Shaina Olmanson's Blog, page 9
March 29, 2014
A Little Cheese to Get You Through the Weekend
Seven cheese recipes to inspire you to create this weekend.
I have an obsession with the cheese counter. I hover over rounds and wedges, reading labels and searching country of origin on paper triangles that stick out from each kind. I wonder about the cows and goats and sheep that gave milk to create the cheese, the type of wash and rind, the aging process. I try to imagine where they come from, to taste the difference in the air.
I feel like cheese can tell the stories of the people who make...
March 25, 2014
Simple Honey Lime Chia Dressing for Fruit Salad
Chia seeds add a delightful crunch to this easy honey and lime fruit salad recipe. 
My house is deliciously quiet. I crave quiet. I enjoy the sound of a spoon scraping the bottom of a bowl, of the faucet turning on, the water rush, how it pings in the metal sink. It’s the first time in over a week I’ve been able to revel in these sounds.
Spring break was a long week in this house. The weather outside was not prime for running outdoors from dawn to dusk just yet. Instead, my children ran about i...
March 19, 2014
Homemade Caesar Salad {Dressing} with Baby Kale
An updated Caesar salad recipe with extra vegetables and tiny baby kale tossed with a homemade Caesar dressing and topped off with Big flakes of Parmesan and buttery croutons. 
There is a taller clone on the other side of the counter from me. I hand her a cutting board and knife and push a leftover chicken breast in her direction. On my side there are onions and celery and bright orange carrots. I shove the carrots towards her, too.
Her music is playing through the speakers, carefully chosen. S...
March 11, 2014
Upside Down Caramelized Pear and Almond Cake {Gluten-Free}
Vanilla and brown sugar baked pears top this recipe for pear upside down cake. The bottom-turned-top boasts a soft, gluten-free almond cake with a light texture just firm enough to stand up to the caramelized pears.
The sun shines warmer this week, evidenced by puddles that have replaced layers of ice pack and the softening snow. Each afternoon the kids stomp through the door, their coats draped over their arms, cheeks flushed and their nostrils flaring in the brisk air. Smiles adorn their fac...
March 6, 2014
Hazelnut Blueberry Kasha with Cream {Buckwheat Groats}
This recipe for toasted buckwheat groats has kasha sharing the pot with dried wild blueberries, toasted hazelnuts, and a bit of cream over the top for good measure.
I count the minutes each morning. Twenty minutes to prep lunches. Five minutes for the kids to pack them up. Twenty minutes to shovel breakfast in. Five minutes to swap pajamas for school-worthy clothing. Two minutes to brush teeth. Five minutes for coats and shoes. One minute for last-second goodbyes and tying up loose odds and en...
February 25, 2014
Savory Kasha Bowl: Toasted Hazelnuts, Bitter Greens, and Parmesan
This recipe for kasha features buckwheat groats that are lightly toasted and then cooked into a nutty porridge with wilted bitter greens and Parmesan and topped with a fried egg and toasted hazelnuts.
It hits me in the shower, standing under the showerhead with water streaming down my shoulders and steam rising around me. The window, covered in plastic to keep out the winter cold as much as to protect its wood frame from the water, is frosted. As I turn to reach for the bottle of shampoo, goos...
February 20, 2014
Dark Chocolate Cherry and Chia Energy Bars
A recipe for easy energy bars packed with chia seeds, dried tart cherries, dark chocolate, nut butters, and oats for a quick snack to keep you going.
Each morning begins the same. Pushing back the down comforter that radiates warmth, I face the cold winter light and slip my feet into woolen socks and slippers. Wrapping myself in a thick sweater, I head towards the kitchen. As water for coffee starts to warm, the butter hits the pan, melting instantly on the warming metal. A light tapping again...
February 14, 2014
Valentine’s Day Treats with Frontier Co-op
A few Valentine’s Day treats for your sweet, including heart-shaped no-bake energy bars, pink cranberry muffins, and a chocolate yogurt fruit dip.
Last night we invited friends over for dinner. The older children arrived both by bus and on foot with my own, traipsing into the house and kicking off snow-covered boots before disappearing to the back bedrooms. In the kitchen, Kiera and I finished filling lip gloss tubes and tins with pink-tinged gloss for her friends.
Before long parents showed up...
February 5, 2014
Thai Green Mango Salad
A crisp and refreshing Thai salad made with unripened (green) mango, mung bean sprouts, red pepper, and plenty of cilantro. 
The door opens inward, pushing against the rolled up towel that sits at the bottom attempting to block out the raw boreal wind that whips by on the other side. The cold air pushes into the room, demanding to take up space along with Kiera as she enters, stomping fresh snow from her boots. Her backpack swinging off one shoulder, she presses her hip to the door to close it...
January 29, 2014
Easy Thai Peanut Chicken Curry
A recipe for spicy and fragrant Thai peanut chicken curry with coconut milk and plenty of cilantro on top.
The trailhead sits at the side of the road, burrowing deep into the woods that surround the lake. Just a few steps in and the world changes: the snow absorbs sound and softens the landscape. A bright white covers everything, a few trail markers the only indication of which way to go. Each footfall is met with the crunch of snow beneath your boot, the air so cold it takes your breath away....
