One of the best attributes of soup is that unexpected and disparate ingredients join together in gastronomic harmony. Summer and fall menus for The Good Eats Company personal chef service feature ” farmer’s market vegetable soup”. List all the ingredients in this soup , call it a vegetable side and the dish may seem busy; simmer and marry together and all seems well and good. Continue reading
Chris Mattera and Brad Hemp of Sausage Craft in Richmond, Virginia are masters of artisanal meats. Merriam Webster defines an artisan as “one that produces something in limited quantities, often using traditional methods”. Check, and check again. Sausage Craft is a small operation, not a big box warehouse, using responsibly sourced meats to turn out tasty and unique products, selling wholesale to local restaurants, shops and caterers.
Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. You can be a sweetheart and purchase gorgeous artisanal chocolate from Virginia’s own Gearharts Chocolates, made with Shenandoah valley cream and butter and finished by hand. Or, you can get ambitious and impress your beloved with homemade fruit and nut chocolate bars with today’s easy to follow directions. Or, you can do both, doubly endearing you to your chosen recipients. Continue reading
The shelves of my kitchen cabinet hold my mother’s tattered and dogeared copy of the 1940 American Woman’s Cookbook. Quaint by today’s standards, this much loved book holds the promise of balanced, sensible meals prepared with thought, care and minimally processed foods. How we long for the good old days! Until the dawning realization that putting together three home cooked meals each and every day is a major undertaking and not for today’s time challenged kitchen denizens. To paraphrase the old joke : what do today’s cooks make for dinner? Reservations.