Summer Salad with Pickled Figs, Farro, Nuts and Seeds People are pickling – and it’s not just cucumbers. I’ve seen pickled seeds, fruits and all kinds of vegetables. It goes hand-in-hand with taste trends leaning to bolder, sour, sweet and spicy combos. It’s nothing new. My great-grandma pickled out of necessity, to preserve the summer […]
Cooking – Whose Got Time for That?
August 27, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Salmon Salad for Summer It’s no secret. I love to cook. But like most people, I don’t always have time for it. The popularity of processed food is evidence that many struggle with getting a home-cooked meal on the table. Half of Americans say they value processed foods because they’re convenient, stay fresh longer and […]
Celebrate Watermelon Day
August 3, 2016 by Leave a Comment
California Fig, Feta and Watermelon Salad Today, August 3, is Watermelon Day. Good timing. There’s nothing more refreshing on a scorching August day than biting into a wedge of watermelon and letting those juices dribble down your chin. No wonder watermelon is so satisfying – it contains 92% water. But it offers more than hydration. […]
Addicted to Salad
May 27, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Emerald Salad I’m addicted to salad and I’m in good company – so is the much lauded author of the encyclopedic tome The Food Lab, Better Home Cooking Through Science, J. Kenji Lópes-Alt. (The book recently won a James Beard Award.) Here’s how he launches the salad chapter “I have something to admit: I’m ADDICTED […]
Pounds and Pounds of Produce – A Visit to Kruger Pepper Farm
September 10, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Sicilian Caponata This year, instead of being jealous of the people who rave about their extraordinary harvest of tomatoes, peppers and the like, I made a 2 1/2 hour road trip to the Kruger Pepper Farm in Wapato, Washington, a candy store for cooks who are not serious gardeners. Thanks to my husband’s Italian heritage […]
A New Vegetable?
March 9, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Try a Broccoli Leaf Pizza A label in the produce aisle caught my eye, “Brocco’Leaf ™- Amazing Superfood.” I grabbed a bunch. Was this a great marketing pitch or a new vegetable? A little research revealed that what resembled collard greens were mature leaves of the broccoli plant. The Nunes Company trademarked the name Brocco’Leaf […]
Fill Your Plate with Red and Green
December 18, 2014 by 1 Comment
Double Pomegranate Salad with Shaved Brussels Sprouts and Walnuts Look around – December colors are red and green. We decorate our houses, inside and out with shades of these colors, and they dominate party attire at holiday gatherings. With this salad you can take red and green to your holiday table. Salad is essential to […]
Peak-Season Pears
October 25, 2014 by 1 Comment
Northwest Pear Pistachio Salad Dressing & Spicy Roasted Pears The season for garden-fresh tomatoes is behind us, opening a door for other ways to make salads shine. Inspiration came with autumn’s offering of Northwest pears and a recipe for Pear Vinaigrette from my friend Braiden Rex-Johnson’s book Inside the Pike Place Market, Sasquatch Books, […]
Nutty for Nuts
March 4, 2014 by 1 Comment
Almond Orange-Ginger Dressing How often do you crave a food that is is good for you? Lucky me – I love nuts. I inherited this passion from my father. A little bowl of Spanish red-skinned peanuts appeared every evening at cocktail hour along with a martini, Manhattan or summertime gin and tonic. […]
No-Recipe Summer Eating
August 16, 2013 by 3 Comments
Strawberry Salad with Crumbled Gorgonzola and Pistachios A surfeit of strawberries and a beautifully hot, summer day led to a craving for a classic – strawberry salad. Warm summer evenings call for no-oven, no-stove and no-recipe dishes that you can assemble while a lean entrée is sizzling on the grill. A salad […]
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