making life delicious blog
Our summer garden is going gangbusters this year, and we have some surprise Thai basil volunteers that seeded themselves in our bay laurel tree pot. The plants have already gotten huge with fragrant leaves and pretty purple flowers, giving us plenty to cook with. The pungent flavor is a perfect match for this spicy Thai-style [...]
That cold snap we had last week really messed with my internal calendar. Even though the wall calendar still said September, my body was thinking November and that set off all kinds of cravings for hot comfort food. I had curry on the brain because along with soup, it’s one of the first things I [...]
My first taste of baba ghannouj was at the cafeteria on the Saudi Aramco compound in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, and I could easily make a lunch out of their hummus, baba ghannouj, and flatbread. Baba ghannouj is a traditional Middle Eastern dish made from eggplant that has been grilled or roasted, and the smoky flavor [...]
The upcoming release of the movie Julie & Julia (August 7, 2009) has ignited discussions about cooking and blogging and caused me to reflect on my own cooking journey. Cooking always seemed like a big mystery to me when I was growing up. My grandmothers were both talented Southern cooks and seemed to hardly measure [...]
When I started the South Beach Diet a few weeks ago, I had to rethink some of our meals, and less pasta was high on the list. It’s easy to get good fresh vegetables at this time of year, and we’ve kept the refrigerator stocked. I’ve had eggplant lasagna on many occasions, but always with [...]
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 [...]
When Michael goes on travel I find myself craving comfort food. I’m sure the phenomenon is related to my energy levels, which take a dip during the weeks he is gone and are in direct correlation to the high energy my boys possess. Top that off with being awake way into the night trying to [...]
I was pleasantly surprised when the folks at The Little Hat Company in South Berwick, Maine invited me to host a giveaway of Stonewall Kitchen Favorites, and I didn’t have to think twice about it because the book is full of delicious family-style recipes and beautiful photos. One of the authors, Kathy Gunst, lives in [...]
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 [...]
All the prep work on my summer garden has me fixated on vegetable dishes. As I scooped more seeds from bell peppers and eggplant today, my mind drifted towards a pasta primavera for dinner. I love this dish in the summertime with fresh peppers and eggplant. You can adapt the dish based on whatever fresh [...]
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.
