making life delicious blog
I remember my father talking about his childhood and how his parents kept food on the table. They raised pigs for a while and my dad hunted with his dad, then later alone. As their family grew, food had to go further, and my dad would comment on how they stretched the family budget. They [...]
Autumn is here. The nights are cooler, the days shorter, the summer garden is starting to wither, and autumn fruits and vegetables are filling produce stands. I’ve gone from craving tomatoes, berries, and zucchini to craving grapes, apples, pears, and butternut squash.
The Ticonderoga Farms Fig Feast is in its second year, and had a happy crowd waiting to enjoy the farm-fresh figs. This year visitors were treated to Chef Patierno of Girasole and Panino demonstrating how to make his beautiful fig tart. As he talked about the tart, he had many good things to say about [...]
Our homegrown tomatillos have been coming in at a trickle, and finally they started rolling in, so last weekend I made tomatillo chili. I’ve been working on this idea for a while, using all grilled or broiled ingredients for a smoky taste. I started by briefly marinating the chicken in lime juice while the tomatillos [...]
I was out having lunch with my friend Michelle a couple months back, and we went to Sweet Basil Café in Herndon, a favorite lunch spot for the work crowd. That day they had a mango chicken salad on the specials, and it sounded so appealing that we both ordered it. The flavors really hit [...]
After my first taste of a sautéed Spanish padron pepper a couple years ago, I knew I had to grow them in the garden. Our first plant grew well, but only produced a few peppers, hardly enough for a tapa. The second year was slightly better, then this year I decided to go all out [...]
Last year we started growing heirloom Ivory Egg tomatoes using plants we bought at Debaggio’s, our favorite herb farm and nursery. They always have a fantastic selection of healthy plants, and we ended up with 20 tomato plants, 4 tomatillo plants, 6 bell pepper plants, and 12 hot pepper plants. That may sound crazy, but [...]
I can’t believe it’s already Labor Day weekend. The summer seemed to fly by and suddenly September is here. We’ve been super busy with the garden this year and have hit that time when we know there’s only a month or so left for the summer crops. The tomatoes and peppers are slowing down, the [...]
My boys don’t agree on many things, including food. Two like tomatoes, one doesn’t. Two like corn, one doesn’t. Two like carrots, one doesn’t. Two like melted cheese, one doesn’t. (I don’t get that one at all.) But one thing they all agree on is cucumbers. They’ll eat them sliced with lunch or dinner, plain [...]
Peaches don’t last long around our house, so unless I hide them I don’t often get a chance to make something. Hockey Guy will scarf down one or two every day with breakfast, lunch, or for snack, and enjoys the juice running down his chin and pulling out the pits. Last year we planted a [...]
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.
