If you are like me, you open magazines and cookbooks and admire the beautiful photography. The casually laid tables bursting with delicious dishes, the beautiful vessels holding each delicacy, simplicity and refinement, but with the decadence of good food. And you think - I can do that. I can casually invite a few friends round, act like it’s no big deal, then present an … [Read more...] about Baked Ricotta and Goat Cheese with Candied Tomatoes
Nasturtium Butter and Nasturtium Vinegar
I love edible flowers. They bring such color and whimsy to the table. I love them sprinkled on a good salad, and this year I even used honeysuckle to make a cordial. I usually plant a few marigolds for tossing with salads, and stick a few nasturtium seeds in the edge of the garden. This year I forgot to plant the nasturtiums, but as luck would have, the lovely blossoms are … [Read more...] about Nasturtium Butter and Nasturtium Vinegar
Orange Slice Candy Squares
My grandmother lived in a small town in Arkansas, the town where my father grew up. She died when I was six, so my memories of her are somewhat limited. But those I do have are vivid to me, though undoubtedly burnished through the patina of time. I particularly remember visiting her with my brother in early summers, when we had relatively free reign of the area around the … [Read more...] about Orange Slice Candy Squares
Freshly Minted Lemonade
This weekend marks the unofficial beginning of summer. That means vacations and swimming and long, lazy days and all sorts of good things. But, for my part of the world at least, it also means heat and humidity. So a tall, cool drink is always in order. There is just something so refreshing about tangy lemonade, and at this time of year, with the mint plants beginning to … [Read more...] about Freshly Minted Lemonade
Chilled Pea Soup with Tendrils and Pods
I was a latecomer to the joy of peas. And I think that may be because, like many people, my first introduction to peas was the canned variety. Mushy, salty, gray-green and generally unappetizing. And so time consuming to pick out of a casserole or pot pie, segregating them on one side of the plate, trying to keep them from rolling back into the good stuff. Frozen peas came … [Read more...] about Chilled Pea Soup with Tendrils and Pods
