kitchen adventures
Soup with garlic scapes? Of course! You can make a lovely soup that features garlic scapes and green garlic. This makes a delicate soup that’s unexpectedly mild, and reminiscent of a creamy asparagus soup. Don’t be afraid of the scapes! Garlic scapes are only available for a week or two […]
When you have good ingredients, you can make good things. When you have great ingredients, you can produce great things. This creamy fresh asparagus soup is one of the best things that’s come from my kitchen in recent weeks. It’s been a long cool spring, and the asparagus crop here in SE […]
This quick arugula couscous salad is great on its own, and also provides a sort of blueprint for a summer of good eating. First, let me describe how I make this simple grains-and-greens salad, and then I’ll list some variations. start with the couscous In a small saucepan, bring salted water […]
Do you grow chives? If you have a bit of garden, chives are one of the easiest herbs to grow, and one of the first to come up in the spring. In my garden plot, I’ll see them first appear in early May, Just about the time I’m longing for something fresh and green, I […]
Whole wheat blondies are a simple to make, needing no mixer: only a bowl and a spoon. I like to melt the butter right in the mixing bowl (it fits in the microwave). Might as well save on dishes, right? They are also fairly quick: from getting out the ingredients […]
Are you staying safe at home? We are under Stay At Home orders (see news of novel coronavirus), and we’re not going out to the shops. There are a lot of us in this situation, so I thought I’d talk about cooking from the pantry. What does your pantry cupboard […]
I get it, really I do: we’re busy. We’ve just survived September, which for families with kids often means getting used to new schedules, new carpooling arrangements, and new homework struggles. The weather is changing, too: crisp and chilly one day and hot the next. It’s hard to plan ahead […]
It’s a constant challenge for the home cook: making supper with what you happen to have in the house. This quick baked apricot orange glazed chicken uses the end of a jar of jam, vinegar, and orange juice to create a first-rate dinner, all within about half an hour. It’s flexible, […]
Do you love oatmeal? Do you love bread? Try this leftover oatmeal bread, which is the best way I know of to use up the last bits of oatmeal from a cold-weather family breakfast. This is actually a very flexible recipe – use whatever amount of oatmeal you have, and […]
Tomato gratin is an old-fashioned dish – why was this ever forgotten? It can make even supermarket tomatoes taste good, but when made with dead-ripe garden tomatoes, it’s sublime. Layers of garlicky toasted bread crumbs absorb juice and provide a nice crunch. This is an unapologetically summer dish, as it […]
Let’s talk about comfort food – the stuff that you turn to when you’re dead tired, hungry and cranky. You want a one-pot meal, something that is simple and quick to put together. I’ve got just the dish. This is gyudon, which is short for gyuniku donburi, or Japanese beef bowl […]
Best-ever cheese muffins? Really? Yes, really. I don’t use the term “Best Ever” lightly. These are, truly, the best cheese muffins I’ve ever made. They’re quick, dependable, and gloriously cheesy. They go well with soups or stews, work as a standalone snack, or make an irresistible breakfast. I usually make these muffins with a bowl, […]