We’ve had a good run with stone fruits in Virginia this summer. The white and yellow peaches have been outstanding, softly perfumed and ripe for eating straight from the farm stands. All colors and shapes of plums have tempted me with their beauty, but my favorite stone fruit was the squatty yellow donut peach, with its adherent stone and dense, sweet flesh. Continue reading
When fresh corn season winds down, I am scrambling to think of ways to enjoy these precious kernels before they disappear. Simple, of course, is always best, as in boiled, salted and buttered.
This year I have an abundance of fresh herbs, a yield so plentiful that I am giddy with the possibility of adding them to nearly everything I cook. Lately I have been on a thick and creamy salad dressing kick, or craving thick and chunky like the tomato basil white wine vinaigrette on The Good Eats Company menu. When you have tasted homemade creamy herbed salad dressing, you will never again stroll the grocery aisle for something gloppy with fillers and false flavors.
The ideal scenario for summer outdoor dining and entertaining may be summed up in several steps. Throw something on the grill. Steam some ears of local corn (or grill them, as in grilled corn and sugar snap pea salad). Toss a simple salad. Serve something chilly for dessert – ice cream, gelato or sorbet.
Two very important words : local, and asparagus. Placed together, an item that is at the top of your farmer’s market shopping list. You must enjoy local asparagus during its short run at the markets, because the taste, and the color, and the texture is superior to any asparagus purchased at your grocer’s. Unless, of course, your neighborhood grocer carries local.
After you’ve carved the Easter ham to your satisfaction, you’re likely to have some tasty leftovers. One can only eat so many sliced ham sandwiches, so I’m offering a spicy ham spread that’s nothing like the canned versions you had in your formative years.
The holiday season is here and we need quick and easy snacks for entertaining that can be made ahead, ideal for guests dropping by for a little holiday visit. Two operative words here are quick and easy. For these smoky roasted nuts , add two more words : delicious, and versatile.
My smoky rosemary roasted pecans are an ideal accompaniment to wine, cocktails and non-alcoholic beverages. They elevate the most simple salad to exalted status when scattered atop dressed greens. Have homemade vinaigrette on hand for the healthiest salads. Use these nuts to gussy up substantial salads, too.
Chopped, they give the wow factor to dips and spreads when mixed into whipped cream cheese and sour cream. Envision these nuts folded into a stuffing for roasted pork loin or seared chicken breasts. Pureed soups will appear ready for their photo shoot with an artful drizzle of creme fraiche and a few roasted pecans.
Make these nuts up to a month ahead and store tightly covered at room temperature in a cool spot. Package them in pretty holiday tins or jars and give some homemade kitchen love.
recipe by Michele Humlan, The Good Eats Company 
makes two cups
ingredients
2 cups pecan halves
1 ½ tablespoons melted unsalted butter
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
½ teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt – I like La Baleine
directions
When lifelong Virginians Rona and Tim Sullivan left city life behind in 1998, their goal was to live close to the land and enjoy a natural existence farming goats and chickens. Relocating to Virginia’s bucolic Middle Peninsula, an historic area rimmed with picturesque creek and river views, they eventually settled on a farm in Wake with rolling hills and big sky.
Tomato season is winding down in Virginia. Time to enjoy the last of these fruits of summer, fresh in salads and salsas or preserved with canning and slow roasting. I like to make my green tomato chutney which carries me through to next summer.
The day began with breakfast tostadas and ended with Italian sausage baguettes with caramelized onion and lemon tahini sauce, tomato orange soup and a simple, colorful salad of red cabbage, asparagus and carrot. The afternoon was spent touring Harmony Hill Farm in nearby Glen Allen, Virginia, the source of my breakfast eggs and dinner sausage.