When I was growing up we learned that, when having a conversation, you could talk about almost anything except for Religion. Politics and Money. Given that the current world is obsessed with talking about all three of these, maybe it is a good rule to still follow.

Anyways, I would rather obsess about food and the weather!

Speaking of weather, here in the Northwest, mostly west of the Cascade Range, our weather is pretty two toned: Cloudy and partly cloudy. Of course this is not completely true, it does occasionally rain here, though not as much as one would think.

Seattle ranks 14th in rainfall among the major metro areas in the US with 39.99 inches per year. Sequim, WA, on the other hand, gets about 16 inches per year or almost half the average for the US which is 30.28 inches. And just up the street from Sequim, the Hoh Rainforest (a place worth the visit), gets 100 inches per year on average. FYI - Olympic National Park where the Hoh Rainforest is located is the 8th most visited park in the country.

Not that we are obsessed with moisture....

Did you know that London has 48 sunny days per year on average? But only 148 rainy days. So, only 1/3 to 1/2 the days per month it is raining. Not so bad, really.

In contrast, Seattle has 152 sunny days and 167 rainy days per year. That doesn't seem so bad, right? Though we do have 226 cloudy days, or about 62% of the time.

When you live here long enough and when the cloudy days are brighter than the day before, you call them sunny.

Just the other day we had the most wonderful mist in the air. Like walking in a cloud, which it would be if we weren't at sea level. You could feel your skin hydrating and your lungs filling with moisture. It was quite joyous. Sadly, it was soon replaced with sun and 70 degree temps.

And this is the dilemma. Weather determines what we want to make for dinner. Hot dogs on the grill? Or, vegetable stew to go with the mist?

The contrast is very taxing and weathering on one's mental palate! Here, so far, the strawberries in the garden are bright red, but only a few. Certainly not enough for strawberry soup.

The mint is excessively happy, but one can only eat so much mint.

Simple stir fries have been what has been easy. And easy to me means no thinking involved and, thus, the best choice.

This up and down, decision / no decision, sunny or rainy, makes me cautiously pessimistic that an even keel, a balanced and smooth sailing is in our future.

What have you been craving? Anything at all? Have you need to satisfy your sweet tooth? Your chocolate tooth? Fruit, vegetable or protein?

Nothing seems to taste just right, right now. Let us hope for hope soon enough....

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Mark and Clark describe why this baked lobster mac and cheese is so amazing: "It is the rich, buttery flavor of lobster, married with the perfect creamy pasta and cheese. It just sounds so perfect, doesn't it."

See the Lobster Mac and Cheese Recipe here!

A nice twist to Mac'n'Cheese with a little bit more fussiness to make.

See the Baked Butternut Squash Mac'n'Cheese Recipe here!

As we clean up our 27 years of content we find things we forgot about and remember why we love what we do. Here is one of the stories from way back then.

Sometimes we forget how great our work can be. As the holiday passed, and as we prepped for the unknown of the year to come, we were able to take a quick trip to The Big Island of Hawai'i. This is where our friends who make Big Island Bees buzz, Garnett, the beekeeper, and Whendi, the artist who fills the jars with island wonder, reside.

With typical Island graciousness, they took a day out of their busy lives to take us out to the hives, where the bees are currently pollinating the great Macadamia Orchards for the big nut farms of Hawai'i. It was wonderful! To see the trees and to see the hives was very special.

The Day Begins - Heading for the Mac Nut Trees of Hawai'i.

We met Garnett and Whendi early one morning at their warehouse in the Capitan Cook area just south of Kona. We loaded up in two vehicles, children and all, and headed north towards Volcano National Park. Although we were headed for the Mac Nut trees, on the way, Whendi and I spotted Garnett and Eliza coming back towards us with lights flashing.

A quick text back and forth and we learn that Garnett has spotted early blooming Le'hua blossoms along the side of the road. We quickly turned around and caught up with them and pulled over to the side of the road. Though Garnett's bees won't see the Le'hua trees for another few months, we got to see the Le'hua in their early stage of bloom.

I have never seen anything like it before. Garnett pulled a flower off a O'hia tree and shook it vigorously. The stamens fell on to his hand along with a rain of nectar. These drops are the same sweet nectar that the bees will soon turn into honey. A few minutes later, when Eliza put her hand out to catch a few drops, she ended up with a handful!! And then licked it all up...so good!

