It’s happened! We woke up to a definite chill in the air, cold floors to pad downstairs to put on the tea, and then I looked out the window. Yep, the frost is on the pumpkins this morning! Luckily I had picked a big bunch of Thai basil last night as I knew I wanted to make this recipe. Unfortunately the rest of the basil patch as succumbed to the deadly black leaves that those chilly
With the harvest of leeks, I always think of making soup. We are still having some warm days, but the nights are cooling rapidly. Time to get the last of the produce out of the garden soon, and haul the pots into the sunny windows indoors.
The leeks did pretty well in my community garden. I started them in pots indoors in early spring. To get the longest white parts
On a hot summer day, who wants to spend lots of time in the kitchen, at least not at dinner time when the heat of the day has invaded every pore. Not me. But I do love to cook, and have to find ways to get my fix without a lot of fuss. My solution? Making pasta early in the morning, letting it dry throughout the day and cooking up a quick meal in about 15 minutes when I get home from work.
My friend Lu went to an Indian cooking class at the CIA in New York and learned a wonderful method to make naan. We were going to make it together, but I was moving my kitchen and she was buying a new house and moving, and it just never worked out. This summer we vowed to do it. This was the week! I love Indian food, and don’t make it often enough. The fragrant scent of the spices as I open the tin, the brilliant colors of the vegetables, and the lingering aroma
I’m making lunch for a couple good friends. Nothing too spicy for Mary and I know Barbara loves pasta. Sometimes I plan these things when I wake in the middle of the night. (The danger here is it makes me hungry and I have to creep down the stairs for a snack.) Dad gave me a stove top smoker years ago and he loved smoking salmon. I’ve been craving it, and this was the perfect opportunity to pull it out.
This is the salad Michelle and I made the other day. The dressing turned out quite nice, taking on a bit of the shrimp flavor, but having enough bite to spark up the mixed greens. Red bells always add that bit of color I’m looking for, and the crunch and antioxidants they provide are an added bonus. The perfect spring and summer salad that will be made up again and again after a long day in the garden or a hectic day with tourists….
A few months ago I saw an article in Fine Cooking and thought…my granddaughter would LOVE this! She loves and knows everything about dinosaurs, and one of the attractions is all the skeletons she sees at the Natural History Museum in LA. So, to use a whole fish and see the skeleton would be a hit, I knew. And she likes fish–in the little aquarium in her room and on her dinner plate.
After a decadent holiday like Thanksgiving I just need some simple and “clean” soup. Not that I don’t love the holiday and butter and cream. I adore butter and cream! Checking out the reserves in the refrigerator I discovered 4 beets remaining from the CSA box. They were a bit weathered, but still perfectly firm and good. A couple carrots and a wedge of cabbage secured the deal…Borsch!
I always plant a variety of basils in my garden with good intentions of using them all throughout the season. Well, guess what? That usually doesn’t happen. Thinking this year would be different? All the herbs are full grown and glorious right when the winds are starting to blow and the frost is threatening. Time to pick those herbs for one last time! The one I really love to use is Thai basil. It’s so beautiful and prim as compared to sweet basil. The flavor is strong, spicy and sharp.
Someone once told me that the key to a good balsamic vinegar is one that you can actually just drink. Well, I think I finally found the best one I have ever tasted that does not come with a hefty price tag. It is truly sweet with deep tannins so to say.
I was intrigued with the notion of Bunny Chow ever since I discovered it in the premier issue of Afar magazine a couple years ago. First the name catches your attention and then the description. How could South African street
