Yeah, I have my kitchen back. I will share real soon. Until then, here is the third instalment in A Clean Cook! Well we have talking about the importance of having a clean, open work space and how that helps us to be A Clean Cook. Another way I think Thomas Keller meant to be A Clean Cook, is clean food. Well clean food in the sense of food free from antibiotics, pesticides, GMO, healthy food! I am trying to cook food as clean as possible. The less messed with the better. Made from scratch with products that are what they were suppose to be in the first place; no box items, processed as little as possible, free is chemicals. It is kind of amazing how hard it is to find clean, real food! I have written several posts on the chemicals that are now in our food. About how companies can claim food is in their products, like fruit in cereal, when really there is not fruit at all, just a chemical combo with artificial flavors. I am beginning to understand how these chemicals are affecting my family and it scares me to tell you the truth. With the... Continue reading

Good day friends, I hope you are doing well. I just popped in to say hi. The kitchen remodeling is sadly held up for a few days and I am ready to pull out all my hair! BUT I have exciting news to share. Gathering magazine has been asked by many a readers to move on to yet another venue, Gatherings in print and you dear readers can help support us so we can make Gathering a beautiful magazine that one can hold and treasure in their own home. Please check out Heather's video on how you can be apart of our Gathering family. There is only 27 days to go, so please check out Heather's video now and help us bring Gathering into print xox PS. The beautiful music in the background is Heather's hubby. Continue reading

Hey there, just a quick note to say hi and that I have no post for you. Well ... technically I guess this is a post to say I have no post :-) My stove died, we are rushing to get in a new one and it has taken over my life. Think tearing out lath and plaster walls, marble, laying cement pad, pot filler and so much more. Hopefully in a week we will have it in and I can get back to posting. Until then here is a pretty picture for you and I will be back soon (with lots of pictures of what I have been up to and more of the Clean Cook series) xox image Continue reading

A post from Gathering Magazine facebook page!! Well I finely found a bean recipe my whole family loves, drunken beans! Thank goodness as I am trying to stretch my food budget and beans are so cheap (and healthy). Actually it is mostly my hubby who is fussy about beans, too many as a child. I have discover if I cook a thin skinned beans, like pinto or cannellini until it is very soft, he likes them better. Being a homebrewer, my hubby always has beer on-hand. We have been using his pumpkin ale lately for the beans. I think the trick to drunken beans besides flavorful beer and good bacon, is to really caramelize the onions. Adds lots of flavor!! Clarice, Gathering Magazine food editor Image and cooking beans Continue reading

As I spoke in my first post I was intrigued with a term Thomas Keller used, A Clean Cook. The first meaning that came to mind was the obvious one, a cook who cleans up after ones self, one who works in a clean environment. I think one cooks more effective when ones kitchen is fairly clean. I know one cooks more effective if one cleans up as they go along. Plus I have found efficiency actually leads to more creativity. Since I hate to clean, I always though cleaning would kill my creative juices but I have found the opposite is true. It is hard to feel creative when you have no space to work with, cannot find anything and have to spend an hour cleaning before you even start. I have a French marble table I use as my kitchen island. Part of me would love to have some pretty vignette on it, maybe stacked cake stands with fresh fruit but I need a wide open work space. If I was building my dream kitchen, I would copy the kitchen of 100 year old house in Saratoga I was lucky to tour when I was a girl. It... Continue reading

I have been enjoying Thomas Keller's books, Bouchon Bakery. Being one of thee top chefs in America and owning The French Laundry (Which I have eaten at before it was hip and was owned by Don and Sally Schmitt.) I figured Thomas knows his stuff. Although he is approaching cooking from a chef's point of view. Which is very different than a home cook but as Madam Mimi would say, "One should never cook like a chef but understand and have the same skills as one." In his baking book he uses the term A Clean Chef, immediately a few different ideas went zipping through my mind but then I realized I think he meant all of them. Gosh, what a perfect term for the kind of cook I want to be. If I was starting a new blog or writing a cookbook, I might call it A Clean Cook! Originally this was just going to be one post but I realized I have a lot to say, like I always do on the subject of food, so this will be series. I will be back with what is a clean cook! Please enjoy more of the series 2 Continue reading

Did you know you can eat radish greens? I just got some kale and radishes at the farmers market today. For dinner I will saute kale and the radish greens with some garlic and good olive oil. Add some pasta, dress it up a it up a bit with dried black olives and call it dinner. Yummmo! Image from, love this radish wreath!! Continue reading

