Dillweed Forest
Because one lone plant was most prolific last summer, with Multiple blossomed whorls gone to vigorous seed, Because the winter was mild and the sprouts hardy A great patch of dillweed, tall and...
View Article(Surprisingly Wondrous) Zucchini Sauce, pasta, peppery watercress pesto
I wish that I had a clever name for this dish. Pasta with Zucchini Sauce seems rather lackluster, a ho-hum title that belies its subtle garden-green flavors, its whipped up creamy texture–with nary a...
View ArticleRay’s Beans, June 2012 edition
His knock at the door caught me by surprise–and yet it shouldn’t have. “Here they are,” neighbor Ray proffered a rumpled brown bag and shrugged. “I’m a little behind this year. I was so concerned with...
View ArticleButterstick Crudo
Cocozelle Zucchinis, Yellow Crooknecks, and now, Buttersticks. Thanks to our diligent garden, it’s been a squash-filled summer. Are you familiar with Butterstick Squash? New to our garden this year,...
View ArticleHoliday Sides: tweaking tradition
Acorn Squash Rings stuffed with Sorghum Apples and Pecans Yukon Gold-Sweet Potato Gratin There’s a thin line to walk at family holiday gatherings, where Traditions and The New intersect. Expectations...
View ArticleFrom (Under) an Escarole Leaf
On fleet and chilly foot, this year is surely making its exit. I trust that your holidays have been full of joy and camaraderie, and good food shared with those you love. Ours have been exceptional,...
View ArticleSweet Potato Trio
Longtime readers of this blog may recall me writing about my friend Gigi, her Wedgewood Urban Gardens, and our monthly collaborative efforts to host the Third Thursday Community Potluck. What started...
View ArticleCauliflower Love
Cauliflower Cauliflower Cauliflower Everywhere, Cauliflower. Lately this cruciferous vegetable, a beautiful mind, a compact head of rumbled white curd, has been The Thing The Veggie King ! Raw,...
View ArticleGarlic Scape Pesto, and first impressions of Rome
Overseas flights haven’t gotten any easier over time and experience. On our overnight to Rome I slept a little. But I was ill-prepared for the shock of day as we emerged out of straight-jacket seats,...
View ArticleSome of Dad’s Favorites
Bittersweet Chocolate Pudding with cocoa dusted whipped cream Maple-Mustard Glazed Salmon Steaks, roasted golden cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and sweet onions, scallion-jasmine rice Always start with...
View ArticleTomato Towers
We are blissfully in the thick, luscious thick of tomato season in Tennessee. At the farmers’ market, I am agog at the array of bushel baskets, heaped with Bradleys and Brandywines, Lemon Boys and...
View ArticleSummer’s End Vegetable Pot Pie
How has your summer been? It’s hard for me to accept that September is almost here, and the moments of leisure, like dips in the pool, are vanishing. As August wanes, I’m reminded that soon we will be...
View ArticleGrateful for Autumn Greens
Light. This is the challenge, this time of year. Daily, my work alternates from the kitchen to my home office perch; each space has walls of windows to keep me in tune with the rhythm of the day....
View ArticlePan-seared Potato Gnocchi with parsnips
In the case of potato gnocchi, I have felt like I’m on a quest for something elusive. Once, a long time ago at a restaurant that no longer exists, I had a sumptuous plate of hand-formed dumplings,...
View ArticleIndonesian Bami Goreng and a giveaway
Many years ago, I lived in Holland–a few months as an exchange student with a family, and the remaining time on my own. When I arrived in the country, I was an avowed picky eater. But that changed...
View ArticleFresh Starts: Sourdough and Spring
It is officially Spring, and I feel certain that most of you feel the same as I do—Bring It! This winter has felt long. Despite the emergence of hyacinths, daffodils, and profuse blooms on my weeping...
View ArticleSpring Supper: Fennel braised Pork, Beets-and-Blue Salad
One Sunday last spring when we were visiting our friends in Rome, we had the good fortune to accompany them on an outing to the small municipality, Pisoniano, a fifty minute drive east of the Eternal...
View ArticleLemon Lemon Lemon Chicken
One afternoon, on my way home from the food bank, I stopped by my friend Teresa’s house for a visit. Teresa is a food stylist and recipe tester, also author of the beauteous blog Food on Fifth. This...
View ArticleAsparagus Times Two
Some plants suffered mightily at the hands of this extreme winter. All over town, rosemary, the size of bushes, died in single digit freezes. Fig trees still look skeletal, no promise of buds yet. But...
View ArticleEbinger’s Legendary Blackout Cake
My cousin Cathy emailed me a few weeks ago, with a link to a story on NPR that stirred vivid memories for both of us. It told of a special dark dark chocolate cake that was the signature dessert of a...
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