Art of Natural Living

Enjoying the Green Life

Easy Escargot Appetizer

By Inger Aug 9, 2025 Appetizers, Cooking & Recipes 1 Comment

Snails and garlic butter makes Escargot à la Bourguignonne a special appetizer that is deceptively simple! Dip in French bread to get the extra sauce!

I don’t know why it took me so long to make Escargot in Garlic Butter, aka Escargots à la Bourguignonne. The tasty French appetizer of snails in a garlicky sauce has been a favorite since my youth.

The hesitation, of course, might be because the last classic appetizer I tried–Oysters Rockefeller–turned out to be a lot more work (to shuck the oysters) than I expected. Yes, we decided it was totally worth the $15 you spend dining out.

But Escargot in garlic butter, turned out to be easy–with absolutely delightful results. Even sourcing the snails wasn’t hard and I found them canned, from specialty food vendor Roland, and available at Walmart and Woodman’s in Wisconsin.

Why ever did I wait so long! Read more

Easiest Golden Beet Soup

By Inger Aug 7, 2025 Cooking & Recipes, Soup 11 Comments

Eat soup all year round with this tasty chilled Golden Beet Soup. With a hint of both sweet and tart from beets and buttermilk, it’s easy and nutritious too!

I am a soup lover. And no dedicated soup fan wants to stop eating it just because the day is hot enough to melt iron. In that case a chilled soup, like this Golden Beet Soup is perfect!

I got a recommendation for this from a fellow book club member, and I was excited to have a reason to order some golden beets from my CSA farmer. But when I first looked at the recipe, it seemed too simple to actually taste good.

Since I had a good review, however, I went ahead. And I was overjoyed with the results. Yes, roasted beets, buttermilk and lemon pack enough flavor for a simple soup that’s still a taste delight.

I topped it with chopped cucumber and dill (from my annual Dill Pickles Slices canning day), a dollop of sour cream, and some cute little (edible) borage flowers from my herb garden.

Yup, here’s to summertime–where the living really is easy! Read more

Goat Cheese and Roasted Vegetable Galette

By Inger Aug 5, 2025 Fruits & Vegetables 41 Comments

With the delicious flavor of roasted vegetables, goat cheese & herbs set into a crunchy pie crust, this Goat Cheese and Roasted Vegetable Galette is an easy side or entree.

It happened over a decade ago, when I came up from the basement with an armload of parsnips and announced that I was ready to make parsnip muffins. Daughter #2 looked up at me and scowled like the devil had appeared.

“Just wait,” she admonished, “let me look for a recipe.”

A few minutes later, she had lined up candidates: a soup (“but you don’t like soup”), a stew (“you don’t like stew either”) and a vegetable galette. The recipe was in Eating Well (but no longer online), and I simplified it plus modified it for what I had on hand.

When it came out of the oven, daughter #2 was excited to try her discovery. Our youngest, however, was skeptical–until her first bite, “This is awesome!” we heard in a tone of complete astonishment, “do you have more stuff to do this again?”

Over a decade later, it’s still a hit. Read more

Blueberry Salad with Honey Lemon Dressing

By Inger Aug 3, 2025 Cooking & Recipes, Salads 14 Comments

Fresh blueberries, goat cheese, & pecans, with a lightly sweet honey lemon dressing, top delicate lettuce for a tasty and easy Blueberry Salad.

Recently I realized something almost game-changing. I was making my husband a birthday dinner, when it clicked–it’s almost as easy to make a special salad as a plain lettuce salad.

That is, if you use a few, well-chosen, natural ingredients. Yes, sweet blueberries, creamy fresh goat cheese and crunchy pecans, can turn a simple Blueberry Salad into, well… a birthday salad.

Of course, making a homemade vinaigrette does add just a few minutes. Or you can use a favorite commercial or pre-made dressing if you prefer.

And in the end I had some extra validation. He complimented it more than the shrimp! Read more

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