Well I was suppose to have mother's day last week but it kind of all blew up, so we rebooted and had it this week. David took me and the girls to my favorite new restaurant, Port Gamble general store & cafe. I have been dieing to have their version of biscuits and gravy: Indian fry bread with homemade sausage gravy: heavy cream, fresh herbs and all. Oh my gosh it was heaven. Biscuits tend to get all mushy (well in my opinion they do, you can disagree with me ;-) but the fry bread was crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside. I have got to try to make this myself. I think Port Gamble is just about my favorite place, even though it only consists of two blocks. Port Gamble has been owned by the same milling company for 160 something years. Therefor it feels and looks exactly the same as it always has. There is such a sense of history, peace and beauty in Port Gamble. We decided to check out the cemetery. It was a stunning day to enjoy the beautiful views of Hood Canal. Look below, the picture on the right, can you... Continue reading

Well right now the inside of my house is a complete wreak. We are working on a huge kitchen project (I will share soon) I have my stove moved into the middle of the kitchen and a temporary work space set up in my living room. So I have no lovely corners to share but I thought my little side garden is looking pretty. I have just let the columbine go crazy reseeding. Hopefully when they give out my roses and clematis will kick in. I also have a new little pathway I am putting in. Of course it goes to a front door that does not open but that is a moot point :-O Continue reading

Happy Mother's day, I know you are a blessing to your family. Also happy mother's day to my own mother who has been the kind of mother I strive to be xox image Continue reading

Looking for cheap, easy dish on upcoming meatless Mondays? What about barley? It is healthy, inexpensive, you can cook some this weekend and use it next week. Here is a list of barley salads or a vegetarian barley toss. You could also make barley risotto. I think eating different grains (not the same thing all the time) is very healthy. Switch things up!! Lavendar/Barley image Continue reading

Good day, I tell you love makes the world go around and it really is the little things that count. I received the sweetest gift the other day. I thought I would share it with all off you so you could make one yourself. Last time I visited my dad, I meet Joy, The Vintage Rabbit. We instantly became good friends and she sent me this beautiful paper garland. Joy simply cut out two butterflies and stapled them together with some pretty ribbon sandwiched in between. To cover the staple, she cut a small body for the center and glue it over the staple. Joy used an old map for the paper which I have to say was a brilliant idea, for the colors go perfect in living room. Thank you Joy I love it (and you). Also thank you readers for I have little handmade gifts from many of you around my house. I look at them all the time and think of each of you. Like I said love makes the world go around xox PS Here is another butterfly project that I thought was charming, butterfly tea bag. Continue reading

Are you looking for a simple way to bling up a meal? I was the other night. David grilled some elk steaks and I cooked some quinoa and steamed green beans. I wanted to add a bit of flavor using what I had on-hand. In comes chive oil or in this case I used the green tops from my garlic. Just add some really good olive oil, for you need oil with a rich flavor and you will have a simple garnish. We just drizzled it over our dinner and it brightened the whole dish up!! Chive Oil 1/2 cup olive oil, the richer the tasting the better 6-8 chive stalk, torn into thirds. (You can also use garlic tops or green onions) salt and pepper to taste A blender stick works really well for this but a blender or food process will work too. Add ingredients and blends for a minute. Enjoy, it will keep in fridge for a week or two! Continue reading

I want to thank each of you for your kind words on my 7 year bloggiversary. I strive to inspire you, as well as myself, to make the most of what we already have. Making a home takes lots of creativity, energy and love. I hope I can keep Storybook Woods, relevant and interesting. Which brings me to a question. When I first blogged, I posted every day but it became too much. I finally came to a point where I blog every 5 days. But I find myself making little comments on FB usually cooking tips and links. I have thought of sharing them here. But my question to you, is do you like getting less posts or more? I mean there are soo many blogs out there if I posted more offen cooking tips and links, would it just be overwhelming to you or the more posts the merrier? Please be honest and let me know how you feel on this subjects. I am a bit torn if I should share or just keep posts (mostly) my own projects and recipes? Also I want to congrats Dianntha on winning the copy of Folk magazine. White chocolate, I know... Continue reading

Kitchen Printables, so charming. Peg Dolls, I need to make some of these. Fiori di Sicila, Have you ever baked with Fiori di Sicilia (or “Flowers of Sicily”)? It is a floral vanilla-citrus extract used in Panettone. But I love it in my french toast, chocolate mousse, sprinkled on fresh fruit. Here is a homemade version. Check it out. Growing Rose Cuttings in Potatoes, I have not tried this but am going to try. My new favorite cooking blog, Thyme, image at top!!! The Movie Departures "When his orchestra disbands, Daigo Kobayashi (Masahiro Motoki) decides to start over and moves back to his small hometown. Desperate for work, he secretly takes a job as a “Nokanshi,” a funeral professional who prepares the deceased for burial and entrance into the next life. But while working with the families of the departed, Daigo embarks on a spiritual journey of his own as he finally experiences the joy and wonder of living." Thanks to Angie I found out about this heartbakingly beautiful movie. I was a bit squimish when I found out it was about a man who prepares the deceased for burial but I am so glad I watched. It was not... Continue reading

