This stretch of otherworldly hot weather has me craving my mom’s gazpacho: cool, savory, unfussy, utterly satisfying. All I have to do is gather some fresh summer produce and plug in the food processor; it does all the work and the kitchen stays nice and cool. Make this at least a day before you plan to serve it; the flavors really develop over time. Get the recipe for Mom’s Quick Gazpacho!
Just when I thought our cucumber crop was a bust (pollinators were slow to find all those yellow flowers hidden beneath giant leaves), we’re finding ourselves with something of a cuke farm. What to do with them? As they say on Portlandia, “We can pickle that!” Get the recipe for quick refrigerator dill pickles; they’re on our dinner table alongside burgers and chips for a summer supper tonight!
Are you ready? I mean, READY, people? It’s tomato season, folks. Here’s a whole library of my favorite summer tomato recipes to get you psyched about this most magical of times. Bookmark it: You’ll be wanting these tomato dishes all summer long. Get the recipes!
If you’ve dined out recently, you’ve probably spotted this new food trend: toasted seed toppings on all kinds of salads and main dishes. I’ve been playing around with toasted seeds (and with seed-herb blends) to dress up my summer cooking. It’s like adding a pretty scarf to a plain dress — just that little bit extra that makes it memorable. Get the recipes for toasted seed toppings and start playing yourself!
A glut of overgrown arugula in my garden — combined with some beautiful green garlic I scored at the farmers’ market — went into a big batch of spring arugula and garlic pesto this week. It’s fantastic over pasta, or as a condiment for grilled Italian sausages and new potatoes. Get the recipe!
Have you ever spotted fresh garbanzo beans in your grocery or food shop? They’re amazing: bright and green and full of flavor, funny wrinkly little beans tucked into puffy green shells. When I spotted fresh garbanzos …
Ohmygoodnessohmygoodness! This pound cake, laden with toasted pecans, is just about perfect. Not too hard to make, either. Be sure to use really good, ginormous Georgia pecans here. The cake is great for breakfast or snacking, and it freezes beautifully (good thing, ’cause it makes a ton). Get the recipe!
Today is National Chocolate Cake Day. (Who knew?) So you’ll need a chocolate cake recipe that’s quick, simple, and uses ingredients you may already have on hand. No frosting, no fuss, just your basic snacking cake that satisfies the chocolate urge. THIS, friends, is that easy chocolate cake recipe!
I call this ‘clean-out-the-larder’ minestrone, because you can make it with whatever leftover or not-enough-for-a-meal vegetables, fresh or frozen, that you have on hand. Dump everything in a pot, simmer, and voila! Soup! Get the recipe (plus 2 secrets for excellent soup).
