Posts

And the River Was Like Glass:
A September 11th Remembrance

Life Goes On The river was perfectly still, like glass, early the morning of September 11th. I'd been home for a few days. My mother had begun to lose motor control of her right leg. We feared this meant the lung cancer for which she'd been treated in the spring had metastasized into her brain. Our day was already full. Despite the leg problem, Mom was hosting a luncheon for friends at noon. Afterwards other friends would join up for a presentation about one of her many craft passions, scrapbooking. We'd already had our first cup of tea when Dad turned on CNN to hear the morning news. The first plane – a small plane, they said at first – had just hit the World Trade Center. We sat down to learn more. In horror, we watched the second plane hit the South Tower, understanding, instantly, that these strikes were no accident. We sat, mesmerized, horrified, in tears. At 10, the first call came. "Is lunch still on?" I looked at my mom. Without hesitation

Summer Appetizer:
Creamy Ricotta with
Tomato-Cucumber-Corn Salad

A quick and easy summery salad, a simple tomato and cucumber salad, with fresh corn kernels added for good measure, served almost as a relish over homemade ricotta. Real Food, Fresh, Fast & Seasonal. Not just easy, Summer Easy . Budget Friendly. Weeknight Easy, Weekend Special. Potluck & Party Friendly. Low Carb. Naturally Gluten Free.

How to Make Homemade Ricotta:
Skinny or Creamy or Something In Between

How to make ricotta cheese at home in just a few minutes with just a few pantry ingredients. I've made a "Skinny Ricotta" with 2% milk and lemon juice for many years but recently began making a "Creamy Ricotta" with a mixture of whole milk, cream and buttermilk. Here are all the in's and out's to make every DIY batch of fresh ricotta a success. Made from Scratch, A Little Extra Something That Makes All the Difference. Just Three (or Four) Ingredients. Great for Meal Prep. Low Carb. Naturally Gluten Free. Not just easy, Summer Easy . Easy DIY. Naturally Gluten Free.

Tomatoes with Fresh Mozzarella for a Crowd

Once the real summer tomatoes ripen, there's no getting enough of them! Here's a quick and easy way to combine two of summer's best treats, good garden tomatoes and good fresh mozzarella. It looks great and tastes even better. This recipe is so quick and easy that I'm adding it to a special collection of easy summer recipes . Watch for new 'summer easy' recipes all summer long. With a free e-mail subscription , you'll never miss a one! Here’s another cooking lesson: good ingredients almost plate themselves, if you just let ‘em. My friend Christine has a knack for easy summer salads, this one charmed a crowd of us at a relaxed summer supper. No chopping, no measuring, no fussing, just layer a few slices of tomato and fresh mozzarella in a glass bowl. How easy! How pretty! How fresh! By design, there are few duplicate recipes at Kitchen Parade and A Veggie Venture, my food blog about vegetables. But the combination of good summe

Homemade Peach Syrup with Fresh Peaches

Hey all, let's take some super-ripe peaches and turn them into a special peach syrup. (Whattt? Yes, you really can make pancake syrup from scratch!) Today I'm sharing my cousin's recipe which leans into summer peaches to create a syrup that is thick and caramel-y, sweet with both peach juice and fresh peaches . Close your eyes to imagine drizzling Homemade Peach Syrup over pancakes on a Sunday morning, pouring it over ice cream any ol' night of the week. Ahhh yes, it's summer! Peach Pancake Syrup Made at Home from Scratch, A Long-Time Family Favorite. A Great Way to Use Extra-Ripe Peaches. Budget Friendly, a Fruity Substitute for Pricey Maple Syrup. An Easy DIY, Great for Food Gifts.

Stayin' Cool: Cantaloupe-Tomato Gazpacho

A slightly unusual gazpacho, sweetened naturally with a ripe melon, but still a "vegetable" tomato gazpacho. Just fifteen minutes to the table! Let's beat this heat! (Says Alanna, who's so looking forward to today's forecast of 95F in a place without air conditioning! Yikes.) Real Food, Fresh & Summery. Not just easy, Summer Easy . Budget Friendly. Weeknight Easy, Weekend Special. Great for Meal Prep. Weight Watchers Friendly. Not just vegan, Vegan Done Real . Naturally Gluten Free. Rave Reviews. What're you waiting for?!

Sweet-Corn Soup with Shrimp &
Kisses of Honey and Lime

Say hello to one of my favorite summer soups! All its ingredients are familiar, but they combine to produce something unusual and surprising. While it's wonderful warm, because of the corn, I nearly always serve it chilled during summer, it's a seasonally sensual choice. Fresh & Seasonal. Familiar Ingredients In an Unusual Combination. Great for Meal Prep. High Protein.

Greek Pasta Salad with Creamy Feta Vinaigrette

Say hello to a Greek-style pasta salad that's packed with vegetables and rich with creamy feta that a certain someone (no naming names, now) just might have consumed five meals in a row, including breakfast and a bedtime snack. It's that good. (But I'm still not givin' up who, no way, I'm just not.) There's no mayonnaise in my Greek Pasta Salad, instead, the dressing is a tangy-creamy vinaigrette with feta cheese. Great a great "dish to carry" choice for potlucks and picnics, funerals and family gatherings and is a definite addition to Favorite Summer Salads . Great for Potlucks & Meal Prep. Fresh & Seasonal. Great Crunch.

How to Cut an Orange for Slices

How to cut the skin off an orange – or any citrus fruit, really, tangerines, grapefruit, blood oranges, etc. All you need is a sharp knife and an attack strategy. Here's the one that works for me. Once the oranges are sliced, make something that's surprising and delicious – for a salad, try Savory Orange Slices or for dessert, try Citrus Slices with Orange Flower Water, Spices & Chocolate Shavings . Slice Off the Top and the Bottom. First, cut small slices off the top and the bottom. Make sure to cut completely through the "pith" – that's the white fibrous layer between the orange skin and the orange sections.Two reasons why we do this. First, it needs to come off. But it also creates flat – and safe – surfaces to work with. Slice Off the Sides, Just from the Top. Place the orange with a flat-side on the cutting board. Holding your knife at an angle, slice off a section of orange peel, top to bottom, cutting at least halfway down, a lit

Thirst-Quenching, Low-Cal & Low-Alcohol Drinks

Trying to figure out how to drink more water? Me too! These three drinks have become my favorite ways to drink more liquid and stay hydrated. Weight Watchers, can you say "zero points"? With these drinks, yes, you can! Fresh & Seasonal, Perfect for Summer. Budget-Friendly. Just Two Ingredients. Weeknight Easy, Weekend Special. Weight Watchers Friendly. Low Carb. Naturally Gluten Free.