‘Twas the night before Thanksgiving and nothing is stirring in my kitchen! Time to make some spiced fig jam! This year it is my little brother’s turn having the honor of cooking dinner and he is not letting anyone bring anything! I’m certainly good with that! While others have been preparing all week, I’ve been […]
Get what do YOU want for Christmas?
Christmas gift giving in my family is an elaborate dance that culminates in just about everyone getting what they wanted (more or less) while still managing to act completely surprised when opening gifts. There are very few actual surprises which is either good or bad depending on your point of view. We all employ our […]
November 7, 2009 by Leave a Comment
Tuscan Pumpkin and White Bean Soup My Unsweet Truth about Pumpkin Pie
If I am to be honest here I must admit something. I don’t really like pumpkin pie. Never really have. Oh, I eat it when it has been lovingly prepared for a holiday feast because I do appreciate the tradition itself and while I don’t really like pumpkin pie, I don’t really hate it either. […]
November 5, 2009 by Leave a Comment
Pepper Jelly: Holiday Gift Collective Item # 1
I don’t really know why the memory of my grandmother’s Pepper Jelly popped into my head a month or so. Just about every year she would make several batches of both the red and the green versions. She’d can them using the old style paraffin wax method of canning which I’ve never trusted but which […]
November 1, 2009 by 5 Comments
Its Time to Think About Christmas!
Get the Christmas Countdown Clock widget and many other great free widgets at Widgetbox! Not seeing a widget? (More info) Please don’t throw things at me for putting it out there! You know I’m right. If there is any time of year that can benefit with just a tiny bit of planning it is […]
October 11, 2009 by Leave a Comment
Anatomy of a Dinner Party: The Main Course
To my way of thinking there is no better dish to have in your arsenal than roasted rack of lamb. Its the complete foolproof ease with which it can be prepared and the instant cache it adds to the occasion you serve it make the extra expense completely worth it. One rack makes an elegant […]
October 10, 2009 by 2 Comments
Taking a CSA Break But Still Cooking Organic!
Yesterday was the last basket of my current CSA share commitment. 14 weeks since the first basket arrived! It was my intention to switch our ‘subscription’ to an every OTHER week program to reduce the pressure of using all the produce in one week, be a bit more pragmatic with the expense, and still carry […]
October 9, 2009 by Leave a Comment
Vegetable Tian: Anatomy of a Dinner Party: Buffet for 12
The Side Dishes: Vegetable Tian & Corn Pudding My blog vacation now comes to an end. “He just started! He took a vacation!?” My office sent me overseas for a bit. Who was I to say ‘no’? Upon my return my husband and I celebrated our first legal wedding anniversary with an out of town […]
October 8, 2009 by 3 Comments
Catching the Google Wave
Thanks to my friend Dan I received an invitation to try out Google’s Wave. I blogged here about it earlier and linked to a video that explained what this new communication medium is about. It was pretty long but quite fascinating to geeks like me. Check out this much simpler version that explains the most […]
October 2, 2009 by Leave a Comment
Tomato Tart Redeux. (This time we have a winner!)
All those summer cocktails have me a bit flushed so I thought I would share a light lunch or dinner recipe that uses up any of those beefy, homegrown tomatoes you might have sitting around. I wasn’t very happy with my last try at a tomato tart. Oh sure, it fit the bill. It was […]
September 28, 2009 by 2 Comments
Blogophrenia.
When I set up this blog, I also set up a blog for my office CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) project. While it isn’t that much harder to set up two blogs than it is to set up one blog, it is MUCH harder to contribute to two blogs than it is to one! One Box […]
September 28, 2009 by Leave a Comment
What is That? A French Breakfast Radish!
Another new item in the box this week: The French Breakfast Radish. How did I know that you might ask? My friend Cindy blogged about them not that long ago and how she had made Bon Appetit‘s Green Bean Salad with Radishes and Prosciutto. I will definitely be making this before the weekend! I don’t […]
September 10, 2009 by Leave a Comment
Cooking for This Week
When you saw that last post were you wondering what he made with dandelion greens and ice berg lettuce? I’m in a good groove now with what has been coming in the rest of the box. This week I made more pesto and froze my mint according to Gillian’s instructions. Lettuce Wraps! I always love […]
September 6, 2009 by Leave a Comment
Make Sauce!
Tonight is CSA Basket Eve and there were a LOT of tomatoes, basil. mushrooms and other assorted veggies in the crisper that didn’t get used this week. Tomorrow another CSA box will be delivered so I had to do something. With the house to myself for a few hours the evening was all clear to […]
September 2, 2009 by Leave a Comment
Rediscovering Gin: Summer Cocktail Series
Summer is nearly over and for me it is has been a summer to rediscover the refreshing delights of gin. Gin was actually the first hard liquor I ‘learned’ to drink and the gin and tonic became my drink of choice. It was my WASPy birthright I suppose and also my grandmother’s preferred mix drink […]
August 29, 2009 by 3 Comments
