Category: sides
-
Kale Salad with Apples, Red Onion, & Sunflower Seeds & Stopping Time
First thing’s first – this salad is for kale lovers and haters alike. It takes five minutes to prepare and can be meal on its own, made into a messy sandwich, added to an omelet, or served on the side of whatever else you’re having. Plus, it’s pretty and healthy and if you need to… Read more
-
Carrot-Broccoli Cheddar Soup & Little House on the Prairie
I’m in bed, flanked on either side by my daughter, 9, and youngest son, 6. “Here she comes, falling down the hill!” Will says, putting his finger on my computer screen where fictional Laura Ingalls runs with her sisters. We’ve been making our way through the entire Little House on the Prairie series (having read… Read more
-
Latkes (Crispy Potato Pancakes) & Wish Lists
My kids make wishlists for birthdays and for Chanukah. They write them unaided, and it is always interesting to see what they come up with. Sure, we have some typical stuff, Itunes gift card request or Lego Giant Something that requires a mortgage to purchase, but we also have some strange themes this year. When… Read more
-
Chard with Brown Sugar Pumpkin Seeds and Dried Cherries & Fun Foreign Words
Germans have a word for the feeling of being along in the woods. Waldeinsamkeit. Italians have a word for the ring left on a table by a cold glass. Culaccino. I might have to make a word for being alone with a plate of well-seasoned chard that’s dotted with crispy, sweet seeds and a tang… Read more
-
Tatsoi & Sunflower Pesto
One of the farms near me grows delicious tatsoi (you can read more about it here). It’s great in any spinach dish and also makes a particularly tasty pesto. If you can’t find it near you, just use baby spinach or baby kale. This time of year I tend to get kind of hoardy at… Read more
-
Ribs (cooked slow and low) & the Only BBQ Sauce You Need
Don’t let summer go just yet. Or, if you have to, remind yourself that the taste of it can be had quite easily. If I’m making this on a school day…I wrap the ribs the night before and make the sauce*(and I make a lot because it keeps and works on tofu, shrimp, chicken)… As… Read more
-
Classic Raspberry Jam
Deep ruby, sweet, and utterly enjoyable with a slice of buttery brown bread or alongside crackers. Read more
-
Quick Apricot Jam without Pectin
Small batch, ruby apricot jam in glass Weck jars. Phenomenal alone or pressed into a grilled cheese sandwich. Or slathered on cornbread and topped with fresh whipped cream for dessert. Read more
-
10-Minute Escarole, White Bean, and Parmesan Soup & (Not) The Smartest Phone
I don’t talk on the phone while driving (nor do I text, but that should be a given, right?). However, I find the hands-free option that comes with my cheap phone very useful while my fingers are caked with cream and espresso from the tiramisu I made this weekend (recipe to come!). My phone is… Read more
-
Green Bean Salad with Capers and Red Onion & What I Want for My 40th Birthday
My almost-11-year-old is compiling a wish list for his birthday. He wants a drum set (this would help but not eliminate his drumming on any and every available surface with hands, chopsticks, shoes, etc). He’d like more Big Nate books. Desires a computer only on which to write stories (no internet, no games). He’d like… Read more
-
Sorrel Labne (Lemony Yogurt Dip) & Breaking Up
From the 5-year-old a few night ago: Him: [In bed, blushing] I have an idea! Me: [in doorway] Oh, yeah? Him: Come here. I go and sit next to him and he wraps his arms around me, using his super-human strength (really, he is oddly strong) to pull my ear to his lips. Him: [whispering]… Read more
-
Sriracha & Garlic Hummus & My New Farm Share
Inspiration comes in all shapes, sizes, songs, and ways. Even misery. My writer friend, B, has been moaning about publishing and how difficult it is to keep writing without commercial success, or even wondering what success means personally. Do I have the answers? No, I do not. But…I do have Sriracha. And B loves this… Read more
-
Peach Scones (with or without Roasted Ginger) & BF Skinner & Books
I had two buns in the oven – no, no, NOT another human baby. Book babies. I have a novel for adults that I’ve just edited and a novel for teenagers (which I suspect will cross over to the grown up side, too). Finishing a book is always an odd sensation – relief, happiness, and… Read more
-
Tomato-Onion Soup with Fresh Parmesan & Happy Days
Dear Scott Baio, Thanks for appearing in my dream last night! The party was really fun, even though the staircase had weird turquoise and brown carpet and there were chickens inside your house and there was no soup in my mug. I’m sorry to say that you are 30 years too late in your proposal.… Read more
-
Italian White Bean Spread & Birds
The big news around our house is that Will turned 5 last week and, perhaps to celebrate, two chickadees have finally moved into the bird house will built and painted a couple of years ago. He painted it again last spring feeling as many house-sellers do that a fresh coat might clinch the sale. But… Read more