It turns out that California and Texas have something in common other than historically belonging to Mexico. The residents of these two states have good taste… maybe not in fashion or political candidates, but at least when it comes to summertime dessert.
Or maybe they just have more cows than anyone else.
California and Texas produce more [...]
Blueberry Ginger Snap Ice Cream
More Mexican Eats: Chilaquiles
The Mexican food fairy visited last weekend and left delectable chilaquiles in our refrigerator. This act of kindness occurred even after we had subjected her to days of hard labor, which she effortlessly completed with sweeps of her magic wand (I want one of those).
Chilaquiles are yet another Mexican dish to love and cherish. They [...]
Summer Soup for “Love Apple” Season: Gazpacho
It’s hot in Sevilla in the summer. So hot that you’ll cross the street just to walk (slowly) on a sidewalk shaded by buildings and clench a water bottle in a sweaty fist at all times. Hot enough that the streets are watered to control the dust and tamp down the odors that exude from [...]
Blueberry Buttermilk Tart
Why light a field of blueberry bushes on fire?
What I was told, growing up, is that burning the blueberry bushes after they’ve given up their crop at the end of the season makes them healthier and set for new growth in the spring.
Eating blueberries is one of my memories from lazy summers in Machais, Maine. [...]
Goat Cheese & Moroccan Onion Jam Bruschetta
I’ve been to Marrakech, but this recipe was inspired by “pastures” closer to home: a restaurant in Potrero Hill called Baraka. Although I haven’t been in years and it closed in 2009, this one dish sticks in my tastebuds.
A combination of Mediterranean and North African flavors, you get creamy, tangy goat cheese with lusciously soft [...]
Stuffed Flank Steak
Every family has its secrets.
Apparently my family also has “secret” recipes, some of which I am giving away on this blog. Shame on me.
I say it’s good food, so why not share? Like a lot of us, my mom likes to try new foods and recipes often, so it’s only the really great (and relatively [...]
Fattoush: Lebanese Bread Salad
Turns out I can’t get enough of drupes – but this time, from an unexpected source: sumac.
Do you ever buy ingredients without a recipe in mind? Guilty. Sumac is one of those orphans in my cabinets that now has found a home in at least one recipe that I plan to make again.
After spending an [...]
Chocolate Cherry Walnut Oatmeal Cookies
What did you give your mother for Mother’s Day? My new-ish tradition is baking cookies (I know, shocking for someone who professes to hate baking cookies, but I make this sacrifice for some). Cookies have won out over other gifts because they’re easy to ship, and who doesn’t like a cookie? Really. Can you think [...]
Got a pulse? Try some lentil soup.
I think lentils, an ancient food, are the crop to save the future as we adapt to new weather patterns hastened by “global weirding.”
The more I read about lentils, the more I wonder why I don’t eat them more often. As a crop, they can tolerate extreme temperatures and survive with minimal water and no [...]
2 + 4 + 6 + 8 = The World’s Easiest Cake
Eaten any drupes lately? If you’ve nibbled on plums, cherries, almonds, mangos, pistachios or slurped down a cup of coffee, you’ve ingested drupes – defined as fleshy fruit with a stone pit.
For the World’s Easiest Cake, I like “drupaceous” plums. It’s not exactly the season yet for plums, so keep this recipe top of mind [...]