Zucchini Towers

A little while ago, Scott brought home a lovely zucchini from one of his co-workers. As luck would have it, a day or so later we got to pick some basil in a friend's garden. When we got home, I looked at the zucchini, looked at the basil, and decided that they should be eaten together.
Pin It

Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes

Tomatoes are finally here!  You can bet that I am going to eat as many as humanly possible this summer.  In my world, there is nothing more perfect than a juicy summer tomato.  I am that person who glares at the red tennis balls that they try to pass off as tomatoes in the grocery store in the winter.  Why do they taunt us like that?
Pin It

Spicy Refrigerator Pickles

All of this past week I had farmers' market regret.  Last weekend, Scott and I took a quick bike ride to our neighborhood farmers' market.  I saw some Persian cucumbers, but didn’t get any.  As soon we started biking home, I began to think about refrigerator pickles and those cucumbers.  
Pin It

Angel Food Cake with Fruit and Whipped Cream

This cake always reminds of one of the jokes that my brother used to tell as a kid.  It goes something like this:

Question:  Why are cooks so mean?
Answer:  Because they beat the eggs and whip the cream.

Pin It

Melted Red Onions with Balsamic Vinegar

Last week Scott made the most amazing French onion soup.  It started with some homemade stock and ended with me practically licking the bowl.  In the middle he made caramelized onions.  Not just any caramelized onions, but the most beautiful, slow-cooked, perfect caramelized onions I had ever seen.  When he showed me how they had cooked down to almost nothing, I knew that he had found the perfect cooking method for the balsamic onions I had been thinking about since our trip to Italy two weeks ago.
Pin It

Beef and Broccoli Pie (with a Cheddar Cheese Crust)

It’s finally cold here, and that means I want to eat comfort food.  I love this pie and ate it quite a bit when I was little.  I’ve made it several different ways since I got the recipe from my mom.  At times I’ve added extra broccoli, substituted textured vegetable protein (TVP) for most of the beef, used low-fat cheese, sprinkled in wheat germ, and tried whole-wheat crusts.  I can tell you that if you are known for hiding TVP and wheat germ in food and using low-fat cheese, that people will pick up on you if you try all of your tricks at one time in this pie.  They may say things like, “did you use low-fat cheese in this? You know it doesn’t melt.”  Or maybe they will say, “you know, you kind of have to put beef in beef and broccoli pie.”  In the end, I’ve settled on the version that I’m sharing with you.  Although it is a humble dish, it is comfort food at its finest and is perfect for those days when the weather is cold and pie is the only thing you want to eat for dinner. 

P.S.  I know I said I would post a chocolate ginger cake recipe.  You know those times when you start experimenting in the kitchen and have a recipe that is close, but not perfect?  That is where my chocolate ginger cake recipe is right now.  As soon as it is perfect, I'll share it with you!
Pin It