My grandmother grew up in Georgia, and her meals were always redolent with the flavors of the South. I never tasted okra until she cooked it, and her version was so different from any other okra recipes I’ve seen that I want to share it with you. Okra can be stringy, slimy, and tough – or you can make it like this and get something very different. She used to chop okra into coins, roll it in cornmeal, and flash […]
It’s Tex-Mex Thursday! Doesn’t a sweet-hot-cool-light summer soup sound like the ideal antidote to a steamy summer day? This recipe from Matthew Wendel, former chef to President and Mrs. George W. Bush, manages to be both cooling and spicy at the same time. And so pretty! Here’s what Matt says about it: For a hot summer day at the Crawford ranch, this soup was the perfect way to spice up the day and cool down at the same time. Chilled […]
It’s such a luxurious feeling to wake up to the smell of freshly-baked muffins, especially if you’re a houseguest. Muffins are a particularly good breakfast choice when you have houseguests because they can be left in the kitchen with a bowl of fruit, a pitcher of juice, and a coffeemaker, so guests can rise at their leisure and serve themselves at any time. It relieves the morning pressure to appear and account for oneself, and sets a nice, relaxed tone […]
When you grow up on a farm you absorb things about food without realizing it, and simply take it for granted that everyone shares the same basic knowledge you do. This post grew out of a surprising conversation I had with some young people who had no idea how to buy produce. This isn’t a comprehensive guide, but more of a tip sheet to skim over before you buy. Apples: should be firm and crisp, and you shouldn’t be put […]
I love a salad that feels like a meal, but isn’t so full of heavy ingredients that it defeats the point of eating a salad. Salads served in fast food chains often have this problem; it takes extreme editing of the empty calories before digging in. My older daughter refers to this as ‘food surgery,’ and she meticulously picks out anything she considers unhealthy (or that she simply doesn’t like). There’s nothing to edit from this salad. The recipe for […]
