Spring Greens Salad with Asparagus, Snow Peas, Radishes, and Honey Dijon Vinaigrette
Our spring garden is not as full as the summer garden, but each year we add a little more with the hope that eventually we will have a large cool weather garden space. This spring we planted snow peas, sugar snap peas, rhubarb, three kinds of radishes, two kinds of radicchio, butterhead and romaine lettuce, red Russian kale, arugula, three kinds of chard, beets, green onions, shallots, dill, and cilantro. I still have a couple new rosemary plants (Arp variety) to put in the ground, but we need to finish prepping their new home first. And then there’s the blueberries which will finally go into their permanent home now that Michael tackled the enormous job of transplanting a dozen rose bushes to make room for the blueberries. Read more
Asparagus Quiche with Mushrooms and Shallots
April 12, 2010 by Andrea
Filed under Breakfast, Vegetables
If I had to choose a favorite spring vegetable, it would be a tie between asparagus and snow peas. Pencil-thin asparagus stalks look so pretty on a plate and like snow peas it tastes delicious either fresh or cooked. Though we don’t yet grow our own asparagus, the thought has crossed our minds on several occasions. We keep looking around the yard trying to decide where we want to put everything we want to grow, and we just haven’t chosen a place yet for asparagus. Things are getting tight in some spots so we have to think carefully about how plants will work together before building more beds and putting in anything else. Read more
Creamy Grape Salad with Almonds
March 29, 2010 by Andrea
Filed under Salads, Summer Favorites
One of my favorite childhood memories is creamy fruit salads made with various combinations of grapes, cherries, mandarin oranges, pineapple, or apples, sometimes with crunchy nuts mixed in. The creamy part also varied, often made with sour cream and cream cheese or whipped topping, but all were sweet and sometimes tasted more like dessert than a dinner side dish. As far as my sweet tooth and I were concerned, creamy fruit salads were as good as it gets.
Don’t judge me. Read more
Irish Cream Pound Cake
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 some of our favorite Irish flavors: Irish cream and Guinness. Read more
Mini Chocolate Whoopie Pies with Nutella
Nutella lovers around the world, it’s time to celebrate World Nutella Day! The brainchild of Sara Sara from Ms. Adventures in Italy and Michelle from Bleeding Espresso, World Nutella Day started in 2007 and gave fans of the delicious chocolate hazelnut concoction a chance to share their devotion in whatever form seemed fit, whether spread on toast, crepes, rice crispy treats, put it in a king cake, or just licked off a spoon (my personal favorite). Read more
Popcorn with Brown Butter, Rosemary, and Lemon
January 29, 2010 by Andrea
Filed under Appetizers, Grow Your Own
Popcorn has always been one of my favorite snacks, and as a child I got excited when my dad brought out the vintage hammered Club Aluminum pot and poured in some kernels. Sometimes we had butter on top, but mostly we ate it with a simple sprinkling of salt or occasionally seasoned salt. I don’t think my parents have that old pot anymore, but as I reminisce about all the popcorn we ate together, I wish they still had it. Read more
