making life delicious blog
I planted our first carrots two years ago. We have raised beds over heavy clay soil, so I opted for shorter Danvers half longs. Crop failure the first year, then finally last year we got some. Monkey Boy was so excited when he pulled them and realized that carrots really do grow underground. So our [...]
Is Sunday dinner/supper the most important meal of the week for your family? It was when I was growing up. I always looked forward to Mom’s pot roast, or fried chicken, or whatever special she had planned for the day. Sometimes Dad had to go to work, but I remember sitting down together as a [...]
Brunswick stew is comfort in a bowl, and my family can eat bowl after bowl. We like it with dark pumpernickel bread, cornbread or oyster crackers on top, and I prefer the bread, which we dunk in the broth and soak up the flavor. It’s an old Southern tradition that we like to keep, and [...]
Thai yellow curry paste is a refrigerator staple in our house, one that I dip into on a regular basis. It has a milder curry flavor, not as hot as panang, green, or red curry paste, and is great with vegetarian or vegan curries. I use it to spice up coconut curries, rice, and even [...]
I will use canned beans in a pinch because they are convenient, but increasingly I cook dry beans from scratch because I control the ingredients, such as the amount of salt which is often high in canned beans. I also prefer the flavor of freshly cooked beans over canned, though possibly the best reason is [...]
We are big fans of robust Caribbean spices. Allspice, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, and ginger are all staples in our pantry and add tons of flavor to both savory and sweet dishes. They are an important part of the iconic jerk spice mix, which we rub all over grilled meats, and they are a perfect addition [...]
On November 15, bloggers in five major cities participated a celebration of food from Chile. We hosted home dinners with all food and wine provided by Foods From Chile. The food and wine arrived the day before, and I spent all day in the kitchen cooking.
We planted Brussels sprouts in our garden over the summer hoping to have our own crop this year. I looked forward to seeing the plants grow tall with many little sprouts covering the stems, but we lost our plants to greedy insects who liked the sprouts as much as we do. After that battle, I [...]
Peanut soup is something I’ve always wanted to try, so when we visited my parents in South Carolina, I picked up two bags of raw peanuts in the shells and had a fun afternoon shelling with the boys. I set out a half-sheet baking pan and gave each of the boys a pie pan, and [...]
There’s something about cool air and the color of autumn leaves that causes me to start craving comfort foods. I start adding soups and roasted vegetables to our weekly menu, which will often include grits and polenta. I like my grits both savory and sweet, and this simple bowl of homey grits and mushrooms hits [...]
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.
