When I was a kid, we had a big strawberry patch that needed to be picked clean every June, beginning just as school was out for the summer. My brother and I hated that patch. When the fruit was ready, we’d spend long mornings bent over in the hot sun picking berries – itchy, sweaty, back-breaking work – which my parents then gave away to friends and neighbors. One especially hot summer when the season was over, the straw that […]
I’m always on the hunt for a really great chicken-based burger – one that stands up to the weight and flavor of a cheeseburger – and this is it. The combination of bacon and ricotta in the burger is so good I don’t know why this hasn’t replaced McDonald’s Big Mac. It couldn’t be more simple: just mix up ground chicken, ricotta, and bits of crispy bacon, throw it on a hot grill, add your favorite condiments and a brioche […]
In my travels around the local farmers’ markets and online food purveyors, I came upon rose petal jelly, and immediately ordered some because one of my children loves anything flavored with roses, violets, or lavender. In looking for another way to serve it (other than on a piece of toast), I added it to a favorite dinner salad of grilled goat cheese and spring greens. The rose jelly elevates a fairly common salad combination to new heights of flavor – […]
You never know where friendship will be found. Over twenty years ago I met a retired high school English teacher at a guest ranch in Montana. The ranch is a place where you meet lots of people, enjoy their company for a week, and never see them again. It was different with Benita. We talked a lot about books, and children, and life, and though our politics are diametrically opposed, we still see each other regularly and stay in touch, […]
If you haven’t had fattoush yet, here’s a good gateway recipe. This variation on the Middle Eastern classic is made with sumac, cilantro, crisped pita chips, tomatoes, pomegranate seeds, and feta. It’s a wonderful combination of Mediterranean flavors, and a substantial salad that has become a fixture on our weekly summer menus. I love it because it’s a different way to enjoy the gorgeous heirloom tomatoes of the season; the sumac and pomegranate dressing give them unique flavor, and the […]
