Norwitz Notions

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Grandma Marty’s Apple Strudel

December 19th, 2021 · No Comments

I have lots of memories of food my mother cooked when I was a child, but her strudel is one of my very favorites. She made it sometimes with poppyseed filling (from a can) and apple filling (from scratch). I made it many times with her and a bunch of times without her. Just like […]

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Categories: Desserts · Food · Recipes · Religion & Holidays · Thanksgiving
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Vegetable Stock from Scratch

April 14th, 2020 · 1 Comment

Making your own soup stock is easy peasy, costs practically nothing, and tastes so much better than anything you can buy (unless you get it from a restaurant). Now that I have an Instant Pot, making stock is even easier. Instructions Save trimmings for the stock pot in freezer Dump trimmings in Instant Pot (or […]

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Categories: Food · Recipes · Soups
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Bean Soup from the Pantry

April 13th, 2020 · 1 Comment

These days we’re deep into the shelter-in-place order for the Covid-19 pandemic and we’re trying to use up items from the pantry and freezer. We still shop, but a lot less often, so we don’t always make it to the store as we’re planning upcoming meals. I’ve been making soup stock and a variety of […]

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Categories: Food · Recipes · Soups
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Blueberry Syrup

January 19th, 2020 · No Comments

My husband has been in search of blueberry (or other berry) syrup for years. Nothing satisfies. He wants a sugar-based recipe, though maple is okay. It has to be completely natural, preferably organic. And it has to taste good with a strong fruit flavor. There were some decent brands in the past, but he hasn’t […]

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Categories: Dressings & Sauces · Food · Recipes
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Mystery Squash

December 6th, 2013 · 3 Comments

It had been about 5 years since my last serious summer garden.  But for 2013, I planted summer squash, cabbage, lettuce, carrots, beans, chard, and a few miscellaneous items with mixed results. My best success was about 100 pounds of Romanesco (summer squash that is like zucchini, with stripes and more flavor) plus others from a […]

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Categories: Food · Garden
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Sweet Potato Latkes (Vegan)

November 30th, 2013 · No Comments

Thanksgivukah, Thanksgivukah Come light the cranorah… Friends, family, and a once in a lifetime holiday.  And how else to celebrate the first, and probably only, mashup of Thanksgiving and Chanukah but with sweet potato latkes and cranberry applesauce? I’m no stranger to vegan latkes (due to my dairy allergy and my daughter’s egg allergy) and […]

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Categories: Chanukah · Food · Recipes · Religion & Holidays · Thanksgiving · Vegetable Dishes
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Spaghetti Squash

March 18th, 2013 · 1 Comment

How do you turn a grain into a vegetable?  With spaghetti squash!  It’s lowcarb, it’s healthy, and it has a texture unlike any other squash.  Tastes good too.  It’s also pretty easy to cook, with a few tips. Every squash is different.  The size, density, and water content will all change the cooking time.  So […]

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Categories: Food · Recipes · Vegetable Dishes
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Vegan Cashew Cilantro Parsley Pesto

March 17th, 2013 · 1 Comment

Back in 2008 I created a post about vegan pesto.  It’s still a great recipe, but here’s an update, made with cashews instead of pine nuts.  Why use cashews?  Well, they’re a lot cheaper than pine nuts.  I switched back a year or so ago when pine nut prices went through the roof, if you […]

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Categories: Dressings & Sauces · Food · Recipes · Spreads & Dips
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Marinara Sauce for Canning

October 11th, 2010 · 3 Comments

It’s October, so it’s prime tomato processing time here in California.  I headed back to Greenstring Farm in Petaluma for 60 lbs of red Romas and a few miscellaneous paste tomatoes thrown in.  Biodynamically (and organically) grown heirlooms of all possible types, for $1/lb. This was my second time canning and I made marinara sauce. […]

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Categories: Dressings & Sauces · Food · Recipes
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September Salsa for Canning

September 25th, 2010 · No Comments

September means tomatoes here in California.  They’re still green on my plants but Greenstring Farm in Petaluma, has bushels of them.  Biodynamically (and organically) grown heirlooms of all possible types, for $1/lb.  I bought Golden Romas and tomatillos (plus a few extras for fresh eating) and made salsa. I’ve made fresh salsa before.  It’s pretty […]

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Categories: Food · Recipes · Spreads & Dips
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Lemongrass Thai Cuisine (Petaluma, CA)

June 21st, 2010 · No Comments

Reading reviews of Lemongrass Thai Cuisine, I’m shocked by how many people love it.  Did we go to the same place?  Did they change chefs?  Are all the reviewers blown away by anything a step above fast food? Lemongrass Thai Cuisine 109 N McDowell Ave, Petaluma, CA 94954 (707) 789-9777 As we perused the menu, […]

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Categories: Food · Restaurant Reviews · SF Bay Area Restaurant
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Freestone Fermentation Festival 2010

May 22nd, 2010 · 5 Comments

Quick, name some fermented foods.  What did you come up with?  Beer? wine? cheese? pickles?  Let’s not forget yoghurt, kefir, sauerkraut, miso, kombucha, natto, tempeh, vinegar, and bread.  These and more were the focus of the second annual Freestone Fermentation Festival in Sonoma County, California, May 15, 2010. This was my first time at this […]

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Categories: Food · Food Commentary · Meals & Events
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Masa from Scratch!

September 4th, 2009 · 106 Comments

Masa, the corn dough used to make tortillas, tamales, pupusas, and more, is quickly becoming one of my favorite kitchen staples.  Unfortunately, it’s hard to get good quality product.  Even in Mexico, shops with fresh masa for home use are disappearing in favor of the powdered stuff. I began my quest in early 2008.  My […]

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Categories: Food · Grains · Recipes
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Eggplant Salad

September 2nd, 2009 · 2 Comments

Inspired by the chunky eggplant salad at a local Turkish restaurant, Real Doner, I decided to create my own.  I make baba ghanoush, a creamy eggplant dish, all the time but have never made it any other way. The hurdle was how to cook the eggplant.  Eggplant goes from hard to creamy fairly quickly.  I […]

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Categories: Food · Recipes · Vegetable Dishes
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Sunbutter Date Nut Bars

August 14th, 2009 · 1 Comment

I’ve made a variety of dessert/snack bars based on the simple ingredients of dates and nuts.  Sometimes I substitute prunes for half the dates to bring the carb count down.  Sometimes I add banana or other fruit.  And I use a bunch of different flavorings. You can make these raw (with a dehydrator) or cooked.  […]

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Categories: Desserts · Family Life · Food · Recipes · Snacks
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