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A bowl of chicken stew with warm, wintry spices, chunks of red-skinned potatoes, chicken, carrot, and green beans bobbing in an orange-brown broth. A stainless steel spoon handle catches the light, and a scattering of crushed tortilla chips garnishes the bowl. In the background, a dark blue serving bowl awaits.

Chicken stew with warm, wintry spices

December 16, 2016by Mike Bierschenk 4 Comments

Tender, flavorful chicken; hearty potatoes and carrots; bright, fresh green beans and tomatoes; a thick broth with soft, comforting spices. Yep.

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Main Dishes, Soups
Citrus & soy pasta salad piled in a light blue bowl, tangles of bright orange carrot and pale green scallions curling around the spirals of whole wheat rotini scattered with sesame seeds

Citrus & soy pasta salad

July 8, 2016by Mike Bierschenk 2 Comments

A different sort of pasta salad, with a sweet-salty dressing made from soy sauce and citrus juices. A sure fix to the hot summertime doldrums.

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Salads, Side Dishes, Veg*n or veg*n-possible
A hefty scoop of bacon and lentil shepherd's takes up most of a plate on a glass patio table, the reddish-brown lentil filling spilling out from beneath ivory potatoes. Buttered bread and a green salad nestle close to the main dish, with the tines of a fork protruding in from the lower edge of the fram.

Bacon and lentil shepherd’s pie

May 19, 2016by Mike Bierschenk Leave a comment

A riff on shepherd’s pie, subbing lentils for the minced lamb. Savory, buttery, rich, and altogether satisfying.

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Main Dishes, Veg*n or veg*n-possible
A bowl of basic lentil soup sits on a yellow napkin, along with a shiny spoon and a piece of thickly buttered bread

Basic lentil soup

February 4, 2016by Mike Bierschenk 4 Comments

This is one of those recipes that every home cook should keep in their back pocket. With cheap, common ingredients and a cook time of barely more than a half-hour, lentil soup has saved dinner in my house more times than I count.

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Soups, Veg*n or veg*n-possible

Classic mustard coleslaw

July 16, 2015by Mike Bierschenk Leave a comment

Not only is this a rock-solid coleslaw recipe, but the blog post portion is a testament to my fervent coleslaw mania. I might have gone a little overboard, but I think coleslaw’s worth it.

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Salads, Side Dishes, Veg*n or veg*n-possible
Mexican bean soup, albondigas-style

Mexican bean soup, albondigas-style

May 14, 2015by Mike Bierschenk Leave a comment

This soup is a riff on traditional Mexican sopa de albondigas, meatball soup. It’s bright and full of herbs and vegetables, perfect for spring.

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Soups, Veg*n or veg*n-possible
Italian sausage paprikash over egg noodles

Italian sausage paprikash

December 15, 2014by Mike Bierschenk 2 Comments

Sometimes the food I cook has really great pedigrees, backed up with thorough research and/or rich cultural tradition and/or a well-known chef’s recommendation. But equally often I cook by feel, scrambling […]

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Main Dishes

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Shredded chickenThose peppers are just so redBroccoli MountainAlarmingly giant spoon handleLet’s just pretend that’s a snowscape, not a blown-out car windshield
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All text and photos © Mike Bierschenk, 2014-2016
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