Harvesting the Artichoke
I pass by artichokes at the market, gazing at them, deciding if I want to take them on. They’re really not that much work but I can get lazy when it comes to artichokes. This past weekend I was at a friend’s dinner where Sicilian Chef Joe from Reno made fried artichoke hearts. They were [...]
Zucchini Parmesan Bread
Here we are in July, and it feels like spring outside–low 80s, a light breeze, and tomato plants just starting to flower. Despite the lack of tomatoes, there are some plants in the garden that love this weird summer weather and none more so than the zucchini. I’m only allowed to have one plant each [...]
Half Dried Tomatoes
Sitting at a cookbook swap last Saturday my friend Rick asked how you dry tomatoes. He was flipping through a book, which he held up pointing to a discussion of flavor comparisons and what happens when you dry a tomato. So what does happen? Do dried tomatoes taste better? The book, Devil in a Kitchen, [...]
Watermelon Popsicles
I grew up slurping Otter Pops and staining my tongue neon blue. These days, I’d rather color my lips with blueberries—especially frozen into an icy popsicle. I’ve had some of the best popsicles recently from FatFace, the genius gourmet treats from Jaymes Luu. She’s had a stand at the Davis Farmers’ Market for a few [...]
Pineapple Mango Chutney
Seems everyone is learning to make jam these days. I wasn’t one of the lucky ones growing up with a mom who canned everything so I taught myself (and continue to learn something new with every batch). My food preserving gears shifted last week when I decide to make a topping for a ham. I [...]
Making Minty Mojitos
At last–it’s warm outside again! I’ve been craving summer cocktails even though it hasn’t felt much like summer in the last month. So now that it’s finally heating up, I need to stock up on simple syrups. If you like to make cocktails, or even mocktails, simple syrup is a must-have ingredient. We use it [...]
Baking with Kids: Applesauce Muffins
I’ve been on a bit of a muffin kick lately, thanks to the weird weather. I suggested them in desperation one day when it was raining (again!) and we needed some warmth. Turns out, though, that muffins are great to bake with my daughter. She gets to stir, it’s an educational activity, and we both [...]
Blood, Bones & Butter
My birthday present to myself this year was a copy of Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef by recent James Beard award-winning chef Gabrielle Hamilton. Then my food-themed book group decided to read it for our next discussion. Problem was, I plowed through the story so quickly, it was a [...]
Asian Grilled Tofu
Sometimes I challenge myself to come up with dinners using only food in the house. Such was the case last night when I didn’t feel like going out after arriving home from a four-day trip. Having a winter into spring garden helps, as does a semi-stocked pantry. The resulting Asian flavored tofu and vegetable dish [...]
