herbed mushroom spread with Bonnyclabber Cheese‘s “Cendre” grapevine ash coated fresh goat cheese, caper berry and pink peppercorn
When I have a taste for snacks, I think spreads, dips and what Sheila Lukins, the late, great cookbook author of The Silver Palate series, refers to as “slathers”, as in something savory you can generously slather onto flatbread, croutons or thin slices of English cucumber.
Pity the poor rutabaga. Mislabeled, misunderstood, underused and unappreciated. Somewhat hesitant to list rutabaga as a solo agent on the menus of The Good Eats Company, I include it in, for examples, a creamy colorful root vegetable soup, and white balsamic glazed root vegetables. Folks ask me what rutabaga tastes like, and I answer, for lack of better comparison, that it tastes like a cross between carrot and turnip. But dear rutabaga is so much more than this simplistic description! Carrot haters and turnip despisers may remember childhood battles at the dinner table, bargains struck with parents offering vegetables in earnest, and rejection in the form of a tiny mouth set in a grim line and the Word : “NO”. And so my answer seems less than adequate.
Childhood memory : grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup. Very likely this comfort meal was prepared with processed yellow cheese on white bread and canned condensed tomato soup. Now that you are a grownup, officially, you may crave a more adult version of this perfect meal for a chilly winter’s day.
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
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
There is nothing more satisfying than eating a meal that sticks with you for hours and makes you feel just right : invigorated and not drowsy, satiated and not bloated, comforted, yet knowing you have eaten your carbs virtuously. Today’s vegan meal is brain food. High protein black lentils and red quinoa, paired with the antioxidant power of cashews and dried cranberries, plus the beta-carotene of kabocha squash, et voila! Food for the brain, and the hungry belly. Sure, it all sounds healthy, but what you really want to know is…does it taste good? The answer is a resounding yes. Chewed thoughtfully (this meal cannot be fully appreciated on the run, as both lentils and quinoa require some jaw power) with a wispy side salad and your favorite beverage, this dish satisfies and uplifts the spirit. I call this dinner, but you may offer it up as a filling side dish; it would be welcome at any dinner or brunch buffet, enjoyed by diners of any persuasion.
lemon caper caesar dressing
Folks are deeply into New Year’s resolution mode : salad green mixes are flying off the shelves and merchants cannot keep up with the demand. So. You have resolved to eat more salads and fewer French fries. And what are you putting on your colorful, crunchy salads? How about propylene glycol alginate, high fructose corn syrup, sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate? Not quite what you had in mind when you signed up for better health in 2013, huh? I thought so. These keep your commercial salad dressings shelf-worthy, but who knows what they do to our bodies, our temples. I would love to convince you that making your own salad dressing is easy, cost effective and a healthier choice overall.
When winter’s chill is in the air, your fireside alcoholic beverage of choice may be hot cocoa with a splash of Kahlua, mulled wine or hot spiced apple cider with a splash of rum. I love to warm up with a hot drink but a chilled, tart and not-too-sweet cocktail hits the spot and whets my appetite for the piping hot dinner feast to come. My favorite beverages live among the innovative cocktail offerings of Acacia Mid-town here in Richmond, Virginia. Alas, evenings out on the town are limited, so if I have a hankering for a cocktail the mixologist must be me, or perhaps my neighbor Janie, who makes fabulous themed cocktails for dinner gatherings with friends. For this autumn’s outdoor viewing of the film noir classic Gun Crazy, Janie prepared sidecars, the vintage mixed drink, authentic and refreshing, with her usual verve and enthusiasm.
Alfredo Neuman has merry eyes and a kind smile. He spends his retirement as a beekeeper, maintaining at least 120 hives on the grounds of Brookview Farm in bucolic Manakin-Sabot, Virginia. Alfredo and his wife Barbara operate Alfredo’s Beehive at the well-attended South of the James Market in Forest Hill Park (now at Patrick Henry School for the winter term). This is a man who loves his work. Born and raised in Colombia, South America, Alfredo honors his late brother by practicing the art of apiary science. He offers a number of products and gives samples of two types of honey : clover, from nectar gathered in spring, and wildflower, a rich dark amber liquid from summer blooms at Brookview Farm and environs. This latter honey, pictured and used in today’s recipe, is exceptionally fragrant and rich tasting. Alfredo’s honey may also be purchased online or at Good Foods Grocery here in Richmond.
