making life delicious blog
When you think of local food in Northern Virginia, maple syrup isn’t the first thing to come to mind. Wine, beef, pork, a myriad of vegetables, and apples all fit in with the general notion of the things you’ll find here. If you are surprised to learn that there is a maple syrup producer in [...]
The caipirinha cocktail, a Brazilian concoction made with cachaça, was one of our favorites from last summer, and we planned to play around with the flavors a bit using different fruits. Strawberries were an obvious place to start, and we came up with this one that reminds me of a strawberry creamsicle. My friend Kristy [...]
There’s something about whole baby carrots steamed with the tops on, fork tender and sweet. I adore that delicate flavor and crunch and think they really add beauty to a plate. They are like the little black dress of carrots. And many times they are insanely easy to prepare, like this recipe from Cooking Light.
Ranchera. Say it. Try flipping the “r”. I still have trouble making that sound, even after living in a Spanish-speaking country for two years and developing an accent that could almost pass for a native. The Rs always gave me away. When I first moved to Colombia I couldn’t speak any Spanish except for the [...]
I didn’t grow up on a farm, but my family has a long history in agriculture and I grew up in Missouri and Illinois, where farms were abundant. In the summer you couldn’t drive anywhere in central Illinois without seeing corn and soybean fields, and detasseling was a common summer job for teens. In the [...]
Years ago while living in Colombia, I became enamored with Andres Carne de Res, then a rustic grill in the village of Chia, north of Bogota. I didn’t own a car, so the only way to get there was by taxi or bus, but making the trek was so worth it. The place served the [...]
Life isn’t fair sometimes. We make plans as if we have forever, but our time is so short and we forget. We forget to treat moments with our loved ones as special, as something we want to cherish. Michael always says to me, “I’ll never have enough time with you.” From the man I love [...]
The heat waves we’ve had this year have been absolutely brutal, and in the evenings the best way to cool down is with some ice cream or a chilled cocktail. I recently created three summer cocktails for Betty Crocker, and you can find them on BettyCrocker.com. These are all easy and can be made with [...]
When you get a big basket of peaches as beautiful as this, it’s time to cook. We got these in South Carolina a few weeks ago while visiting family, and they were so fresh and sweet that the smell made me want to bury my face in the basket. They still needed a couple days [...]
“Cherries!” That’s the shout I hear when the boys find cherries on the counter and eagerly pop them in their mouths and pull off the stems. They can’t resist the deep red fruits, and neither can I. Seeing their happy smiles with cherry juice all over their hands and faces is one of my favorite [...]
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.
