With summer’s end fast approaching, Toby and I love experimenting with new ways to use some of this summer’s jams, jellies and preserves in to cocktails. This research will pay off in a few months when we can enjoy a bit of summer on those cold, winter nights. The herbiness of the rosemary in the jam pairs really well with the gin in this cocktail. … Continue reading Apricot Rosemary Martini
We had our good friends, Charles and Alexa, over for dinner this past weekend to enjoy good food, good wine and, our favorite card game, Cards Against Humanity. It was a great night. They brought some wine from their recent trip to Napa that went down all too well and I supplied the dinner. When putting together a menu for a dinner we are hosting, … Continue reading Menu – Braised Lamb, Saffron Rice, Lemony Green Beans, Plum Crumble
I’m normally not a spicy food lover, but I had pickled jalapenos on a short rib sandwich a few years back and really loved the slightly spicy addition to the savory, fatty meat. I’ve been wanting to do a pickled jalapeno for a while now and finally got around to doing so this year. Since its my first attempt at pickling jalapenos, I’m looking forward … Continue reading Pickled Jalapeno Peppers
We recently hosted dinner for my cousin and I wanted to put a menu together highlighting the great veggies that are growing in my garden or that can be found at the farmer’s market. I’m a regular attendee of the farmer’s markets, hitting up at least one, sometimes two, on the weekends and I love using fresh produce. I had an idea for adapting pot … Continue reading Blackberry Pot Pies
Lately I’ve been trying to eat down the massive amount of food we seem to have in our house, mostly focusing on the pantry. However, our fridge and freezer seemed awfully full for a family of three so I was looking for a way to use up some existing items, such as a single pie crust, frozen broccoli, goat cheese and eggs. A quiche naturally … Continue reading Broccoli, Spinach and Goat Cheese Quiche
This past weekend, I rediscovered a small jar of brandied sweet cherries in red wine in my fridge that I made a few weeks back from Liana Krissoff’s Canning for a New Generation cookbook. I originally set out to make this recipe to gift a couple jars to my mom to celebrate her retirement. Her drink of choice is a Manhattan, with extra cherries. So, … Continue reading Cocktail Research
After devoting much of my summer garden space to tomatoes in previous years, I scaled back my tomato plantings to just a small section. I planted a couple Early Girls, which are doing pretty good, a yellow pear tomato (which has been a bust for me for the second year now) and a cherry tomato plant. By the time I planted the seedlings I picked … Continue reading Spiced Cherry Tomato Jam
I planted carrots this year despite having two lackluster carrot years, but this year made up for it as I had a pretty booming crop of carrots in the small area I designated for carrots. I pulled some carrots a few weeks ago to make a braised honey carrot recipe and felt it was time to pull the remaining ones to make room for something … Continue reading Roasted Carrot Soup
When we came back from our recent peach picking adventure, I knew that I wanted to make a peach salsa. After I reviewed a few recipes, I adapted two recipes to come up with this salsa. Normally I don’t recommend making changes to canning recipes because of the risk of changing the acidity level, making the final product unsafe. But, I felt comfortable with these … Continue reading Peach Salsa
A few years ago while at our local farmer’s market, I came upon a container of squash blossoms. I had no idea what i was going to do with them, but I was in the mood to try something new so I purchased a box. I excitedly showed my husband my new purchase when I got home, but his enthusiasm wasn’t quite at my same … Continue reading Stuffed Squash Blossoms
Half Pint Garden 