{summer wedding} Vegan Party Food

My son is getting married in a month and, since our caterer is a barbecued chicken joint, I am charged with making one or two supplemental dishes for the vegans to eat. I am perfectly comfortable with vegetarian food since I am a semi-vegetarian, that is, a social meat eater, but I tend to rely…

{meet the meat} Jeni had a little lamb pita pizza

I make an annual pilgrimage to what has become a fiber artist’s mecca.  The New York Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck, NY has pretty much exploded over the past few years.  Not to get all “hipster” on you, but I was “going to Rhinebeck before going to Rhinebeck was cool”. The crowds are insane,…

{Kitchen Confessions} Quick Chicken Enchiladas

I have a confession to make. Brace yourselves. Sometimes I cheat… …sometimes I cheat and I buy a pre-roasted chicken from the grocery store! Oh man, does it feel good to get that off my chest. Let’s get real.  I mean, I work all day.. I have a regular  J.O.B. and there are times it…

{meet the meat} Grass Fed Ground Beef

You wouldn’t think that ground beef would need it’s own blog post, would you?  Well, it does. Ground beef from feedlots (ie. the stuff you generally get in the conventional grocery store) is relatively forgiving.   You can cook the heck out of it and it still tastes the same.  Many a frying pan of taco…

{meet the meat} Baby Back Ribs

Ribs. Dang, I love ribs. Beef Short ribs, St. Louis Style Ribs, Baby Back ribs…  There is just something about gnawing on a bone that brings out the Fred Flintstone in me. The baby back ribs are the cut that are the closest to the loin which sits on top of the spine of the…

{recipe} Mujaddara, Megadarra, Imjadara, GO!

I love the food of the Levant and the Middle East. I’m an unrepentant omnivore, but the vegetarian dishes from this region are so hearty and delicious on their own, meatless eating doesn’t seem like a punishment. One of my favorites dishes is a rice and lentil one called mujaddara. Or megadarra. Or imjadara. The…

{meet the meat} Pork Shoulder

I’m not shy about my love of meat.   Some poor misguided soul recently confused me with someone who does “Meatless Mondays” on a regular basis. Um… no. Don’t get me wrong.  I do enjoy a nice veggie meal once in a while (I’m looking at you, mujaddara), but more often than not, what I look…

{ode to a vegetable} Massaged Kale and Me

Kale is important to me. I found it all by myself as a college student and it has stuck with me ever since.  There’s something about kale that represents my food ethics better than any other food.  It is diverse, hardy and adaptable.  Many an evening kale has been my starting point for dinner preparation,…

{winter vegetable bounty} Kohlrabi Fritters

Kohlrabi is one of those unusual vegetables that you don’t often see in your local supermarket. It grows well here in the Northeast, and is often found far into winter at farmer’s markets or in veggie shares. Kohlrabi is another member of the brassica family, along with cabbage, and kale, and has a sweetness along…

{recipe} White Bean Burgers

We eat a lot of beans in my house. I love beans. I love them on salad or in stir fries, pasta or soup.  They are versatile and good for you, as well as tasty.  Just about any bean can be made in to a “burger”.  I typically use black beans to make burgers, but…

{recipe} Ramp Fried Rice w/ Mostly Vegetables

Ramps entered my consciousness only a couple weeks ago, thanks to fellow blogger and farmers market master Jillian who suggested I pick some up as part of my first CSA share of the year. Since then I have learned to love them.  They are kind of a cross between garlic and scallions, although someone told me…

{the new year} coping with mid-winter food blues

Maybe it’s being trapped inside at home with a new baby, but I’m prematurely feeling that mid-winter desperation about what to make for dinner every night.  This feeling worsens when we’ve skipped a week at the farmers market and have no fresh, local produce.  Local green vegetables are already becoming less prevalent and I can…

{from scratch holidays} Cheesy Potato Casserole: Makeover Edition

For the holidays my grandmother would make a dish that was simply called Cheesy Potato Casserole. It’s pretty much exactly what you would find at a Midwestern church potluck. I absolutely adored it and my brother and I would beg for it whenever we had a family holiday meal together. As my grandmother got older,…

{Fresh from the Garden} Summer Rolls with Cucumber Dipping Sauce

For all of my adult life, I’ve been a big fan of Asian rolls. I didn’t grow up in the most food-savvy town and it’s nice to look back and see how my experiences and my taste buds changed as I traveled and moved farther away from home. At first I only knew about egg…

{community} Be a Dinner Elf

Food is much more than a series of nutrients and calories. Food brings people together to celebrate the good times and helps sustain us during the tough times. Some recipes are infused with memories and help honor important people and times in our lives. Food is at the center of any good get-together: a casual…