Last week we attended the local premier of the documentary Forks Over Knives. I covered the event for WPSU’s Local Food Journey and produced a radio story, which aired this morning. But neither Nick nor I have really stopped thinking about the film’s claims since we viewed it. Let me start with an overview. The film follows the friendship of... Read more
Yesterday it was below zero when we left for work. Yes, below zero — and that didn’t even account for the windchill. That’s the kind of cold that calls for two pairs of socks, long underwear, hot chocolate, and chicken pot pie. Thanks to Cooking Light, this is a comfort food dish that doesn’t leave you feeling terribly guilty. It... Read more
This weekend we celebrated a very special occasion: Nick’s grandmother’s 80th birthday. A little birdie told me about her fondness for coconut, so I baked the very best coconut cupcakes I could. And they were pretty darn good. I know because I sampled one on Saturday morning before we left for Lancaster. We gathered with aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings, and,... Read more
This recipe comes from Cooking Light, and it’s so simple you’re going to wonder why you didn’t think of it yourself. Simply roast butternut squash with balsamic vinegar, then toss it with fettuccine, pine nuts, chopped fresh sage, arugula, and Parmesan cheese. Without really trying to, we’ve been eating a lot of vegetarian meals lately, like pear ravioli and Moroccan... Read more
Do you still have rows of canned pumpkin stacked in your pantry? Or is that just us? Well, if you have a surplus like we do, and you’d prefer to use them up before the flowers bloom this spring, then we have a recipe for you. It’s cheesy. It’s creamy. It’s pumpkiny. It’s a new take on a classic comfort... Read more
Hello, pretty. I found this little gem under the tree on Christmas morning. (Thanks, hubby!) It’s a tagine, a special pot designed to prepare Moroccan dishes. As you can see, the base is shallow and circular, and the large cone top keeps food moist while cooking by returning condensation that rises back to the bottom. Tagine is also the term... Read more
Two weeks ago I bought one too many containers of ricotta for our favorite lasagna. It was fast approaching its expiration date, and because I hate for anything edible to go to waste, we added it to our pancakes this weekend. Along with lemon zest and lemon juice and fresh blueberries. Simple and tasty Sunday breakfast! The ricotta makes the... Read more
I can always count on Mark Bittman. In How to Cook Everything, Bittman recommends poaching pears with sugar and vanilla bean for a simple, light dessert. And that’s exactly what we needed after pizza and ravioli. We were really not very hungry, but I had to finish out the Challenge with my third and final course. So I peeled and... Read more
Next up for Challenge Pears: the main course. We had pizza as our appetizer, so I decided to stick with the Italian theme. And I know cheese pairs well with pears, so how about nestling the fruit inside a soft egg ravioli with Pecorino Romano and mascarpone? Perfect! But first: the dough. We followed a simple recipe using flour, eggs,... Read more
When Nick revealed the seasonal ingredient of our first Challenge, I immediately thought of pizza. Not pepperoni or mushroom or Margherita, but … pear pizza! Over the Christmas holiday, we dined at a wine bar in Escondido, California. We ordered glasses of local red wine and no less than five pizzas for the group, including one with artichokes and olives,... Read more