it meat and potatoes in the Crock Pot? Steaks on the grill? A frozen dinner in the microwave?For some, it means a guest-worthy, made-from-scratch meal. For others, it's opening a few cans,...
