Launie K.

149 posts
Launie K. "AKA SteveHolt'sMtr" is a freelance writer/photographer in a "suburb" of Burlington, VT. She cooks big food in a small kitchen, and her husband and cats are tolerant of the fact that she plays the same Wilco and Son Volt albums over and over while pontificating about the beauty of cumin. Check out teenytinykitchen.com for more recipes and photos.

Hot Summer Night Macaroni and Cheese

So, we after we received our CSA,  the first thing I thought when I looked at all of those beautiful vegetables and herbs was, “Wow. I want macaroni and cheese.”

I never claimed to be rational.

It was a really hot evening, the cats were huddled on the bathroom floor, which is the coolest room in the house. The thought of turning the oven on made my stomach twinge. Why do I crave comfort food even when it is close to 90 degrees at 10 p.m.? Then I remembered a fun trick I had worked out this spring – sauteing panko and parmesan in a small pan mimics the crispy coating from baking. Continue reading →

An Imaginary Response to 11 Years of Civil Unions

The recent court battle over marriage equality in New York State reminded me of the battle for civil unions in Vermont. In the summer of 2000, the year that civil unions passed, my husband and I had just opened up a store in the northern part of Vermont. And the civil union debate wasn’t even a debate, it was just one-sided yelling.Just to clear up any misinformation – Vermont is not over-run with free-love hippie beet farmers who count Buddha beads while they meditate over which they love more, pot or homosexuals. In fact, Vermont is a delightfully diverse state filled with thoughtful and deliberative people and, then, some others…not so much.  Continue reading →

Ben-Gurion’s Couscous

(Originally published on Let My People Grow)

People who enjoy a really good starch need to thank David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister. During the austerity period in Israel after the War of independence, there was a shortage of rice which many of the new immigrants to Israel relied on for their diet. Ben-Gurion knew that the immigrants would need something to replace rice, and he asked the Osem food company in Israel to come up with an inexpensive, wheat-based substitute. Continue reading →

Inventing a New Game While Locked inside a Big Box Store

At the start of the economic downturn I was downsized at my newspaper job – and then I promptly panicked. I knew there were actual Mensa members who I was competing against for jobs and my self-confidence disappeared. I am smart enough to know that when I get scared I get dumb, but that didn’t stop me from taking the first job I was offered – wearing a name tag in a big box store.

And yes, it was as horrible as you imagine that it would be. Continue reading →

Thai Chicken and Basil

The other day I scored at the grocery store. I mean scored.

I found a massive package of Thai chilies for $1.00. I stood there stunned. It’s not like chilies are expensive, but we don’t normally have Thai chilies in our grocery store. So, I threw those babies in my cart and drove home with a lead foot on the accelerator.

I was excited to make Thai chicken with basil. Continue reading →

Recipe Sunday: Artichokes Stuffed with Parmesan and Olives

I could say that the impetus for a meal of stuffed artichokes was because spring has finally sprung in Vermont. But I would be fibbing.

Sure it’s great to see grass after a ridiculously long winter, but the reason for this spring-like meal was just the fact that I was craving anything that wasn’t meat. (I go through periodical vegetarian phases.) And although I don’t make stuffed artichokes very often, I thought they would be a perfect fix for my “no chicken, no pork” craving.

When I’ve made these before, I’ve normally stuck to a stuffing of Panko breadcrumbs, parmesan and thyme. This time though, I decided to add seven green olives to the stuffing. And even though the artichokes were fantastic, I did have one complaint. I didn’t use enough of the new ingredient. I can’t stress this enough, green olives in stuffed artichokes are amazing.

Continue reading →