The Legend of Le'Hua:

Legend says that Pele turned the warrior, O'hia, into a tree when he refused to marry her because he was in love with Le'hua. Le'hua was so sad at the loss of her lover, that the gods turned her into the blossom of the O'hia tree so that O'hia and Le'hua would be together forever.

The legend states that if you pick a flower from the O'hia tree, it will rain the tears of the lovers. Most interpret the legend to mean that rain will fall from the sky. But, the amount of nectar that fell from that blossom that day, I wonder if the legend really is referring to the copious nectar falling from the blossom like sweet tears. Soon after we picked that blossom, it started to rain....

After this quick stop and a few pictures, we continued on to our destination—a town that was originally a "sugar cane town."

As we approached, the weather turned from bright and sunny to cloudy and rainy. It was like we drove through a portal into another world. As a rain cloud enveloped us and the visibility dropped to a couple hundred feet, Whendi casually mentioned that this must be VOG, volcanic fog from the local volcano which is created when sulfur dioxide reacts with oxygen, sunlight, dust particles, etc. into a highly toxic mix...VOG.

Moments later, we turned into the town and parked our van outside the post office. We all piled into Garnett's truck and headed for the mac groves. Off the road we went, bumping and rocking, down dirt trails, over edges where no road would go.

The kids thought it was great! Garnett somehow knew where he was at all times and where all his hives where placed. He showed us different hive locations scattered out amongst the vast reaches of the mac "forests." The whole time, Garnett would feed us interesting facts about the bees and the cycles of the plants they feed off of. It was very interesting!

In the process of cruising around, we also drove through a grove of Eucalyptus trees. Garnett explained that the Eucalyptus forest was a "man-made" forest. Alexander, our then 6 year old son, was listening intently and when he heard that he asked the obvious, "So, all those trees are made out of plastic?"

Garnett, without missing a beat, explained that "man-made" meant that the trees were planted by man. In this case, the trees are planted in straight rows for easy harvesting. (They were grown to create OSB for the island, which currently brings in all of its wood from the mainland.)

Talking to the Bees - Or Not...

We continued looking for the picture-perfect hive picture . Our intent was to see the "bees in action."

When we left Kona, the weather was sunny with a few clouds. As we arrived at the orchards, the sky disappeared into a cloud bank and a light rain began to fall. Although overcast skies are good for electronic pictures, it is not so good for the seeing bees. When it rains, bees head indoors and don't take well to visitors. They can get pretty ornery, so we had to keep our distance and didn't get to look inside the hives.

But, we did get to see the hives from a distance and the orchards. It was really wonderful and much better than the usual island "site seeing"! And we learned so much about bees and trees, plants, and the politics of being a beekeeper these days.

Spending time with Whendi and Garnett is always so calming and pleasant and truly open. It is hard to explain, but Whendi and Garnett are one with the bees and the island, and the bees are one with them. Although not everyone gets to take a quick trip to Hawai'i and rub elbows with Garnett and Whendi, you can meet them any time through their wonderful honey.

See all the honey from the Big Island here!

This is what I made in college. I didn't have a clue on how to cook chicken way back then. My goal was for it to taste good and to make it quick.

A broiling pan or any pan will work. Keep the pieces apart for even cooking. Turn the broiler on and....

See the Easy Broiled Chicken Recipe here!

Red carrots are not as naturally sweet as orange carrots—so this recipes is a perfect way to bring-out more sweetness. Combining a rainbow of carrot colors makes for a beautiful plate!

See the Red Carrots Glazed with Balsamic Vinegar Recipe here!

With a great history and many variations, this is so hearty and tasty and easy to do.

No flour or dairy needed. We like to add salt and pepper when serving. We have found some like it really salty and others don't want any salt at all.

If planned correctly (pre-make the mashed potatoes) you can finish this over an open fire when camping.

See the Shepherd's Pie Recipe Here!

The term "Tellicherry" originated when these large, black peppercorns were exported from the Indian port city of the same name. These are the most pungent black peppercorns with the deepest, hottest flavor you'll ever find!

Once traded, ounce for ounce, for pure gold, Tellicherry pepper is still a superlative spice that can add a depth of flavor—first heat, then a tinge of sweetness—to your everyday meals.

