Guest Chef! Kathy J. Cooks

We lured Kathy J. into our kitchen with promises of fresh, organic produce from Mhonpaj's Garden.

Kathy likes to talk while she cooks. 

She tied on her apron and jumped right in. Appetizers first: sauteed Parmesan-stuffed Swiss chard packets with a balsamic reduction and kale chips.

Swiss chard wrapped around a hunk of melted Parmesan.

 Then a pause as the polenta was prepared.

Kathy puts the finishing touches on the green beans
while Lani stirs polenta and reads To Kill a Mockingbird.

The main course was worth the wait: creamy polenta with roasted vegetable and mushroom ragout, mixed beans with grilled corn, and a caramelized red onion olive tart with a whole wheat crust.

Looks good, tastes good.

Another pause before dessert: brownies made from scratch by Kjersti with chocolate-chocolate and/or blackberry ice cream.

I asked Kathy if she followed a recipe for the ragout. She said she did, once, but has since reinvented it with every preparation. "I cook more from recipes than some of my friends," she said. "That's how you learn."

It is not from ourselves that we learn to be better than we are. 

Wendell Berry