kitchen adventures
As a solo diner, risotto has been a sure-fire restaurant pleasure. Yes, I know how to make risotto the classic way, ladling spoonfuls of hot broth into the rice and stirring, stirring, stirring all the time. And when I feel like doing that, with music playing and a glass of
It can be difficult to find a good side dish in a small version. It’s even harder to discover one that’s both tasty and simple to make. This summer squash with lemon, mint, and feta fits perfectly into my summer plans. It goes together quickly, can be made in the
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
Here’s a delicious beet salad with feta & walnuts: it uses summer produce along with easy to find ingredients. It can be made up to 2 days ahead of time, so plan your work to suit your schedule. It’s delicious, it’s easy to make, and it can be served either
When you think of potato salad, do you think of the typical mayonnaise-based same old stuff? If that doesn’t appeal, go Greek: try a potato salad without mayonnaise at all. This Greek potato salad is one of my secret weapons in the summertime: it’s simple to make, doesn’t heat up
My grandmother’s answer to hot summer weather was a cold supper, and it always included a potato salad. In general, I’m very much in favor of the cooking of grandmothers, but I’ve found that I prefer a lighter version. This recipe for a lemon dill potato salad is adapted from
During the Midwest summer, it’s generally hot and often humid. I simplify my cooking in the hot weather: big salads, piles of corn on the cob, bowls of cool fruit, grilled meats. I’m a big fan of lazy summer cooking. Sometimes we’ll get a burst of cooler air, and for
Old kitchen wisdom: “If it grows together, it goes together.” This potato, tomato, and squash tian – a Provençal dish – is a very tasty example, using the super fresh vegetables of summer. A tian is both a food and the vessel it’s cooked in: either a dish of vegetables baked together,
I’ve been meaning to write about making ratatouille for a few weeks now. I don’t mean the beautiful baked version from the cartoon movie – wonderful though that is, it’s not the one I make every year, late in tomato season, when all the ingredients are ready fresh from the
Ah, wintertime in the Great Lakes – nothing much is growing here except the icicles hanging from the eaves. On gloomy days, there’s nothing better than a taste of summer. If you canned or froze produce, terrific. But what if you did not? Extra baked tomatoes are the answer. Extra
I know that many people think that cream and mushroom soup, and fried onions from a can, make a great casserole. And maybe they’re right, but it’s not the right size for a serves two feast! I adapted this from Alton Brown and from Smitten Kitchen, to whom I am
After what seemed like an eternity of 95+ degree weather, when the high temperature dropped into the 70s, it felt quite cool! That was when I felt like using my oven again. These were everything that mushrooms should be – fragrant, delicious, sizzling – and then, alas, they were gone.
I’m Maurita Plouff, and I write about cooking and preserving the local harvest in Southeast Michigan. Any recipe you find here is something I have cooked myself, and enjoyed, and think you might like too. I invite you to try the recipes, and leave comments.