This is the simplest of salads and a perfect way to usher in the summer that suddenly seems to be in a big hurry to arrive here in Central California.  Cucumbers have always been one of my favorite vegetables, so when I saw some beautiful, young Armenian cucumbers at the farmer’s market on Saturday, I couldn’t resist picking up a couple.  This simple cucumber side dish would be a perfect accompaniment to grilled meat or fish, but I usually eat it as an afternoon snack. Continue reading →

I grew up in central California where I certainly ate my fair share of artichokes over the years.  And during those four years I spent in Sicily, I probably ate way more than my fair share.  Sorry, it couldn’t be helped.

My standard way of cooking/eating artichokes is to steam them whole then peel off the leaves one by one, dipping each into mayo before scraping off the tiny bits of artichoke “meat” with my teeth.  I continue to do this until I have ingested way more mayonnaise than any person needs to consume in one sitting (as evidenced by the huge pile of artichoke leaves towering in front of me by the time I’m done) and I have made my way to the heart, which I carefully trim and clean before eating it with even more mayo.  Don’t judge. Continue reading →

This is a quick lunch I threw together from what I could find in my fridge and pantry today.  I wanted something to go with the leftover grilled steak and chicken I brought home from a family barbecue the other night and this delicious brown rice salad really fit the bill.

The salad works well as either a side dish or a light vegetarian main course for lunch.  Top with thinly sliced grilled chicken, steak, or tempeh and you have a hearty and delicious summer meal.  Feel free to play with ingredient amounts to suit your own taste.  I think it would be great topped with some sliced avocado and roasted pepitas.

Continue reading →

My aunt, cousin, and I took an overnight trip to the coast last weekend that started with a day of wandering around beautiful Monterey and ended with a Mother’s Day 5K run through the artichoke fields of Castroville.  It was quite an adventure.

One of the many highlights of the trip was lunch at the adorable Red House Cafe in Pacific Grove where we sampled a variety of sandwiches and salads.  Our favorite was a lightly dressed orzo salad with fresh herbs – it was simple and delicious and I’ve been thinking about orzo ever since.  When I saw a bag of organic whole wheat orzo at Whole Foods yesterday I decided it was time to make an orzo salad of my own. Continue reading →

While we normally eat spaghetti squash tossed with nothing more than a a bit of olive oil and a handful of fresh-grated parmigiano reggiano, I decided to splurge this time around and used the versatile squash to create a rich and creamy gratin.

This gratin was inspired by a recipe I found at Laura Rebecca’s Kitchen.  I’m sure her sour cream version is wonderful, and that’s what I had originally planned to make, but when I realized that I had some heavy cream that needed to be used, I opted for that instead.  I also added some shallots along with the garlic, and decreased the amount of herbs (mainly because I was completely out of fresh herbs).  The resulting dish was absolutely delicious! Continue reading →

I’m beginning to think there’s nothing quite as satisfying as making a tray of slow-roasted tomatoes.  Now, I know I’ve said this about a lot of things.  Bread, for example.  And it’s true that there’s nothing quite as satisfying as making a loaf of bread with your own two hands.  But man, these tomatoes are something.  And they are simple.  So simple, that the extraordinary flavor almost doesn’t make sense.  The flavor is sweet, but intense.  Sultry, even.  You’ll see.  You’ll be smitten, too. Continue reading →

This week I am participating in the second round of Eating Down the Fridge. The challenge was created by Kim O’Donnel of The Washington Post blog A Mighty Appetite.  The goal is to completely avoid food shopping (including eating out) for a full week, and instead concentrate on using what is already stored in your refrigerator, freezer, and pantry.  Because I have been out of town, I started the challenge a couple of days late.  But as of Monday, I have done no food shopping or eating out (with one exception) and I plan on continuing at least through Monday, but perhaps even longer if I can.

Perhaps a week doesn’t sound like a very long time to go without shopping, and for those of us without kids it’s not that long at all.  But my goal for this challenge is to use up things in my freezer and pantry that have long been neglected.  And although I don’t do major grocery shopping more than a few times a month, I am used to popping up to my local market a few times a week for various ingredients, fresh fruits and vegetables.  And quite frankly, I’ve been eating out a lot lately, so eating 21 meals in a row at home will be a bit of a challenge for me! Continue reading →

I love brown rice, but I have to tell you that more times than not, I am unhappy with the texture when I cook it at home.  I have no problem turning out batches of perfectly steamed white rice, whether it’s on the stovetop, in the oven, or in the rice cooker.  But up until yesterday, every method of cooking brown rice seemed to come up short. Continue reading →