Nora Rae Pearl | Author
Falling for Fall Flavors
Oct. 26, 2024
As the leaves turn and the temperatures drop, let’s celebrate with familiar ingredients, but in new ways to highlight their best features. When pumpkins with rice and apple rings with spice hit the menu, there’s plenty of reasons to enjoy a cozy night in.
To stock up on …
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Pairing Pears, Wine, and Cheese: Two Fall Recipes
Sept. 14, 2024
As we enter the season of cooler nights and waiting in traffic behind the school bus, let’s not forget the time to celebrate summer’s true love of abundance has really just begun. The cherry trees may be well shaken, but the fields of tomatoes, corn, and zucchini are bountiful. …
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Recipes for Farmers Market Finds
Aug. 10, 2024
From apples to apricots, broccoli to beets, carrots to cucumbers, there is just so much to look forward to during peak summer harvest season. As you wander the stalls of your local farmers market or belly up to the neighborhood farm stand, you can soon find yourself with a full basket&helli…
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Cherry Pie in the Sky: Two Cherry-Themed Summer Recipes
July 20, 2024
Cherry Festival is over, but the party doesn’t have to end! For the next month or so, cherries can be found around every corner Up North.
To U-pick all the rubies your heart desires, one of my favorite spots is Santucci Farm on Old Mission Peninsula in Traverse City. Just a st…
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Chillin' and Grillin' with Shortcakes and Brats
June 15, 2024
Beach days and bonfire nights bring another thing we can look forward to this summer season...backyard barbecues.
Change things up by trying these twists on summertime classics. For your ingredients, get out there and support local producers by checking out the farmers markets and s…
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Bikes, Hikes, Biscotti, and Buns
May 11, 2024
Whether you're on two feet, two wheels, or just driving around, nothing hits better than picnic treats on a sunny spring day. Now’s the perfect time for a hike at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, a bike ride on Traverse City’s TART trails, or an M22 cherry blossom road tr…
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Spring Into the Kitchen
April 6, 2024
As the daffodils start to pop up and the crocuses bloom, let’s bring that same sense of renewal into our kitchens. The first of the harvest is just arriving, giving us a sneak preview of what awaits us in the season ahead.
For these recipes, we are embracing some of the greate…
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Heirloom Recipes With Heritage, History, and Nostalgia
March 23, 2024
Before we begin to stash our coats and put winter behind us, let us remember what years past have taught us…fake spring has arrived. The higher temps are showing us what is to come, but we will still have to get through some cold days first.
That’s what inspired me to b…
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Dining In with Restaurant-Inspired Recipes
Feb. 17, 2024
To dine in or eat out? That is the question…and we have the answers.
For a night on the town, head to Nonna’s Ristorante at The Homestead Resort in Glen Arbor. Start the evening off right with a signature Old Fashioned or a bottle of Caymus. Pair your drink with the rac…
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A New Recipe Twist for the New Year
Jan. 20, 2024
As we turn the corner into 2024, let’s look to some of Michigan’s oldest and finest bakeries to inspire our cooking this new year.
Family-owned Lehto’s Pasties in St. Ignace has been serving the Yooper classic since 1947. While most pasties (pronounced pass-tea…
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Dec. 9, 2023 The holiday cooking season has arrived, and we’re here to help you start this month on the right boot—we mean foot. We’re keeping things warm and cozy with two recipes that will give you all the holiday feels and look great on the potluck table. December produce ca…
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Nov. 4, 2023 Acorn, autumn frost, buttercup, carnival, delicata, kabocha, and sweet dumpling. These are just a few of the winter squash varieties we get to look forward to this season. Who says late fall produce is boring? Take the butterkin for instance; it has the skin of butternut, the shape …
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Sept. 30, 2023 Crisp air, rosy foliage, and hot cider—the hallmarks of apple season in northern Michigan—are luring us out of the house and into the orchards this October. One of my favorite U-pick spots is at Jacob’s Farm on M-72, home to some of the fullest apple trees you have…
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Sept. 16, 2023 Fruit or vegetable, tomayto or tomahto, we can all agree: Michigan’s tomatoes are the priceless rubies of the September growing season. Before we dive into this month’s recipes, here are a few of my favorite northern Michigan farms for amazing produce: Hot Sp…
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Aug. 19, 2023 Welcome to a new featurette in Northern Express! We’re excited to share recipes—featuring local ingredients bought at local stores and farms—to inspire seasonal cooking with the help of home chef Nora Rae Pearl. As the blustery clouds roll in and glimpses …
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Ginger, Spice, and Everything Nice
Pumpkins are Good for More Than Pie...and Here's Why
The Apples Are Calling...and We Must Go Eat Them!
Certified Fresh Tomatoes
Corn Fields Forever