Nov 1
I’m back! This was a trying week, but everything is starting to get back on track and I wanted to make sure that I shared this recipe before it got so cold that no one would have a basil plant in all the world. Read more
I do not like eggplant. It’s embarrasing, but I don’t like it. I made this dish anyway–for my mother who loves eggplant just about as much as I despise it. I expected to post this recipe if my mom enjoyed it and trash it if she didn’t. I didn’t, in my wildest dreams, think I would be chowing down on an eggplant heavy stir fry. But I did. Read more
Okay, it’s possible that I may have a tart problem. I can’t help myself! They’re quick, easy, and make for no-fail main courses. And this tart makes the radish the star, the main course. You’re welcome radishes. Read more
Forget iceberg lettuce (I sure have). Really, once you go Mediterranean you never go back. The days of the everyday salad are over folks.
This salad is not only just as easy to make as a regular ol’ salad, it tastes better! And really, tomatoes, sweet onions, arugula, dill, and spice. This is a perfect time of year for such a dish. Read more
Some like it hot… but I like it warm and spicy. On their own (or cooked poorly) green beans get a bad rap (though some would argue the wrap is the best part). Enough with the corny jokes? Okay. Read more
Onions and red peppers are in season here in Chicago, Illinois. Okay, well almost nothing is in season in Chicago itself, but the region has hooked me up with some beautiful red bell peppers.
If you’re a CSA subscriber or a farmer’s market dilettante, you might notice that red bell peppers from the farm have flecks of green. Well, this isn’t always the case, but as a general rule, green bell peppers are often the unripe version of red ones. It takes quite a bit of time for bell peppers to reach their sweet and colorful stage and often enough they’re ripe and ready before they’ve turned absolutely red. Read more
More canning! Okay still no canning. This recipe makes only one large jar of jam and I guarantee you’ll want to eat it up immediately. So far, I’ve used it as a spread for veggie burgers and english muffins, as a base for salad dressing and syrup, and–judge me if you like–I’ve eaten it right out of the jar with an over-sized spoon. It’s that good (or maybe I just really love peaches). Read more
In my family, potato salad is another one of those guilty pleasure American foods we shy away from, except during the summer. Mayonnaise doesn’t really enter into my family’s culinary repertoire and pickles, potatoes, and hard boiled eggs make even sparser appearances on the family table. Something about these foods makes us go “ick” (regardless of the fact that they are all extremely tasty items).
Still, whenever potato salad hits the plate of anyone I know, it’s gobbled up instantly, followed by a groan of regret (and then seconds). So, since I’ve been cooking up American style food so often this summer, I thought I could update potato salad for the weekday plate. Read more
I just moved back to the city after spending six glorious years in central and southern Illinois. I get to missing the green parts of my world pretty often and my closest friend, Sara, and I really enjoy getting out of the city. We’re usually limited to the midwest as we are both teachers and don’t come by vacations longer than 2 1/2 days very often.
I always thought ice-cream making was for other people. Other people with ice cream makers.
What changed? I found an ice cream maker just about as old as I am in the basement of my parent’s house. And, like me, though it may not be in mint condition, it’s still capable of producing something tasty every once and a while.
