Pepper & Salt Kitchen

05/31/2026

We made salads last week and the response to the trio of salads we packaged together was pretty awesome. Thank you everyone for all the lovely compliments and encouragement to make more! It's definitely a labor of love so getting all this feedback is fabulous.

Just thought I'd share some of the compliments received in the last few days.

Josie - these salads are incredible. I don’t think I’ve ever had salads with so much flavor and beautiful fresh ingredients. We took the remaining garbanzo bean salad and put it in a wrap with grilled chicken and quinoa. It didn’t need anything extra because as you say ~ all the flavors are in the foods already. The herbs, lemon and olive oil you marinated the beans with flavored everything we put in the wrap! Just outstanding creativity Josie. Make us more! Please!

Please do this again. I had a feeling your salads would be good because everything you make is so memorable. We gobbled our salads up and wished we’d order two more! Next time we’ll get four!!

Good morning,
I wanted to send a quick email to let you know how much I enjoyed your salad trio this week. The ingredients were so fresh and flavorful. All three salads were amazing and I ate every bite. My favorite was the Mediterranean with chicken on the greens.
I appreciate that you share your wonderful creations with all of us. They are very tasty!

Josie, this Mediterranean Chicken Salad is the best salad I’ve had in years!! The chicken was so perfect and the dressing was wonderful! If I had this once a week I’d be so happy! I can see changing up the cheeses and adding nuts to keep them interesting. I love this so much!

I could eat your salads everyday!

Your salad trio was amazing!! We enjoyed all three so much! I think the French Tarragon Chicken Salad was my husband’s favorite, as I only got one bite — which I loved! Next time I’ll hide that portion for myself.

Okay, where do I begin to express my appreciation for this food you provided us this week. These salads are incredible! The French chicken salad was the best I’ve ever had. I could eat that for a week! Dana loved the garbanzo bean salad, but the Mediterranean chicken salad was her favorite. And the dressing — you need to bottle that! Thank you Josie. We know the amount of work that goes into these salads and are so grateful that you do this for us.

Holy cow! Love these salads. Why didn’t I get two!?!?

05/12/2026

Mother’s Day 2026 : challenges, rewards and lots of love. I asked for a hike and a home cooked meal. I got both and then some. If you’ve hiked Duncan Creek Trail you know it’s rated moderate. That’s b.s. it’s seriously leaning more towards butt-kicking hard. You start out in gorgeous surroundings on a gentle trail along a creek. Then wham the terrain starts to climb - within minutes it’s pretty much up hill the whole way. My hip flexors were screamin’. But I made it to the top, then crawled down like a small child. I think we put in 5.5 mikes but burned 5 million calories.
I did love it though. Loved getting out in nature and sweating. 🙂 My home cooked meal was fulfilled by Sir Eli. He made a hot pot dinner that was outstanding. He also planned the hike for us, as well. Incredible.
Fantastic Mother’s Day. Next up, dinner w Sam in Eugene.

05/06/2026

The chatter about salads lately is forcing me to give this some thought. More to come people.

04/30/2026

Usually I start planning my upcoming week's menu on Thursdays. If you do the same, maybe you'd like to add this to your meal list! This soup will be ready on 5/5 ~ just so happens to be Cinco de Mayo.

Chicken Tortilla Soup with Cilantro Cabbage Slaw.

Email me at [email protected] if you think you'd like a container or two.

04/19/2026

Artichoke season is here. March through May is the best time to buy artichokes. To pick out a good artichoke, give it a slight squeeze. It should make a squeak, which indicates freshness. Look for bright green color and moist stems. The artichoke should be 3-5 inches in diameter with tight leaves. Avoid artichokes with open leaves or brown spots or a dried stem.

To cook an artichoke, begin with the prep. With scissors, trim off the spiky ends of each leaf. Cut the top of the artichoke off by about 3/4 of inch. Trim the stem so that you leave about 2 inches. The stem is so good to eat! Rinse the artichoke. Cooking 3-4 artichokes at a time, start a pan of water about 6-8" deep with a steamer basket. Bring to a boil. Once prep is completed put artichokes into steamer basket. Reduce to medium-low heat and cover pan. Steam for approximately 25 minutes. Watch water level. You may need to add more water. To check for doneness, pull on a leaf. It should come off very easily. Also watch for over cooking. You don't want the artichoke to get water logged.

Serve cooked artichokes with warm herb butter, herb mayonnaise or herb garlic infused olive oil. Eat by pulling leaves away from the choke, dipping in butter and eating the meaty part of the leaf. Avoid eating the fuzzy part of the choke that is held in the center of the heart. Scoop this out and enjoy heart and stem ~ you'll need to share this part!

