Let’s pretend I have all the time in the world to create sumptuous feasts. And all the resources in the world to gather up the tastiest ingredients. In this fiction, I wave my wand and on the table every night fantastical, incredibly delicious multi-course meals appear. My reality, of course, is quite different. Cooking is hard, time-consumingContinue reading “A Midsummer Night’s Meal”
Tag Archives: local food
Bacon Gruyere Quiche
I have made my peace with quiche as a family dinner. Me? I love spinach quiche, or maybe a simple cheddar pie topped with tomatoes, gosh, I’d even choose mushrooms, onions, peppers and zucchini to stir in with my cream and cheese and crust. But nooooo. When I make such delicacies I get major pushbackContinue reading “Bacon Gruyere Quiche”
Flowers for Dinner
It’s been a disappointing zucchini year. Nothing like last year’s plenty that left me begging for mercy. But that’s okay. My dad sent me packing back in June with a bag full and my local farmers market tables are groaning with zukes. I feel certain that if I asked around, a few of you mightContinue reading “Flowers for Dinner”
Make Mine Mexican
My husband is half Italian-American and nowhere is this clearer than the kitchen. Whether he’s stirring up marinara from a recipe encoded in his DNA or pressing pizzelle at Christmas or building his tasty sausage lasagna layer by layer, Italian cuisine is his comfort zone. My heritage is more complicated: English, German, Eastern European butContinue reading “Make Mine Mexican”
Honey Mustard Vinaigrette
I love a good honey mustard dressing. This one is a little less sweet and a little less creamy than those you might find in a restaurant. But the oil and vinegar make it pair especially well with fresh veggies. Feel free to stir in some from-the-garden herbs (oregano? basil?) dried or fresh to add yet anotherContinue reading “Honey Mustard Vinaigrette”
Herby Alfredo Pasta Dinner
In the spring, I walk around my garden thinking mostly of one thing: How to get all the delicious, thriving herbs and greens from my yard onto my plate. Could a snip of parsley, a handful of spinach, a few strands of oregano, a spring onion and maybe a mushroom or two somehow, magicallyContinue reading “Herby Alfredo Pasta Dinner”
Fruit Smoothies
I LOVE smoothies. My kids LOVE smoothies. I mean, really, who doesn’t love smoothies? I once kept a whole cookbook devoted to smoothies on my shelf. But I quickly realized that the beauty of a smoothie is that you don’t need a recipe. Just a few guidelines, maybe, and a willingness to taste and adjust asContinue reading “Fruit Smoothies”
Chestnut Pumpkin Soup
Chestnuts turned into kind of a project for me last fall as I discovered their rich history and buttery, satisfying flavor. I had pounds of chestnuts in my fridge at various points testing and tasting to find recipes that were worth the extra work of cooking with these incredibly nutritious nuts. Below, I bringContinue reading “Chestnut Pumpkin Soup”
Strawberry Balsamic Jam
I make and can strawberry jam most years. It’s a great way to preserve berries that all ripen at once. We eat the jam on peanut butter sandwiches, in jam bar cookies and sometimes just straight from the jar. We also give it as gifts. This year, for my first batch, I used my friend Laura Latham’sContinue reading “Strawberry Balsamic Jam”
Bulldog Tofu
This recipe, like so many of my favorites, is really a framework to support a meal of creativity and whim. It’s different each time I make it, depending on what’s growing in the garden or what I can pull from the freezer. It was passed along to me by a friend who got it from aContinue reading “Bulldog Tofu”