Every year around this time, I get a little burned out on making sweet, fruity jams and start to focus on putting up tomatoes for the winter months. Because my tomato plants don’t yield a huge amount, I turn to bulk buying tomatoes at the farmers markets. Each week the vendors lay out all their colorful varieties of heirloom tomatoes, but I end up bypassing … Continue reading Big Batch Tomato Meat Sauce
Our good friend, Sarah, just recently gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, her second child. Having two kids under two is quite an adjustment so I put together a welcome home bag to last them a couple meals and added an easy dinner they could use in the future. I baked a batch of scones and added a jar of sour cherry jam for … Continue reading Moroccan Chicken Stew
After seeing tomatillos at the farmer’s market recently, I wanted to find a way to use them in a canning recipe. I found a salsa verde recipe in Liana Krissoff’s “Canning for a New Generation” that looked delicious and quite easy. I adapted this slightly to my own taste and spice preference. After making one batch about a month or so, I loved it and … Continue reading Salsa Verde
Every year when my tomato plants start producing, I can always rely on the cherry tomato as the star performer. I usually go out every few days and can pick upwards of a pound of cherry tomatoes each time. While these tomatoes are delicious right out of the garden, I like roasting these little guys as it sweetens and deepens up their flavor even more. … Continue reading Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
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
Half Pint Garden 