Every year we have a garden I tell myself that I will write down, somewhere, how many of each plant we planted and whether or not the yield is what we wanted. In other words, did we again plant too many zucchini plants? Right now I am thinking we did. They are bursting from the… Continue reading

Breakfast always seems to be a problem for me. For a few reasons mainly. Usually, I wake up hungry, I mean really hungry. And a little bowl of Rice Chex does not fill that void. I requre filling food for breakfast, hearty fare like eggs, oatmeal or even leftovers from the night before. I envy… Continue reading

I made a new discovery in the kitchen this week. I  had been cooking my quinoa on the stove top, but honey the way to go is in your rice cooker. It cooks perfectly every time. Perfect for those of you quinoa newbies, you know who you are, always checking the pot asking “Do you… Continue reading

I feel fortunate this year to be asked to help in my friend Eric’s garden. Helping out means not just the satisfaction of planting something and watching it grow. But also weeding, lots and lots of weeding All that backbreaking work does pay off though, in the freshest, crispest, brightest produce imaginable. This weeks bounty… Continue reading

It has just occurred to me, with a vegetarian daughter, I really should be preparing more bean dishes. Not just for the nutritional value, they have that in spades. But because she loves them.  Will eat them any old day of the week. Of course, she prefers dried beans over the canned version. Preparing them… Continue reading

Lately, it seems most of the food we eat here falls into these 4 categories. Recipe ripped from a magazine and saved (yes, I am sometimes guilty of that while waiting at the Doctors office). Word of mouth recipe, while not having a pen and paper handy, and hoping I remember all the details.  This… Continue reading

I am a planner, yep a list maker. Can’t help it, it’s part of my DNA. I am the one in our family that packs 1 week in advance of a vacation. In case those cute little shorts from last year don’t fit (gasp), I need time to pick up a new pair (or two)…. Continue reading

I made this fabulous Leek and Potato soup again this week, always a crowd pleaser. However, that left me with 1 leek in the crisper. They sold them in such a big bundle.  That poor leftover leek sat unappreciated in the fridge all week. Until my daughter Bunny decided to whip up this gratin. It… Continue reading

I thought with all the soups coming your way (from me) that warm, crusty, yummy cornbread was a must. Yes that is 1/2 a loaf in the picture, we devoured the other half warm from the oven slathered with butter!! Wouldn’t you? Print My Favorite Cornbread Category: Gluten Free, Sides, Soup, Vegetarian Ingredients 1 cup… Continue reading

Phew!!  Moving is Hard. I am never  building or moving again, truly, I mean it. It saps your mind, spirit and definitely your strength. At the same time I loved the creative process of building. Choosing everything, seeing it all come together.  However you definitely have to roll with the punches. Not every detail happens… Continue reading

Last weekend we spent at our cottage at Lake Ontario, its the time of year when we have to be thinking of clearing out the freezer and pantry. It becomes a carry in carry out weekend, with the  added the task of using up all the foodstuffs in the pantry and fridge collected over the… Continue reading

This last weekend friends of ours stopped by with a huge basket of veggies from their garden. This time of year we expect to see string beans, tomatoes,eggplant, broccoli, basil and onions. But also in this assortment were beets. Wait what? I always thought beets were a fall crop? And yes, that is true.  They… Continue reading

Great friends and old neighbors of ours stopped by for a visit at the lake house this past weekend. These are our friends with the fantastic garden, and they brought an abundance of produce with them! Tomatoes, beets (more about them tomorrow) basil, an eggplant and string beans. We had planned a simple lunch by… Continue reading

Yesterday we finally got some much needed rain. Our lawn and gardens were parched. It was not a light sprinkle kind of rain, it was more like buckets of rain, all day long. After more than a month of record heat I didn’t mind one bit. Honestly I needed a day inside to putter around…. Continue reading

You need a lot of summer salads. You do, it keeps things fresh. There are different salads for different dinner situations you know. For instance today was incredibly hectic, no time to cook, hectic. Also, being summer and warm, a antipasto dinner was in order. To us that means cold cuts, cheeses, olives, warm bread… Continue reading

The Hub wanted “skinny pork chops” for dinner. You know the really thin sliced chop with a bone included? I  am not a big fan, no big porky, meaty flavors (in my opinion). I like those really thick cut chops with a little bit of fat running around the sides, you know? They char up… Continue reading

We have been creating salads here with a vegetable that’s new to us. Jimaca. Pronounced Hee-ka-ma. It is sometimes called a Mexican Potato or Mexican turnip. However it doesn’t have the taste or texture of a potato at all. After you peel the outer brown skin you will find a moist white interior, slightly sweet… Continue reading

Internet shopping was invented with my Hubby in mind. He doesn’t like to shop, he wants to get in and get out in as little time as humanly possible. Often with an item that wasn’t really what he wanted, it was just “close enough”. The Internet has changed all that for him. What would have… Continue reading

Quinoa, have you tried it yet? I invited a girlfriend over for lunch yesterday, she had never had it, or even heard of it before. It’s a nice change from rice, lighter than pasta and makes a great salad. And that’s exactly what I did. We had a bunch of leftover grilled vegetables from the Cumin… Continue reading

Does it seem that I have been posting mostly vegetarian meals lately? That’s because I don’t post everything we cook here. When we have steak and a salad, it doesn’t seem post worthy unless its something a bit out of the box. What is post worthy? In my opinion something you might not have considered… Continue reading

We are always on the lookout for recipes that work for everyone here. Exchanging ideas with friends, interested in what they cooked last night. In fact my friend Len mentioned this corn salad last summer. I have been eager to try it since then. It sounded so yummy. However certain criteria have to be taken… Continue reading