Last week I decided to make soup. I had this great idea that I would create a wonderful vegetable soup that everyone would love....

Well, that didn't happen.

Despite my thoughts about soup, what actually occurred was that I had a ton of veggies that were past their prime, so I tossed them all into a giant pot and cooked them.

I also added a Parmigiano-Reggiano rind and a handful of salt.

I boiled everything for a bit and then let it simmer for what felt like forever. Afterward, I strained it through a fine-mesh chinois, which is both easy and rewarding, and the stock was done.

Next, I added carrots, potatoes, onions and shallots to the stock. I included a couple of handfuls of wild rice, a couple of handfuls of cherry tomatoes, more salt and some pepper and, since they had just arrived, a handful of garlic cloves.

I simmered the soup until the potatoes and carrots could be easily pierced.

When I tried a first bowl, I added corn and peas, and that's when things got visually interesting. However, the flavor of the soup turned out to be rather dull and boring.

I began to sprinkle in some new ingredients like the Hot Yuzu Red Sauce, the Hot Mustard Worcestershire Sauce, and my new favorite, Chili-Infused Sesame Oil.

Suddenly, all the flavors woke up and seemed to shout "EAT ME!" Just small additions like those made the stock burst with flavor.

In the case of the Chili-Infused Sesame Oil, swirling in a light drizzle was all it took. There wasn't an overpowering kick of chili heat, but a subtle wafting hint of sesame. The significant change was that the flavor shifted from dull to delightful.

The next time I make the soup, I believe it will be better, and the addition of a little Chili-Infused Sesame Oil will tie everything together into something I might even be willing to share.

And FYI...I really liked the wild rice and it held up (maybe because it is not rice), adding good texture but never becoming mushy.

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We've had some great wild rice and a lot of duds. This Wild Rice from McKenzie Farms is the best we've eaten since we began eating and selecting foods to share with you.

Wild Rice is a type of grass that grows in shallow water. It grows in the shallow lakes and streams of the Northwest and northern California region.

This rice grew wild in the 1700s and 1800s. The Northwest Indigenous tribes introduced wild rice to the fur traders, who subsisted mainly on the fish they caught and the wild rice they bought. The Indigenous people taught traders to eat the rice boiled plain or with maple sugar as a pudding, as well as to use it in soups and stews made with venison, bear, fish, or fowl.

Bring 3 cups of water or stock to a boil, stir in 1 cup of uncooked Wild Rice, reduce heat, and simmer covered for 40-45 minutes or just until the kernels puff open. Uncover and fluff with a fork, and simmer an additional five minutes. Drain off any excess liquid.

Shop now for McKenzie Family Farms Organic Wild Rice!

Breakfast for some, lunch, or dinner for others, Shakshuka is a delicious dish that is easy to make. It's even easier when you use Cafe Mina's version.

Shakshuka has a long history with many theories about when and where it originated. It's an everyday "one-pot dish" in a big swath of countries, from Tunisia and Morocco to eastward to Egypt, Israel, and Syria.

Variations with different spices abound, and the addition of lamb, potatoes, and artichokes is common. Cultural variations of tomato-based sauces span the globe, and this Moroccan tomato sauce is the spicier one!

Mina's Shakshuka starts like a tomato sauce you would make at home, with chunks and bits of texture, giving not only flavor, but also a great mouthfeel. The tomato is absolutely present along with the spices and an all-around heat. It's a heat that's tingly, pleasantly hot (not spicy), and when you finish, there's a wonderful aftertaste.

If you're not careful, you'll eat the whole dish before you know it. The combination of the egg whites, the yolk, and the tomato creates a mouthfeel of pleasure that is very rewarding, satisfying, and very homey.

This meaty dish has no meat; instead, your heart is filled with tomatoes and eggs. This dish is simple and plain, easy and quick, just like you want your vegetarian dishes to be!

Shop now for Mina Shakshuka Moroccan Tomato Sauce!

And the heat is hot. These temps here in the northwest, along with the high humidity, have made the brow glisten more often than we are used to. For those in Austin, where the temps are crazy abnormal, we got nothing on you....

Still, it seems like we are all thinking, "What can I make that is easy and doesn't involve firing up the oven or standing over the stove, stirring!"

Making a fresh salad with crisp greens, slivered carrots, fresh sweet peas, etc., is great. Adding some protein with cheese, tofu, canned seafood, or smoked wild salmon is perfect on top or on the side.

But, after a while, even that seems like a chore.

Instead, all you need are greens, salmon, and a little dressing. Satisfying, refreshing, and easy squeezy, done!

