Strawberry Rhubarb Almond Crumble
We planted our first rhubarb plants five years ago, though it took a couple tries and several dead plants to get the magic formula for growing them sorted out. Our first plants were lost to flooding, and we finally figured out that we needed to move them to higher ground and put them in mounds [...]
Strawberry Gelato
There’s nothing like the first fresh strawberries of the season. That gorgeous bright red color is so inviting, promising a sweet and juicy delight. When I brought home a bucket of fresh-picked strawberries from Wegmeyer Farms, my boys could hardly keep their hands out of it, and after letting them snack on a few, I [...]
Mushroom Chard Frittata
When spring comes around our family looks forward to eating out of garden, and this easy frittata is a great garden recipe. We use the fresh chard, green onions, and garlic chives we pick right before cooking, and add purchased mushrooms. Frittatas are an easy meal for the kids to help with because they cook [...]
Strawberry Season
Strawberry Gelato
There’s nothing like the first fresh strawberries of the season. That gorgeous bright red color is so inviting, promising a sweet and juicy delight. When I brought home a bucket of fresh-picked strawberries from Wegmeyer Farms, my boys could hardly keep their hands out of it, and after letting them snack on a few, I [...]
Wegmeyer Farms: Spring Strawberries (Brown Sugar Strawberry Shortcakes)
The strawberry field at Wegmeyer Farms is blanketed with plants laden with blossoms and fruit. The field slopes down from the grass-covered parking area, and the rows are covered with black plastic to keep the weeds out and prevent erosion. During my visits, workers picked berries and put them in flats destined for nearby Whole [...]
Spring Recipes
Ho Chi Minh Chicken
This is my interpretation of a dish from Chef Charlie Ayers, who gained a reputation as the chef who fed Google. He won the job of Google’s corporate chef at a cook-off in 1999, and his cooking became famous for being innovative, healthy, and delicious. Now Chef Ayers consults with companies on restructuring food service [...]
Chicken Bok Choy
Bok choy is one of my favorite types of cabbage because it’s both leafy and crispy, lending a nice mix of textures in a dish, and I like it stir-fried simply with chicken, garlic, and ginger. This time I tried Jaden’s technique for starting with a cold wok, which was totally contrary to any wokking [...]
Gardening
Weekend Gardening: Zebra Tomatoes
There’s something about striped tomatoes and the gorgeous splash of color they add to a garden. Michael’s favorite which we have always planted is the heirloom Mr. Stripey, and this year we added varieties of zebra tomatoes. In the basket are red zebra (the orange tomatoes with red stripes), black zebra (the darkish tomatoes with [...]
Weekend Gardening: Fruits of our Labors
We’ve had a very busy spring full of building raised beds, transplanting herbs to their new home, planting seeds, planting trees, planting new edibles, ripping out inedible ornamental bushes and replacing with edibles. It seems like we’ve hardly had time for a break on the weekends, and we still have more to do. It’s a [...]
The Kids Cook Monday
Spicy Mexican Black Beans (The Kids Cook Monday)
Some kind of Mexican food is on our menu every week, whether it’s tacos, enchiladas, fajitas, soup, whatever. It’s a meal our boys always look forward to, especially if there’s guacamole, too. We always have beans on the side, black beans being our favorite. We spice them up with onion, garlic, chili powder, cumin, chipotle [...]
Maple Orange Cranberry Sauce (The Kids Cook Monday)
We’re doing a special Thanksgiving edition of The Kids Cook Monday, because what better time to get the whole family in the kitchen than for one of the most festive meals of the year? There are several parts of the traditional Thanksgiving meal that the kids can help with, and one of our boys’ favorites [...]
Videos
Football Tailgate Party YouTube Playlist
Are you ready for some football? I never played the game myself, but I did march with high school and college bands in football pregames, half times, and post games for 6 years. For me, the best part of football season was doing all the band stuff and having fun with friends before, during, and [...]
Good Bite: Easy Holiday Entertaining with Betty Crocker, Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Moroccan Spices
To help make your holiday planning easier, Good Bite has teamed with Betty Crocker to create some delicious dishes and cooking videos. My first holiday dish has a flavorful twist: I pep up mashed sweet potatoes with Moroccan spices. The flavor is slightly spicy with a dash of sweet, and the potatoes come out rich [...]