Black peppercorns are produced from the still-green, unripe drupes of the pepper plant. The drupes are briefly cooked in hot water, both to clean them and to prepare them for drying. The heat ruptures cell walls in the pepper, speeding up the work of browning enzymes during drying.

The drupes are dried in the sun or by machine for several days, during which the pepper around the seed shrinks and darkens into a thin, wrinkled black layer. Once dried, the spice is called black peppercorn.

In general, the later the pepper is picked, the better its flavor. But waiting too long to pick is a gamble, too; ripe pepper fruits will rot if left too long, and there is also an increased risk of loss to hungry birds or unfavorable weather.

Thus, black Tellicherry pepper from India, picked at just the right moment, involves keen judgment and results in large peppercorns with truly excellent flavor.

Shop now for Peppercorns - Black Tellicherry!

With its long history of culinary uses, this little berry has been overlooked for far too long.

The barberry, with a sharp-ish, sometimes sour, almost citrus flavor, is best known and most used in West Asia, particularly in Iran, where the berry is known as Zereshk. In that part of the world, barberries are often used in pilafs and in a chicken and rice dish called Zereshk Polo.

In Eastern Europe and Russia, barberries are used as an integral ingredient in making jam; they are naturally high in pectin and will firm up a jam very nicely, all the while adding their own flavor.

Plus, this little berry packs some serious healthy goodness: fiber, vitamin C, iron, zinc, and copper! Several studies indicate that a compound called berberine found in barberries can lower blood sugar, improve cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and contribute to gut health.

Very suitable for recipes calling for raisins, currants, or dried cranberries.

Shop now for Zereshk Dried Barberries here!

Chef Lesa's From Scratch Apple Pie Recipe.

It is all in the crust...keep in mind apples harvest later....

See Chef Lesa's Apple Pie Recipe!

Use this for any fish! Fish might be one of the easiest and fastest proteins to make!

See the Salmon with Lemon Caper Sauce Recipe here!

This is one of our favorite oils to have around all the time! Especially as the weather warms and the sun peaks around the clouds. Use this everywhere!

The Californians use Meyer lemons and the Umbrians use Sorrento lemons. Each has its own personality and adds something special to these oils.

We are loving the artisan Sorrento lemon infused olive oil because it's perfect for fish or oven blasted vegetables, like asparagus.

It fills the nose with a wonderful lemon scent, without any bitter notes. To the eye, it has a nice yellow-green color and darkens with depth.

To the mouth, it is pure joy. A sip is lemony. By the mouthful, it takes a moment for the lemon to evolve into a gentle wash that passes through. As the oil swishes the lemon moves to the outside in the cheeks and to the back of the throat. It has a bit of roll around action and when the oil has dissipated, the upper part of your cheeks seems to keep the lemon flavor!

The finish has a little bit of bitter on the top outer edge of the tongue and a hint of heat in the lower back of the throat - enough to create a little cough.

This oil is so good you can drizzle it on pasta and that's all you need! Summer is better with artisan Sorrento lemon infused olive oil from Italy.

Shop now for Casina Rossa Sorrento Lemon Olive Oil!

It is so easy and you get to eat carrots without feeling like a rabbit. Using rice as a thickener is so much more appealing than flour or some other gluten-based ingredient. Ginger adds a subtle pop and a nice healthy twist.

The key though is that you can change each bowl of soup by adding an additional topping to mix in or as a garnish, like plum sauce or pumpkin seed oil!

See the Potage de Crecy Pureed Carrot Soup Recipe here!

The emmer provided the bite, and the lemon olive oil and the preserved lemons combine into a summery dish that is a perfect addition to a hot summer evening.

See the Preserved Lemon Emmer Stuffed Heirloom Tomatoes Recipe here!

All five fresh, sweet cherry varieties—for a grand total of 14 pounds of organic cherries delivered.

Early Robins - 2.5 pounds - Currently estimated to Mid JUNE.

Bing - 3 pounds - Currently estimated to ship in Mid-to-Late JUNE.

Rainier - 2.5 pounds - Currently estimated to ship in Late JUNE/Early JULY.

Lapins - 3 Pounds - Currently estimated to ship in Early JULY.

Sweethearts - 3 Pounds - Currently estimated to ship in Mid-to-Late JULY.

Shop now for A Cherry Quintet for Two!