Artichokes are enjoyed warm or chilled.

Another way to enjoy artichokes is to marinate them with herbs and garlic. Find recipes on line for this simple way of preparing fresh artichokes!

04/12/2026

This month we are running a BOGO deal on our Intro to Tea class! 🎉🍃
Join us April 16th at 6:30PM
Grab your ticket and bring someone along for free!
This experience is an exploration of the major tea types of Camellia sinensis, where curiosity and appreciation for the humble tea leaf lead the way.

This month we are running a BOGO deal on our Intro to Tea class! 🎉🍃
Join us April 16th at 6:30PM
Grab your ticket and bring someone along for free!
This experience is an exploration of the major tea types of Camellia sinensis, where curiosity and appreciation for the humble tea leaf lead the way. 🫖 The perfect class to share with someone you love.
Link in bio to grab your tickets. ✨

04/10/2026

I can not stop thinking about this soup. It's about time we made a big pot ...

Pozole Rojo de Pollo for weekend feasting.

04/08/2026

EMERALD GREEN PEA SOUP with FRESH TARRAGON
Perfect for Spring!
On a research trip one year, our corporate marketing manager arranged for us to have a private dining experience in a little restaurant nestled in an old Boston neighborhood. I can’t remember the name, but everything about the place was out of Saveur magazine for me. Just completely authentic from the lighting to the white linens to the stemware. When the 28 year old chef brought out her creamy fresh pea soup with tarragon, we all lost our minds. It was decadent, spring fresh and incredibly green. She served it with warm French baguette and tarragon butter. This was the first course. Shortly after this trip, I shared in an endeavor with two other chefs to master this soup. We were lucky enough to sample a young chef’s version in Boston and of all the foods I enjoyed that week, her soup was the most memorable. I think our version is close to what she served.

The simplicity of this recipe is part of what makes it so appealing. It’s easy to make, but results in standing ovations from all your soupers! Made with savory house-made chicken stock, green peas, organic spring leeks, creme fraiche, cream, butter, and fresh organic tarragon. Blended until smooth, silky and beautifully green. Garnish with organic Italian parsley, organic tarragon and cracked black pepper and serve with goooood crusty artisan bread and lemon tarragon butter.
emerald green pea soup with spring leeks and fresh tarragon

INGREDIENTS
makes 5-6 servings
3 T unsalted butter
1 T extra virgin olive oil
2 C organic leeks, white and light green parts, rough chopped
1 C white onion, chopped
1 T fresh garlic, minced
4 C organic chicken stock (strain if homemade)
6 C organic peas (frozen are totally fine!), plus 1/3 C reserved for garnish
1/4 C fresh tarragon leaves, chopped (you can use dry as well)
1 C heavy cream
1/2 C creme fraiche
2 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 C fresh tarragon leaves, whole for garnish
2 T cracked black pepper
1/3 C whole peas for garnish
In a 3-4 quart saucepan on medium low heat, warm the butter and olive oil until butter has melted. Add leeks and onion and cook for 5 to 7 minutes. When leeks and onions are soft, add garlic. Cook for another 3-4 minutes. Add the chicken stock, increase heat to medium high and bring stock to a boil. Add the peas and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the peas are tender. Remove from heat. With an emersion blender, puree peas and stock until smooth. Add in cream and creme fraiche and puree until well incorporated. Add chopped tarragon and salt – adjust seasoning as needed. Serve with a garnish of whole tarragon leaves, cracked black pepper and a tablespoon or so of lightly cooked whole peas per bowl. A dollop of creme fraiche is also nice.
COOK’S NOTES:
If you are not a fan of tarragon or have trouble finding it fresh, a good substitute is fresh chives. It’s a wonderful addition to the flavor.
If you find that your soup is too thick for your tastes, you can add more stock or more cream and then adjust seasoning accordingly
For a vegetarian version of this soup, substitute clear vegetable broth (not orange because it will not result in green soup) for the chicken broth. I suggest finding a light colored vegetable broth. Some are very orange and this will change the beautiful green you want to achieve with this spring soup.
One last suggestion ~ this is an amazing soup hot OR cold. We love this on a hot summer day with a summery salad. Give it a try and let us know what you think!
If you’d like to comment on this recipe, please do! We just love hearing how you enjoyed the recipe or if you modified it in any way to make it better! Your name and email won’t be published. Thank you!
Recipe rating
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

04/08/2026

My family asked for this roasted carrot tart again, so I thought with Easter just 13 days away, I'd post the recipe again. Carrots seem fitting for Easter. Happy Spring!

