I am a Weather Geek. And that weather geek is twin to my inner menu-planner. Last Thursday I got really excited after checking the weather forecast – 100% chance of rain all weekend! We had a really, really, really mild winter in Southern California this year. And for someone who cooks/bakes according to season and
Category: Seasonality
For the Love of Cheese (and Asian Pears)
Let it be known that if my digestive tract could take it, I would probably eat 2-3lbs of cheese a week. Seriously. If I were to become stranded on a desert island, my first request upon entering civilization would be a fruit and cheese platter. I’m not quite sure when I fell madly in love
Preserving For the Future, part two
After overcoming my fear of poisoning my dearest friends and family, I dove headfirst into the, “Great Fig Jam Making Experiment of 2011.” Let me just say that prepping 10lbs of very ripe figs is a very messy process. I had decided to follow a relatively easy, (and pectin-free) fig jam recipe I found online.
Preserving For the Future, part one
Some of my favorite anecdotes in “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” are in the chapters where Barbara Kingsolver describes preserving the fruits and vegetables from her family garden. “Putting up”, as some folks call it, was as common a practice as making bread until the American grocery store replaced the need to bake and preserve our own
It Doesn’t Matter If You’re Black Or White
Okay, yes I lifted the title from the Michael Jackson song that played incessantly during my Sophomore year in college while I diligently filled the salt and pepper shakers in the dining hall, but it’s all I could think of when I was asked via Facebook if I had any good chili recipes without beans
The Pause That Refreshes
Okay, so I totally stole that title from Coca-Cola, but it pretty much sums up the most important characteristic of my summer beverage choices. Where wintertime beverages are meant to comfort, warm and soothe, summer drinks should fizz, cool and energize. They provide a needed respite from the heat and outside activities warmer weather brings.
My Farmers Market Manifesto
I know I’ve mentioned it a million times before, but I love shopping at Farmers Markets. It’s kinda like church for me. Not the sermon-y part, (well sometimes,) but the after-service socializing – where you visit with friends you haven’t seen all week and catch up on the latest news and gossip. I always feel
All Around the Mulberry Bush
The first time I saw this peculiar berry at the Farmers Market I thought, “that looks weird. And gross. And weird.” I ended up buying the first pint more for its’ uniqueness than taste, (and three years later I still can’t accurately describe the taste), but each year I’m happy to see them again and
Perfect Season is Here!
The upside to eating seasonally is that everything tastes so much better because its’ super-fresh. And I swear seasonal food provides just the nutrition I need at that time of year. But eating seasonally can also really suck when you’re tired of asparagus. Over the past few weeks, getting me into the kitchen was much
Cooking For Madison 