In the summertime we grow tomatoes in our garden, and sometimes we get a bumper crop like we did this past year. We ended up with so many tomatoes we couldn’t eat them fast enough and I slow roasted a few batches to put away for the winter. If you look up “slow roasted tomatoes” [...]
Pickled Green Tomatoes
October 27, 2008 By 46 Comments
The more we grow our own food, the more I understand and appreciate farmers, especially how their lives can revolve around harvesting. As the cold temperatures creep in, I find myself pulled into the garden, collecting what is left of our summer herbs and vegetables, and then back into the kitchen as we preserve what [...]
Roasted Tomatillo Jalapeno Salsa with Avocado
September 30, 2008 By 12 Comments
Creamy with a kick is what comes to mind when I dip tortillas or lavash into this salsa. The September Daring Bakers challenge required the members to make both lavash and a dip or other condiment to serve with it, and considering our abundance of tomatillos and jalapeños coupled with my utter devotion to avocados, [...]
Live Blogging: The Daring Bakers Make Lavash
September 27, 2008 By 26 Comments
Today is posting day for the monthly Daring Bakers challenge, and I’m live blogging the challenge. This month our hosts Shel of Musings from the Fish Bowl and Natalie of Gluten A Go Go chose an alternative challenge for us: vegan and/or gluten-free lavash crackers from Peter Reinhart’s The Bread Baker’s Apprentice with vegan and [...]
Roasted Green Tomatillo Salsa
September 22, 2008 By 17 Comments
We didn’t expect our tomatillo plants to grow as large as they did, and Michael was downright skeptical when I brought them home. M: “What kind of tomato is this?” A: “It’s a tomatillo, not a tomato, and we’re going to try growing some this year.” M: “What do you use them for?” A: “Good [...]
Grilled Chinese Eggplant with Garlic and Ginger Sauce
September 18, 2008 By 6 Comments
We planted three eggplants in May, but sadly they were overtaken by flea beetles, a really nasty little pest that devoured the plants. Unable to find an organic solution for getting rid of them, we had to remove the plants from the garden to prevent the pests from spreading. So we’ve been buying eggplants this [...]
Italian Grilled Eggplant Cakes
August 8, 2008 By 16 Comments
Some beautiful foods just aren’t pretty to look at, and these eggplant cakes fall into that category. They taste wonderful and take on a beautiful brown color, but on the plate it looks like fried mud and grass clippings. In spite of their unassuming looks, we enjoyed these little tidbits from Marcella Hazan’s tome Essentials [...]
Shrimp with Mushroom Tapas and a Cookbook Give Away
July 28, 2008 By 25 Comments
In 1985 Penelope Casas introduced U.S. diners to the world of Spanish tapas with the success of her book Tapas: The Little Dishes of Spain. Casas is a recognized authority on Spanish cuisine and has published five books on the foods of the region and writes about Spanish food and travel for several major publications. [...]
Shrimp in Garlic Tapa and a Cookbook Give Away
May 26, 2008 By 22 Comments
I wish I could have visited Spain during my jaunt through Europe in 1996, but time was short and I thought a visit to Spain would come on a later trip that has yet to materialize. One of my childhood dreams was to see the horses in Andalusia, so I must do that as well [...]
Cannellini Bean Dip with Herbed Pita
April 24, 2008 By 3 Comments
Bean dips are one of my favorite appetizers because they are versatile, easy, and (usually) healthy. Just start with a can of your favorite beans, two or three herbs and spices you like, then add some olive oil and a little salt and some kind of pepper and you have the formula for a tasty [...]
