When apples are paired with meats, the usual suspects are pork and chicken. Rarely does one think of apple and beef. I hope to alter that perception with a spice rubbed grilled flat iron steak accompanied by a refreshing citrus kissed apple salsa.
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.
Sometimes I think proponents of the Paleo Diet are on to something. These folks eat the way our hunter-gatherer ancestors purportedly did, grain and dairy free, with a diet mostly composed of animals proteins, vegetables and fruits. There is no sugar, and therefore no wine or alcohol, and no legumes, thus no beans, lentils or peanuts. Bummer. I am simplifying things a bit, but if you want a good read, Wikipedia is a good place to start. Also no coffee. Double bummer.
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 you are given a gift of late season tomatoes, you have only two choices; you can eat them all right away, or make them last longer by preserving them for later enjoyment.
Ever had a baby carrot? Not the baby cut carrots wrapped in cellophane at your grocery store, but a real baby carrot, just pulled from the earth. Last weekend at the Lakeside Farmer’s Market, I noticed that Walnut Hill Farm had a feathery pile of brilliant orange baby carrots arranged on a wooden table, and the dreary, drizzly morning brightened considerably.
The fresh local strawberries from Agriberry at the South of the James Farmer’s Market presented me with a problem : eat them all up until they are gone, really gone, or make a tasty cocktail mix with cilantro and fresh lime juice? I simply had to taste one, just one, and then another, and then…there were none left to make my spring beverage. So it’s a good thing Little House Green Grocery carries Agriberry’s strawberries, because my plan would have been foiled, as the market only comes around once a week and I had to strike while the berries are at their seasonal peak.
Being a fan of all things winter, I must be dragged kicking and hollering into the freshness of spring. I got my wish for one last snow in Richmond March 24. Like most southern snowfalls, it arrived magically and left town abruptly, leaving traces here and there and front yard snowmen with collapsed torsos and lumpen, tiny heads.