Shop now for Lummi Island Wild Salmon!

There are so many variations of this recipe, including the original from Nashua, New Hampshire—a debatable food fact—which included caviar.

Mix it up and adjust it to your taste buds. We include some of the common additions. The key here is that it is fast and wickedly easy to make, and really hard to screw up...finding great corned beef to make a Reuben is much harder!

See the easy Russian Dressing Recipe here!

These are perfection. RV camping or tent camping or fireplace camping at home. Easy to make from microwave to stove top to boiling in the pouch, it takes just a few minutes.

And the result is way better than you expect. Always! This is why it is so perfect for Glamping!

So, when Ian from Lummi Island Tuna, mentioned the Northwest Wild Smoked Salmon Chowder, we were a bit trepidatious. We were cautiously optimistic that it might be at least interesting.

The pouches arrived to test with a shipment of tuna and though I was ready to test right away, there was a lag because of all the new ingredients we were testing and the influx of bean orders we were getting.

When I did finally find the time, this is what I found out.

It takes almost no time at all to make, so finding time wasn't necessary. You can microwave for 2 minutes or boil for 4 minutes, open into a bowl and eat. That's it. I chose boiling, not only because I wanted to see how the pouch withstood the process, but also because my very small microwave is too short to allow the pouch to stand up.

I cut the top off with one of my cool kitchen shears (I am currently obsessed with finding scissors of all kinds to use in the kitchen) though really any scissors will do, and poured the contents into one of my favorite bowls, and voila, lunch (at least on that day).

How good is it? Pretty gosh darn good! I was going to share with my son, who is home of course, and I did quietly yell for him to come and try, but he couldn't hear me, so I ate the whole thing and enjoyed every single bite. (This was my third lunch as I had just tested two recipes prior.)

When we shoot the package and eat them he will get his chance to test then.

This is a Northwest chowder with Smoked Wild Keta Salmon in a cream base. It is indeed gluten free and thus has no mouth-feel of too much filler-thickener that you get at Fish and Chips places or from a can.

Though chowder is pretty easy to make, I never make it, a good New Englander I am not. I have been thinking about making chowder like foods, yet to me, I always enjoy them more if someone else makes it.

And with a long shelf life (not so long you wonder how is that possible) and easy to make anywhere, it is the perfect companion when you just don't want to make dinner. And for a camping trip it might just be what the doctor ordered!

Nothing like a bowl of warm food to make a day a little better! Enjoy! Be cool.

Shop now for Lummi Island Wild Smoked Salmon Chowder!

Sometimes a different shape of pasta with a good bite is all you need with a little olive oil, sea salt and a squeeze of a fresh lemon!

Bavette is a slightly narrower version of tagliatelle or linguine. It is considered a ribbon noodle, similar to spaghetti. However, the shape of Bavette ribbon noodle pasta is not round; it leans more towards the oblong shape.

The stippling from the bronze die, along with air-drying, has created a wonderful texture that's perfect to meld with the sauce, the oil, or anything you feel like!

Shop now for Sgambaro Bavette Pasta!

If you love sardines, then you will love these! If sardines are not your thing, I would be hard pressed to figure out how to convince you otherwise. Those of us who grew up with them remember eating sardines on saltines...and with really good ones like these, it is like a special treat!

Gorgeous Spanish sardines in olive oil&mdashlcarefully made, getting each of these pieces (about 5) into the jar intact takes practice and mastery.

Hand-cleaned, one by one, they are then fried in olive oil. Made fresh and then aged to improve the flavor over years, making a mellow and delicate sardine.

Not to be compared with other sardines, these Spanish sardines in olive oil are special. If you like sardines, then you will love these! Just holding the jar in your hand, you can't help but be awed by the quality.

Shop now for Ortiz Sardines in Olive Oil!

In Italian, "agrodolce" means "sweet and sour," and this nuanced vinegar beautifully expresses both. Albert and Kim Katz have long been fascinated by the idea of marrying the sweetness and complexity of wine grapes that have been left on the vine to concentrate the flavors and natural sugars, together with bright and crisp acidity.

The versatility of this elixir will expand anyone's dish. This excellent Zinfandel vinegar has a rich, complex sweet and sour flavor—try sipping a bit from a spoon. While the nose combines fruity with pleasantly sharp, the flavor is rich, mellow, and winey.

Use this sweet and sour vinegar anytime you'd use red wine vinegar. For a simple salad dressing, add just a drizzle of olive oil, along with salt and pepper. You'll find you need less oil with the balanced acidity in Agrodolce than in your regular dressing recipe. It's great for sauteing, stir-fries, and marinades.