I love roasting vegetables, particularly in the fall and winter months. Carrots, like many cool season crops, actually get sweeter in the winter months when their starch stores are converted to sugars. This conversion protects the vegetables from freezing and makes them soooo much sweeter. Hence the term “candy carrots” for those carrots harvested after the first frost. I tested this carrot tart recipe before our first frost, so I can only imagine how good this will be when we get further into October and November. It will make a fabulous “show stopper” center-of-the-table-platter at our Thanksgiving feast this year. I am sharing this now, so you can consider this recipe for one of those evenings when you’ve just dug up your root vegetables. It’s delicious, easy and totally gorgeous.

INGREDIENTS
10-12 multicolored medium carrots (with carrot greens), reserve the greens and cut carrots in half lengthwise (if your carrots have more girth, you can quarter them lengthwise)
2 T extra virgin olive oil, plus 4 more tablespoons for pesto
1/2 T Kosher salt
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
1/3 C fresh organic dill, chopped (plus more for garnish)
1/3 C freshly grated romano or parmesan, plus 1/4 cup for ricotta
1/4 C toasted slivered almonds
1/3 C organic Italian parsley, rough chopped
2 T fresh garlic, minced (approx 3 large cloves)
2 sheets puff pastry
1-1/2 C whole fat ricotta cheese
1/3 C fresh organic tarragon, rough chopped
1 large shallot, minced
1 tsp chili flakes (optional)
1 tsp lemon zest
Preheat oven to 425. On a parchment lined sheet pan, spread out the trimmed, cut carrots. Toss in 2 tablespoons olive oil and salt. Roast in oven for approximately 18 minutes. Should be slightly tender when done. Set aside until ready to assemble pastry.
While carrots are roasting you can make the carrot top pesto. In food processor, add dill, romano, almonds, parsley and garlic. Pulse a few times, scraping down sides of bowl. With the blade running, add the remaining olive oil and pulse until ingredients are well incorporated and smooth. Set aside until ready to assemble pastry. On a lightly floured cutting board, roll out pastry dough into a 14 X 12 inch rectangle. Transfer to another parchment lined sheet pan. Lightly score a 1/4 inch border around all edges, without cutting all the way through dough. Prick all other surfaces (not the border) with a fork. Bake for 12 minutes, until lightly browned. In a medium size mixing bowl, add ricotta, tarragon, shallot, chili flakes, lemon zest and remaining 1/4 cup grated romano. Mix well. When pastry dough is done, evenly spread the ricotta over the bottom of the baked pastry dough. Arrange roasted carrots in a semi-decorative one layer pattern. Drizzle pesto over the top of carrots. Bake for approximately 15 more minutes until dough is a golden brown. When done, garnish with dill and more pesto. Cut into large squares.
COOK’S NOTES:
If you do not find carrots with greens, you can make a simple basil pesto or other herb pesto ~ just about any pesto will work with this recipe.
If you do not want any heat with this dish, you can omit the chili flakes
The dish is even better the next day and actually really good when served cold.

04/02/2026

APRIL HAS ARRIVED!
IT’S TIME TO GROW FOOD!!
It’s been remarkably sunny the last couple of weeks and I hear that after a few days of rain, there is more sun and blue skies in store for us. Maybe consider getting started on planting for your spring and summer growing season.

April is the month to start planting for summer growing hardy crops like lettuce, spinach, chard, arugula, kale, radishes and peas love to get in the ground this month. And it’s also time to begin planting indoors for what I call our “garden gold” plants ~ the ones that love the hotter months and can produce a truckload if your soil is rich with organic matter. Garden gold refers to pepper varieties, tomatoes, cucumbers, summer squash and beans. You can give them a jump start indoors until the threat of a frost has passed ~ which typically fades away by the end of April. Within a few weeks, seedlings should be ready for planting. And don’t forget about root vegetables. It’s the perfect time for planting potatoes, along with beets and onions.

A few tips for gardening this month:
Clean up winter debris from beds.
Amend your beds with organic compost.
Test your soil. Grab a handful. If it crumbles, it’s ready for planting.
Keep a frost blanket on hand. April can still bring on frost. A frost blanket is a plant protection fabric that shields plants from cold, wind and freezing by trapping in ground heat.
Watch for pests like slugs and snails. New growth invites them to the party! Applying barriers around plants like eggshells, hazelnut shells or diatomaceous earth can help tremendously. These methods protect plants without harming pets or wildlife