When asparagus season rolls around, I simply cannot get enough. Plain is fine by me, either roasted or steamed. Sauces for dipping or drizzling, or vinaigrettes for tossing, are also welcome at the table.
You probably have your breakfasts covered, even if your choices are routine and familiar. Perhaps dinners are easy, too, since you cook on the weekends for the week ahead. But lunches may have you scratching your head , as you decide what to pack, if you take a lunch, or where to pick up something not too heavy, something that won’t have you napping in the early afternoon. If you are in the habit of buying lunches out, you may fall into the trap of eating too much in volume and not enough in quality. Continue reading
Most people grow up eating Chinese food (well, American Chinese food) in restaurants with their families or as takeout. Oh, those adorable white paper buckets! My family ate canned chow mein noodles with canned “chop suey” and that was some exotic stuff on the home front. My introduction to restaurant quality Chinese food came late in my college years, when my pals and I explored the DC suburbs in search of cheap eats.
Quinoa makes a great substitute for couscous.
Some years back I was gifted with one of the first Crockpot cookbooks, a used version which, by the looks of the dogeared pages, was at one time much loved. This was before I even had a slow cooker. After awhile I sent it to the thrift store, since so many of the recipes involved opening cans of condensed soups or packs of spice mixes. The food snob in me declared this was most certainly not cooking. On the contrary, it was dumping fake ingredients into a machine and waiting for the results. A mix of foods and non-foods which eventually would resemble food.
February is the month for citrus. Fragrant chubby orbs of red and pink grapefruit, knobby headed tangelos, munchkin clementines, glossy Meyer lemons and vivid cara cara oranges – I love them all, and love to feature them on menus for The Good Eats Company.
Judging by the proliferation of chocolate and salt pairings on menus for both sweet and savory (salted mocha coffee drinks, chocolate cocktails rimmed with salt, beef dishes braised with chocolate and, of course, chocolate desserts sprinkled with flecks of sea salt), I’d say it’s now safe to admit you like a little salty with your sweet.
Last weekend Richmond enjoyed the first snow day of winter. The silence was magical and holiday decorations still up were given the seal of authenticity with caps of fluffy snow and dangling icicles. Snowmen appeared as kids and grownups alike frolicked in yards and parks. Snow ice cream recipes were traded and the desserts were devoured and pronounced the best ever because it was so very cold. Continue reading
After all that holiday creaminess, all that sweetness, all that indulgence, I’ll bet you have vowed to eat more salads in the coming new year. Salads are the perfect meal for improvisation, whether you are cleaning the fridge or cleaning the cabinets – think olives, dried fruits, bits of cheese, toasted nuts and seeds – and they deserve the best dressings. And the very best dressings are the ones you make at home. Continue reading
As a winter person, I realize I am in the minority. Sure, palm trees and sandy beaches are lovely to behold, but give me a winter sunset with crimson and lavender streaks against the silhouettes of bare trees any day. Iced tea for warmer months and a hot steaming mug of chai in colder months, with ice cream never, ever going out of season. Yep, bringing the seasons in harmony means inspiration for another homemade ice cream recipe.
Forget everything you ever heard or read about moonshine. Forget the still-in-the-woods scenario, the comical backwoods fellers trying to stay one step ahead of the revenuers (think Andy of Mayberry), the shadowy figures skulking around parking lots peddling their hootch.