Fermentation – the new buzzword in healthful eating. You might be wondering why pungent foods like kimchi, yogurt, kefir, kombucha & sauerkraut are so great for you. Well, foods that undergo natural fermentation (as opposed to pickling) develop beneficial probiotics which are essential to gut health. Natural fermentation is an age-old process that boosts the
Apparently, I’m on a potato kick…as evidenced by two potato recipes two weeks in a row (see last week’s Dutchess Potato recipe)! Being an Idahoan I gotta love my spuds!! The best part is that there are endless ways to cook potatoes. You know…Po-tay-toes! Boil ’em, mash ’em, stick ’em in a stew! Salt crusted, however, is a
Until recently, I had never heard of Dutchess Potatoes. Certainly, my loss! These delightful mounds of potato goodness are delish to eat, festive to serve, oh so gorgeous to look at & not really all that hard to make! What a welcome surprise to my food repertoire. But even more of a surprise is its
It’s Meyer lemon season!! I’ve heard about Meyer lemons for years…but have never actually cooked with one…until the other day! Interestingly, Meyer lemons are not really lemons – they are a cross between a citron & a mandarin orange/pomelo hybrid. Why are they so special (they can cost 2-3x as much as regular lemons)? Because
A big pot of supremely well-seasoned spicy black beans is a game changer. Not only are they delish all by their onesies, but they will easily become the foundation of any number of quick dinners – chili, soup, burritos and/or Mexi scrambled eggs. Note that this recipe does require an overnight soak on your beans…so
As the weather cools down, don’t you start craving comfort food? You know…the kind of food that fills you up, sticks to your bones & is all warm, toasty & melty??!! I know I sure do! And these yummy Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas totally fit the bill. Oh…they have an added bonus too –
How has it been that, until now, I’ve never eaten or made gazpacho? For some reason the thought of a cold veggie soup just didn’t sound good. But boy, have I missed out!! I made gazpacho for the soup course in my folk’s 10-course anniversary dinner…and I am a convert! It was delish – especially
Over the weekend I made a 10-course French dinner for my folks’ 60th wedding anniversary. I love doing big formal dinners. I love finding a theme, planning the decorations, searching for recipes…and of course, the cooking! Three days in the kitchen is totally my happy place! 🙂 An unexpected big hit of the party was
I’m a West Coast gal through and through. I love fish tacos (my recipe here), chipotle everything & clam chowder in sourdough bread bowls (here’s my recipe). But…Southerners do have it right when it comes to collard greens. Here’s a great recipe that doesn’t require hours of cooking with ham hocks to make it tasty. And,
Recently a friend gave me some fresh rhubarb from her garden…and I was in heaven! I LOVE rhubarb…particularly strawberry-rhubarb pie! But the pie would have to wait. My immediate goal was to make a sugar-free rhubarb sauce that could be served alongside the baked salmon I was having for dinner. After looking at a few