kitchen adventures
It could have been worse. Maybe I’m looking for a silver lining, but on balance, I’d say it wasn’t a disaster. We were without power for 42 hours, and while the cleanup wasn’t exactly fun, it wasn’t too bad. Here’s what the freezer compartment of my side-by-side looks like now. I […]
Yep, that’s my house, right there: the power’s out, leaving me with a full fridge and freezer of questionable contents. I’m writing this from a local tea and coffee shop, where they kindly permit me to re-charge my electronic gizmos. I figure this is a great time to talk about power failures […]
Why make caramelized onions in a slow cooker when it takes so long? Well, have you ever caramelized onions on the stovetop? First you melt butter in a big heavy pan, then you add a bunch of onions, and stand there, stirring and cooking, for an hour or more. Stand […]
No rain today – at least, none this afternoon, and I barely got my toes wet fetching the CSA box. We have the first hints of the fall produce: a lovely orange winter squash. There are also basil, broccoli rabe, slender little green beans, slicing and cherry tomatoes, arugula, red onions, […]
Rustic is such a helpful word. Much of what I do in the kitchen is rustic: that is, homely, simple, cheerfully imperfect. I make rustic tarts because they’re quick, easy, and delicious, and because they don’t have to be neat and tidy. They have all the goodness of a fancy […]
Some folks say that lemon is the best flavor for dessert, especially in the summer. I adore lemon meringue pie but rarely bake it myself. When a friend let me know about a lemon pie sensation I just had to try, I leapt at the chance. Sharyl, you were so right! Bill Smith, chef at […]
What is it with rain every Tuesday? I got today’s basket under cover just in time; the rain was sudden and strong. No matter! This week I have an abundance of jalapeño peppers, along with tomatoes, cucumbers, Swiss chard, kale, lovely little red cabbages, oregano, basil, and cranberry beans in their pods. […]
Canning alert: changes for lids!! I first learned about this by reading Theresa Loe’s blog at livinghomegrown.com: the Jarden Company, who make lids for Ball canning jars, advise new procedures for using canning lids. It has to do with the red gasket on the inside of the lid. As of 2013, lids are made without BPA and are labeled […]
I beat the rain today for my City Commons pickup – hooray for staying dry. This is week 10, which is the midpoint of the CSA season. This week’s box included basil and chives, carrots, cucumbers, both slicing and cherry tomatoes, varicolored beans, jalapeño peppers, and garlic. It almost seems a shame […]
Tangy and sweet, bread & butter pickles are an old-fashioned favorite best made with largish (4 inches or so) pickling (Kirby) cucumbers. If these are not available, use regular cucumbers of the smallest size you can find: you want a cucumber with the fewest seeds possible. It’s been a cool […]
How long has it been since you had a homemade biscuit? Maybe your grandmother made ’em and served them with honey butter or jam? Now you can make ’em too, and they’re EASY! Really and truly, they’re not hard at all: and they’re quick, too. Easiest Biscuits Ever makes 12 biscuits 2 cups […]
Yep, we had us some rain: “drenched” doesn’t even begin to describe it. The photo above shows a freeway intersection right near my house with about 15 feet of water under the overpass. We had word from our plucky farmers at City Commons. It was too rainy to harvest on Monday, but they were […]