My father was a very intuitive gardener and his home-grown vegetables were prize-winners. By early August, an abundance of plump, red tomatoes filled baskets that we handed out to relatives and friends. We ate lots of tomato salad and ratatouille, but sometimes we just sliced a sun-kissed, ripe tomato, seasoned it with salt and ate it sandwiched between two slices of fresh white bread slathered with Hellmann’s® mayo. No matter…
This morning when I stepped out of the house at 7:00 a.m. for my morning walk, there was a slight nip in the air. It isn’t sweater weather yet, but that thick, warm air that enveloped me every morning in the month of August has dissipated. The summer is shifting into fall mode. Purple plums and dusky concord grapes are peaking out from their baskets in the supermarket and I…
I’m not a coconut enthusiast and give most recipes that include coconut a quick pass. So how did I wind up with 4 cans of coconut milk in my pantry? I’m not really sure. However this recipe for coconut rice published by Tejal Rao in the New York Times makes milky, white, fluffy rice with just a hint of sweetness and no discernible coconut flavor. It’s as easy to make…
Tucked up safely in our warm beds, we were lulled to sleep by the nightly ululations of … coyotes. Living south of the 49th parallel, my previous encounters with wildlife included squirrels, chipmunks, raccoons and the occasional skunk, but no coyotes, unless you count Wile E. Coyote. Nourished by a steady diet of delectable leftovers from neighborhood organic bins, rodents and an occasional puppy, the coyotes took ownership of the…
I was recalled to work two weeks ago after being away because of Covid closures for just over a year. Delighted to be back at the library and using my cataloging smarts again, my new schedule did require some meal prep scheduling adjustments. When I saw this recipe for sheet pan chow mein by Hetty McKinnon, published in her latest cookbook, To Asia with Love, featured on Deb Perelman’s incomparable…
When my sister-in-law called me and asked if I had my mother’s recipe for Spanish rice, regrettably, I had to answer in the negative. Spanish rice holds very fond memories for our family. Consisting of long grain rice sautéed with onions, celery, and peppers and cooked with tomato sauce, this often requested side dish made regular appearances at Friday night dinners and other special occasion gatherings. I’m quite certain that…
My mother was way ahead of her time when it came to vegetables. Sitting on a chair in the kitchen, watching her clean and trim a head of cauliflower, I knew that if I waited patiently I would be offered a treat: a freshly sliced chunk of the core of the cauliflower, also known as the heart. Nutty and mildly sweet tasting with a satisfying crunch, the fact that it…
Have you noticed that the days are starting to get a little longer and the quality of light is just a little bit brighter? I’m feeling the imminent departure of winter, not that you’d know it from the temperature outside. This week I was very pleasantly surprised to find a kabocha squash, my favorite winter squash, at my local supermarket, despite the lateness of the season. I pounced on it…
My jaw dropped when my sister Sheryl reported that on a trip to the cottage last fall, she and her grown sons Kyle and Michael went foraging for wild mushrooms. “Weren’t you worried about accidentally picking a poison mushroom and dying?” I asked casually. The image in The Story of Babar of the old King of the Elephants eating a toxic mushroom, turning a sickly shade of green, and perishing,…
In this week’s Torah portion, Parshat Beshalach, Pharaoh has second thoughts about the Jewish people leaving Egypt and accompanied by an elite army, he chases them into the Red Sea. As the Jews cross the Sea on dry land, the pursuing Egyptians become mired in mud and drown in the returning waves. To commemorate this miracle, we are making Pharaoh farro with mushrooms, a rich and earthy, savory dish made…