Gorgonzola Grapes

My husband, Jonathan, and I took a trip to Alaska recently for our friends’ wedding. Apart from the totally amazing setting overlooking the ocean and snow capped mountains in the distance, their wedding food (by Maura’s Cafe) was absolutely delicious. One appetizer stood out to me, so I set out to recreate it: Gorgonzola Grapes. You could make them using any kind of creamy cheese or nuts, but I used gorgonzola and pecans, which really gave them a kick. Just put a dab of creamy cheese in your palm with the grape and roll it around until the cheese coats it. Then roll the whole thing in chopped nuts and stick a toothpick in it. These are a perfect bite-sized snack with cocktails!

By Erin Gleeson for The Forest Feast

Red Roasted Carrots

Combine a couple pinches (or a quarter teaspoon each) of cinnamon, paprika, chili powder, garlic powder and sea salt. Mix spices well in a bowl with about 6 diagonally (oval) cut carrots plus 1T olive oil and 1t sesame oil. Roast at 400 for 20 minutes on a baking sheet until the edges are crispy brown. Enjoy warm!

Lentil Lettuce Cups

Passover Seder in the Woods

Spring has sprung in the woods! Passover is this week and to kick it off, we hosted a first-night Seder.  We spent 2 days cooking all the traditional Jewish dishes: Matzah ball soup, Haroset (a paste of dried fruit and nuts), Farfel (quiche-like squares), Tzimmes (a sweet potato carrot dish), plus a roasted chicken with rosemary and lemon. The seder plate has items that represent different parts of the meal and the Passover story of slavery and freedom, including a hard boiled egg, horseradish, parsley, matzah, a shank bone and the modern addition of an orange. In this story of Exodus, when the Jews fled Egypt, they didn’t have time for their bread to rise, so this week we eat matzah instead of bread as a reminder that there are still people today who seek freedom. Chag Sameach and Happy Passover!

Photos and illustration by Erin Gleeson

Happy Easter!