This is one of the recipes from my spring article in Gathering Mag!! I love rhubarb! It has this unique tang I look forward to every spring but I will confess my family is not big rhubarb fans. But I am slowly winning them over and these little cakes are just one of the ways. The secret is the cream cheese center; it seems to help cut the tartness from the rhubarb for my family. I like it because … well who does not like cream cheese filled mini-cakes? Roasting the rhubarb is easy and concentrates the flavors a bit. Even though these cakes are grain free (and could be dairy free see tips) everyone will love them. Even those who are not rhubarb fans! Rosey Rhubarb Up-side Down Cakes w/ Cream Cheese Center, grain free Makes 12 mini cakes Roasted Rhubarb Sauce 4 ounces of cream cheese cut into 12 cubes ⅟ᴣ cup melted coconut oil, cooled 2 eggs ⅛ tsp. vanilla paste or 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 cups almond flour ¼ cup coconut flour ⅟ᴣ cup coconut sugar ½ tsp salt Pre-heat oven 350 degrees Grease muffin pan, unless using a silicone pan (which is what I... Continue reading

Happy Bloggiversary to me!! I have been blogging 7 years now and you know what, I still love it! And I still have things to say. You would think by now I would run out of things ;-P but I continue to learn and grow, therefor have something to share. Whenever I have a bloggiversary, I always wonder what the upcoming year will hold. I also look back at the last year and am always amazed at all that has happened. This year I got to meet several other bloggers and make some dear friends too. I got to go to Kansas city and found I love the area. I am now a food editor and am excited to see what will be happening with Gathering Magazine this coming fall. It is very exciting and a bit scary. I am being stretched but that is good. Sadly Wren is sooo on the back burner but she is still with me every day and I will not forget her. Also because my old stove is falling apart, I have a new professional 6 burner gas stove being shipped to me, thanks to all of you! My Wren money paid for her.... Continue reading

"Really I think a clean kitchen creates an urge in me to want to dirty it up!" As much as I love (obsess over) cooking, this girl enjoys a break as much as anyone. I cook a lot, I get burned out and need motivation. I was thinking during my bath time what motives me to cook when I am burned out. Here is my list. I would love to hear what motivates you? 1. Well I just mentioned my bath. I take an late afternoon bath every day. I started this when Auberne` was a baby and I am glad I did. I find taking a respite before I have to cook dinner is a big help. It does not have to be a bath, it could be a quick nap or a cup of tea in a quite corner of your home. Just some time to stop and refresh before starting up again. 2. Watching cooking shows while I cook. I think all that talk about food and cooking makes me want to cook! 3. A clean kitchen. Not super clean, just spaces cleared, counters cleaned. A good, open workable space. I suppose this is obvious to everyone... Continue reading

I love white clothes but hate the yellowing that happens over time. I tried several natural tricks using what I already had on-hand and this is what I came up with. I am very happy with the results! Naturally Removing Yellowing from Whites In a large pot add 1/4 cup salt, 1/2 cup baking soda and enough cold water to generously cover your garment. Bring water to a boil, remove pot from heat and add garment. Make sure to completely submerged all the fabric. Let the garment sit in the water until the water is cool. Then rinse. My cotton top was really yellow, so I had to do this two times but it worked well! Continue reading

Happy Easter from my family to yours xox Continue reading

So my new addiction is grain-free peanut butter cookies! There is no flour in them at all and they are incredibly easy to make. The recipe has been around for a long time but I cut the amount of sugar down and used coconut sugar, although any sugar will work. Basically these are dump, mix and bake cookie. Perfect for a busy day!! PS. In the picture I have made mini ice cream sandwiches with two peanut butter cookies and a tiny scoop of vanilla ice cream. It was heavenly xox PSS. Isn't the sweet nest made by Vintage Rabbit Acres lovely? I met Joy my last trip to CA and we became fast friends!! Simple Grain-Free Peanut Butter Cookies Make a dozen cookies 1 cup creamy peanut butter (I found chunky does bind as well)* 3/4 cup coconut sugar or brown sugar or whatever you eat (but I would not use a liquid sweetener like honey or maple) 1 egg salt, a pinch to a tsp. depending how much salt you like 1/8 tsp vanilla paste or 1 tsp vanilla extract Pre-heat oven 350˚F In a mixer with a paddle (or you can use a food processor) add all... Continue reading

It is time to bring out the spring look! One of my most treasured items is my vintage metal vanity!! I removed the pinecones and mercury glass ornaments. Then filled the little vanity with sea shells and a plate hand-painted by my great Aunt Annie. Also a beautiful postcard from the Tasha Tudor museum. Thank you Miss Theresa for thinking of me. You are the best xox Continue reading

I am happy to announce the the spring issue of Gathering Magazine is out. Heather has out done herself. I have contributed three recipes. Lemon/parmesan baked shrimp, violet chocolate ganache tart and lastly little rosey rhubarb cakes. They are grain free and filled with cream cheese, a yummy way to use rhubarb. Enjoy!!! Continue reading