Cabbage and carrots. That's what I was presented with one day last week after driving my kids to and from activities all morning. I hadn't had a chance to eat lunch and was pretty much starving by the time I arrived home. In fact, on my return ride, I was concocting what I may be able to create ...
Just Peachy
Jackie had just returned from nearly three weeks away when she texted me --“Want to hang out and cook something today?” It was a muggy Monday, and I was dragging a bit, still hoping to come up with something to do with the kids. “Sure,” I said, “but there’s a catch -- we have to use peaches since ...
Summer Stories
Summer is a funny time in the kitchen, always crowded and crazy. As friends come and go on vacation, the kitchen becomes a place to catch up while cooking something quick. It’s Grand Central terminal, where friends connect, often briefly, before moving on to someplace else. This week, I got to cook ...
It's Sauce Making Time
The tomatoes here in New Jersey are better than they’ve been in years. I’m getting 5 pounds of firm and beautiful organic beefsteaks this year with my CSA share instead of the measly ½ pound like last year. I guess the lack of rain and abundance of sun (which has left my front yard a burnt out ...
Muffin Monday
I look forward to those overcast summer days, when the sun isn’t shining or it’s supposed to rain. It’s an excuse to stay indoors, cooking and spending time with a friend. With day trips to the beach or lake, or afternoons at the pool, our summer life can get a bit busy. Cooking dates need to be ...
Rainbow Quesadillas
These farm fresh vegetarian quesadillas are filled with a rainbow of summer vegetables. Serve them as an appetizer at a backyard barbeque with some homemade guacamole, or have them as a main meal for a weekday dinner. Recipe source:Cooking With Friends KitchenIngredients1 yellow pepper, sliced into ...
Food Conversations
Whether I’m catching up curbside with a neighbor or fielding text messages from friends, one of the pleasures of being a known food nut is hearing the day-to-day cooking stories and anxieties of those around me. My association with food and the comfort of cooking with friends and neighbors makes me ...
The Tables were Turned
Six courses, each one farm fresh, carefully prepared and creatively plated. It was a sit down Friday evening dinner for six but the tables were turned-- I wasn’t sitting with the company but instead, I was cooking, serving and clearing. For the third year in a row, my friend and cooking compatriot ...
Two friends and a pile of veggies
Two pots of water were set to boil on the stove as Debbie was leaving to pick up our CSA vegetable shares. The plan was this: While she” hunted and gathered”, I would begin the prep work for our salad making. By the time she arrived thirty minutes later with two enormous bags of fruits and ...
Musings of a Jet Lagged Mom
With my first sip of very strong coffee (at 4:45 am!), after being woken by a very time confused and jet lagged five-year old, I am abruptly brought back from my time away. Friends have been calling and e-mailing their “welcome backs” and wondering if I am happy to be home. Well, yes and no. For ...