I am certain that the super-powered seeds Jack’s mother threw out her kitchen window were favas. While some might question the wisdom of trading an entire cow (even if she is old, like me) for a handful of beans, there is real truth to this tale beyond the giants, gold, magic hens and beanstalks of unusual size: legumes can be a delicious source of protein and some varieties are really easy to grow, in the right location.
Our street had a block party this weekend and the pulled pork biscuits I brought, from Hollis Wilder's new book, Savory Bites: Meals You Can Make in Your Cupcake Pan, were a big hit - they disappeared in about five minutes.
These days I really don't have time to sit with things simmering on the stove and braising in the oven for hours at a time, but a slow-cooking item like BBQ pork that just gets more tender the longer it goes does quite well in the crock-pot, which I can leave on while I'm away. Plus, there's no real damage if I can't get to it at just the right time and have to leave it bubbling away on the counter top for an extra few hours.
Buying pre-made biscuit dough (something I don't normally keep on hand) is also beyond my hours of availability: a special trip to the store just takes too long. Biscuit making seems to be one of those lost arts that is really much easier than anyone remembers, and is also much quicker than a trip to the grocer. Plus, it's a good workout for upper arms. So I made my own instead of following the instructions.
Did you read the New York Times piece on the science of junk food from a few weeks back? I did, and it left me feeling outraged and insulted. While I’ve know for years that processed foods taste different than homemade foods, often aren’t as healthy and require resource intensive packaging, I’d never fully realized just how much effort goes in to manipulating me and my family into buying these things. And the worst part? It is all done under the guise of helping out with our busy lives and giving us better food options, when the real reason is none other than to increase the profits of businesses.
When this and so many other things seem wrong and crazy, especially on a day like today as a nightmarish manhunt is going on in Boston, searchers are seeking survivors from an explosion at a fertilizer plant in Texas and more international cities than I can list are similarly exploding with violence, I need to hunker down and comfort myself with food. Sharing something that is delicious, nourishing, pure and easy to make is the best solace I have to offer on dark days, and helps to alleviate my own feelings of powerlessness.
This is another tweeted recipe from my buddies @CHOW. I made this for lunch, with Eatwell Farm's radishes, romaine, parsley and chickpeas, but it could be for dinner, maybe with black beans instead. Not only is it easy and tasty, but extra nice for people like me who don't particularly enjoy following directions, because it comes in 140 characters or less.
My kids love blood oranges because they are a little bit disgusting. “Mommy! Get some really bloody ones!”
By this late date in winter they are no longer interested in eating plain old oranges: only the red variety or fresh squeezed juice of the orange one will do. Like other five-year-olds, my son appreciates noisy, messy work, and will do the juicing if I leave him with a pile of sliced citrus, which is one of the best ways I’ve found to occupy his busy hands while I get breakfast made on school mornings.
My family and I are lucky enough to live in California, where citrus is in season all winter long. Here in San Francisco lemon and lime trees make handy backyard companions - they require barely any care and reliably produce good fruit. All season long I dress salads with olive oil and lemon juice instead of vinegar. On cold days we eat soup with our salad, and on warm days we make lemonade and drink it out back while the grill heats for fish, to eat with our salad.
At the end of every winter there is one recipe that pulls me through to the spring, as my family’s enjoyment of particular fruits or vegetables dulls with the repetition of eating them over and over. It happens predictably and without fail, this tiring of seasonal produce, every season, every year. The temperature rises, or drops, and we begin to crave something new - our sense of taste and ability to be satisfied adapting with the weather. It takes a truly stellar recipe to rise up, assert its power and prevent much of the farm share or CSA box from going straight into the compost bin during these times.
Yes, the Super Bowl is today and our home team is playing! So of course we have to bring something to the party. This one is really quick, really unhealthy and really delicious. Best of all, the recipe is short enough to fit into a tweet, which I received from @CHOW last week.
Once again, summer is nearly over. I hate to complain, but this one has been especially cold and foggy. Or maybe I just chose the wrong weeks to travel and missed all the sun. Either way, the plants in my garden are struggling - there are a few flowers, some raspberries, brussels sprouts, apples and a few straggly carrots ready to eat. I have a feeling that more than lack of the sun in the sky, this garden suffered at the hands of my own son, who enjoys tormenting me by changing settings on the irrigation timer.
Late this summer, my family and I pitched a tent at Eatwell Farm, which is where most of the produce we eat is grown. Farmer Nigel Walker and his partner, Lorraine, had graciously invited us and other CSA members out to the farm for an event called "Do Nothing Weekend". We spent our days swimming in the pond, canoeing on the pond, drinking lots of house-made soda, counting feral cats and generally lounging around.
