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 ...
Kitchen Chronicles
What Looks Good in the Garden
Over the past few weeks we've been lucky to have a steady stream of friends and relatives visiting from New Jersey, Denver, Washington, D.C., and Phoenix. When dinnertime rolls around, as some of us are cooking in the kitchen, we send others out back to the garden with the question: "What looks good ...
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 ...
Green Chiles and Green Bay Chili
After living in eight states from Colorado to Wisconsin to Massachusetts throughout my life, I've always found that each place has its own surprising and particular foods and ways of eating. I'd never had Green Hatch Chiles before living in Denver, or Fish Fry Friday with Walleye before coming to ...
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 ...
Summertime Drinks
In so many of our gatherings with friends lately, summertime drinks have set the stage, offering a cool, colorful beginning to an event or dinner. We've enjoyed Fruity Sangria at a big block party, Whisky Sours on a rooftop celebration, and Dark-N-Stormys in our backyard before going out. We've ...
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 ...
Pre-Theatre Dinner In the Woods
There were four of us in charge of the pre-theatre dinner in various degrees. We were set to see a 1930s take on Shakespeare's "As You Like It" on the outdoor stage at American Players Theatre in Spring Green, WI. It was a gorgeous night, full of fireflies and welcome breezes in the heat. As we ...
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 ...
Notes from Our Farmer
Every Thursday morning during the summer, I get an e-mail note from Blue, our farmer who grows the vegetables for the CSA share we get that day. His notes have a straight to the point section:"In today's box" so we can think a bit ahead of time for the night's dinner. But they also have his ...