presto it’s pesto

You need to make dinner fast. Pesto to the rescue. There’s no cooking involved. A few ingredients can help you get a good dinner on the table any night of the week. Basil, olive oil, pine nuts, and cheese. This is the time of year fresh basil is right outside the kitchen door. In Trapani, … Continue reading

5 ways to save money on organic food

Participants of the 2013 blogathon, over at Michelle Rafter’s site at Word Count, are guest posting today, June 12, 2013, on each other’s blogs. Today’s guest post is from Leah Ingram, founder of the wonderful blog, Suddenly Frugal, at http://www.suddenlyfrugal.com/. Head over and check it out. It’s packed with great money-saving tips you can use every … Continue reading

the unbelievable “un-pizza”

George Carlin had this to say about the tomato. “Something has gone afoul inside of a tomato. . ……. It doesn’t look like it’s finished. . . It looks like it’s in the larval stage or something.” The tomato can be a dividing line for people. There are different varieties of tomatoes. They come in … Continue reading

a little pie for dessert

Still riding the cherry wave.  Turns out I forgot about the mini cherry pies the guys like. This idea came about when I was making a pie crust one day. My older guy said he was only in the mood for “a little pie.” So, I surprised him at dinner with a little pie. Literally. … Continue reading

a deep freeze when the heat’s on

One week of cherry ideas. What to feature next? Wait and see. From bruschetta to hand pies, the cherry has been fun to work with this week. Here’s one last idea to add to your kitchen’s offerings. Fresh fruit, piled in wooden boxes at the farmers’ market, is the warm weather’s reward to us. As we … Continue reading

let me lend a helping hand pie

No, you can keep it. We chug on with the cherry talk. The plan was for today’s  post to be about making some empanadas. Summer is almost here. Today, we would talk about empanadas with a fruit filling of…well, you know. Something magical happens when you are in synch with someone else. It happened this morning when my email from smittenkitchen.com … Continue reading

completely clafouti

I remember the first time I heard about clafouti. It was in a bistro. A woman at the next table had something that looked like a souffle. I asked the waiter what it was. His reply? He glanced over his shoulder and quickly answered, “Oh that? You’ll love it.” No more information. It was a cherry … Continue reading

life is just a salad bowl of cherries

Remember the wonderful combination of goat cheese and cherries? We’re going to revisit that duo in the form of a salad. A warm goat cheese salad with cherry vinaigrette. Make your salad the main entree for dinner with a few added touches. The cherries are pitted and placed in the blender. Then, they are blended with some extra virgin olive … Continue reading

soup’s on

Cherry soup. Maybe those aren’t two words you think of together. The cherry can carry a completely different flavor as a soup. A cold soup. It’s the perfect dish for a scorching summer night. This cherry soup, a crisp salad, and a rustic loaf of bread, are a menu you should have in your recipe box. Cherry soup is a … Continue reading

cherries and chops

Pork pairs well with fruit. It’s just one of those combinations that works well together. Today, the cherries turn into a salsa for thick, center cut pork chops. With just a few tweaks, the combination that worked for the bruschetta and pound cake can highlight the flavor of grilled pork chops. An important step when grilling any meat is letting … Continue reading