As I’ve been preparing to teach my class on cooking fall fruits and vegetables at the Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op this weekend, I can’t help but contemplate: What is it about fall’s flavors that make us swoon so? Is it the brief time they’re in the spotlight? The nostalgia that comes withContinue reading “Flavors of Fall”
Author Archives: christinanifong
Thai Butternut Squash Soup
I’ve tried many butternut soups over the years. There’s a three-sisters version, a Mexican variety, those that pair winter squash and apples. But my favorite, the recipe I’m searching for every fall, is one that heightens the sweetness of the squash and pairs it with the Trinity of Thai cooking — fish sauce (made of anchovies andContinue reading “Thai Butternut Squash Soup”
Cookbook Review — 100 Days of Real Food: Fast and Fabulous
When I flip through Lisa Leake’s second cookbook, “100 Days of Real Food: Fast and Fabulous,” I can’t help but think of my own kitchen, my own cooking and my own website’s stash of favorite recipes. Like in Lisa’s house, there are no natural flavors in my cabinets, my family knows which snack crackerContinue reading “Cookbook Review — 100 Days of Real Food: Fast and Fabulous”
Asian Rice Noodle Salad
This is the salad that I’m always ogling when I head to potlucks. But I’ve never tried making it on my own for fear that I couldn’t pull off a real food version that would satisfy. Thankfully, Lisa Leake, author of the 100 Days of Real Food blog and cookbook, has crafted one for me. ThisContinue reading “Asian Rice Noodle Salad”
Magical Metalwork
I recently posted about Virginia’s rapidly expanding Artisan Trail Network. It was an piece about why these trails are important and how to use them. But I have so much more to share from my time on the Smith River, Monticello and HeART and Soil of the Shenandoah Valley trails. So today, a longer look at one artisan studioContinue reading “Magical Metalwork”
Encountering Art
This week, I want to let you in on a little secret: The corner of Virginia that I live in, the one with rolling mountains and gorgeous sunsets and dozens of shades of green, well, it boasts some incredible artisans as well. I’m talking time-honored blacksmiths and renowned potters, award-winning brewers, cutting-edge vintners. Yes,Continue reading “Encountering Art”
Blue Cheese Herb Spread
I love having an easy app on the table when hungry hubby and on-their-way-to-cranky kids all pile into the kitchen at the end of the day. I typically have a good half-hour of cooking left when this convergence occurs, but with a plate full of pesto cheese straws or a fresh batch of salsa at the ready, IContinue reading “Blue Cheese Herb Spread”
Honey Oatmeal Ricotta Muffins
So, I’ve been on this honey kick lately, appreciating the myriad varieties of local honey and stirring up recipes using honey in the most interesting of ways. Last week, I posted how-tos for Touch of Honey Granola, Honey-Curry Chicken Breasts and Corn Fritters with Honey Bacon Drizzle. I’ve got one more honey recipe to share with you until IContinue reading “Honey Oatmeal Ricotta Muffins”
Sausage and Apple Stuffing Bites
At some point over the last few years, I saw this recipe in a beautiful Food & Wine magazine edition, ripped it out and tucked it away for later. As we are in juicy-apple-and-freshly-processed-local-pork season, when I came across the page recently, I knew that “later” was now. My family has gobbled this delicious and funContinue reading “Sausage and Apple Stuffing Bites”
A Hankering for Honey
Right around mid September in these parts the heat of the summer winds down, and for those who keep bees, it’s the perfect time to gather that golden elixir they’ve been nurturing for months. So the beekeepers haul out their equipment and prepare for a sticky weekend of cutting open portions of their hives — not too much, mindContinue reading “A Hankering for Honey”