making life delicious blog
Making cakes for Christmas is a tradition that goes almost as far back as the holiday itself, and every family has their own favorite for celebrating. Here are some of our favorite types of Christmas cakes, and we hope you’ll share your favorites in the comments, too. Michael’s family makes prune cake, a moist, dense [...]
Wegmeyer Farms is off the beaten path, you might say. The last bit of road that goes out to the farm is definitely country with gravel, dirt, an old single lane bridge, and a number of deep ruts. But it’s a beautiful ride and well worth the trip to see their gorgeous hillside pumpkin field [...]
Last year I was invited to participate in a book project with Where Women Cook, a new magazine about women, the food we make, and where we cook. The book would have a celebration theme, and each of us chose our own thing that we celebrate, large or small or anywhere in between, and share [...]
The second farm in The Farm Project is Ticonderoga Farms in Loudoun County, Virginia, which has been in their family for five generations. They grow figs, pumpkins, bamboo, flowers, Christmas trees, tomatoes, and other vegetables on their 1,000 acres. In addition, they raise free-range hens and sell the eggs and sell organic honey from their [...]
My husband Michael, the engineer, is the designer for all our sons’ birthday cakes. He’s a big fan of Cake Boss and Ace of Cakes and tries to pick up tips when he watches the shows. We only tackle cakes like this three times a year and we are definitely not pros. I bake the [...]
It’s a shame that fruitcake has earned such a horrible reputation. When I was growing up I didn’t like them, I think because the flavor seemed strong to my kid-size palette, but now I love a good moist fruitcake with plenty of real dried fruits and a dash of rum or other baking alcohol. Michael’s [...]
In the autumn, my dad used to go hunting with his dad and brothers. They would set off before daylight and spend a day out in the woods hoping to bring home a deer to help feed the family for winter. Grandma packed a little breakfast and lunch for them, and she always included pieces [...]
My husband Michael, the engineer, is the designer for all our sons’ birthday cakes. He’s a big fan of Duff Goldman and watches Ace of Cakes often trying to pick up any tips he can. We only tackle cakes like this three times a year and we are definitely not pros. I bake the cakes [...]
It’s that time of year, time for me to dust off my Irish genes—which are mingled with Scottish, a bit of Cherokee Indian, as well as a few others that I’m not sure about—and enjoy a bit of my family heritage. We’ll have some Irish stew, Irish soda bread, and at least one dessert with [...]
We discovered the persimmon tree in September when we noticed the golden orbs hanging from the branches. We hadn’t paid attention to the tree before because it was in a relatively inaccessible area behind our house and we had no idea what it was or what if anything it would produce, it had not set [...]
It's spring in the U.S. and the following foods may be in season in your area:
artichokes, fennel, fiddleheads, radishes, broccoli, rhubarb, kale, cresses, spinach, spring lettuces, chard, cabbages, chives, cilantro, collards, tatsoi, mustard greens, spring onions, asparagus, rosemary, wild garlic, ramps, strawberries, blueberries, cherries
Eat fresh seasonal produce to stay healthy and help your food budget.Learn more about seasonal and sustainable cooking at Sustainable Table - In the Kitchen.