It particularly complements tomatoes, and it's just wonderful when reduced and sprinkled over figs, perhaps accompanied by some semi-firm white cheese.

Perhaps the best surprise is that because there is enough sugar in agrodolce vinegar, you can reduce it in a pan to create a wonderful syrupy topping for everything from fruit to steaks!

The Zinfandel grapes that go into this product are harvested late, after their sugars are fully developed. The fermented juice from the grapes is added to oak barrels along with an established vinegar "mother." The finished Zinfandel vinegar has a jammy texture with fresh berry overtones and a tart, crisp finish.

Shop now for Agrodolce Vinegar Zinfandel!

Open a jar and smell the salt! It's not at all what you would expect. This time of year it is perfect for BBQ proteins!

The smell is a wonderful treat for your nose! It's quite remarkable, as you can smell three distinct notes. Like a wave, the fresh rosemary rises up and curls over, revealing the sage and garlic.

Take a "pinch" to taste in your mouth. Let the salt melt away with the sage and rosemary, and then time allows all the flavors to come through and linger as you suck your cheeks in. It might not be spoon-ready, but it's definitely pinch-ready!

This salt, from award-winning winemaker Vignalta, uses all fresh rosemary, sage, and garlic that are then ground together with Sicilian sea salt. This embeds the herbs into each grain of salt, giving you excellent flavor and allowing you to salt like you normally would.

Those who have used this herbed sea salt swear by it. This salt mix imparts its flavors on baked chicken nicely. Use it lightly with a pristine rockfish or simply toss it on your next baked potato. It's easy.

Shop now for Vignalta Sale Alle Erbe - Italian Herbed Sea Salt!

Summertime is a great time to have coconut milk on hand. The flavor of coconut somehow makes it feel like the tropics.

The best way to describe this "coconut milk" is thick and gloppy, or even lumpy. Sometimes it is less that and more thick cream like coconut milk. Unlike the cartons of coconut milk you can pour, this premium coconut milk comes in a can.

Coconut milk and coconut water have been touted as exceptionally, unbelievably good for you. We don't know about that, but we do know that our coconut milk is fabulous! It consists of just two ingredients: coconut kernel extract and water. That's it.

Filled with lots of B vitamins and other good stuff, coconut milk is a versatile and surprisingly useful ingredient to have in your essential pantry.

Coconut milk is essential for desserts such as coconut cream pie, coconut cupcakes, coconut hot white chocolate, and of course, coconut ice cream.

It is a wonderful ingredient in savory dishes, as well. Think of Thai Curry for your shrimp, coconut rice (if you use coconut milk to cook the rice), or a wonderful curry garlic pepper milk sauce for your fresh fish!

Shop now for Coconut Milk - Coconut Cream!

One year in Aspen, Charlotte and the other two of the triplets, created this mind-blowing dish. They created it on the spot, using the ChefShop ingredients the chefs had requested we bring to the stage, and the protein left over from the demos.

The recipe calls for chicken and fish, and any firm, light-colored fish will work.

There are lots of adjustments you can make to the recipe to fit the day and your preferences, and you can always make it spicier!

There was a lot of crying it was so hot when Charlotte made it...how hot it is, is up to you.

See the Chicken and Hamachi Curry Recipe here!

A local honey (to us) from east of the mountains.

It is my favorite everyday honey. Use it for everything.

This wildflower honey is in many ways, just honey. Which for me is perfect. It is smooth, pourable, easy to work with and works well in recipes like vinaigrettes.

It's clear, it's sweet, and it has a wonderful French candy-like flavor. When you close your eyes it has this top end of light and fluffy like a cumulus cloud! It is pretty joyous to the mouth when you sweep it off the spoon.

So now getting honey from super hip Walla Walla, which is about 4 hours southeast from Seattle, is cool!

Walla Walla, if you don't know, is a place where you can walk to explore the 120 different wineries and have great food to go with!

Shop now for Raw Walla Walla Honey!

It is summer, and peaches are coming. Is there a better way to enjoy them in the heat of the day than as peach honey ice cream? Especially the mushy ones. I prefer non-custard style ice cream—it is lighter and "fresher". And I like the balance of a more herbaceous honey, like Tasmanian Leatherwood Honey.

See the Peach & Leatherwood Honey Ice Cream Recipe here!

Couscous is a wonderful base for grilled or baked fish. The earthy spinach and juicy tomatoes make this dish a complete meal.The halibut may also be grilled rather than baked.

See the Baked Halibut with Couscous & Spinach Recipe here!