Dairy

Chicken Breasts Caprese with Ham

Autumn is rumored to have arrived in the northern hemisphere, but I’ve seen no sign of it yet at my Florida home. Here the temperature still hovers in the upper 80s F., as it has done for months. Shorts and tank tops are still de rigueur. And quickly cooked dishes [...]

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Cream of Pea Soup with Ginger and Cilantro

I feel that I can almost chart my culinary life with pea soup. It was the first dish I learned to “cook” at age six, and, as with other North Americans of my vintage, it involved a can of Campbell’s Split Pea. Mastering that canned soup gave me confidence to [...]

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Simple, Decadent Chocolate Bourbon Tart

Years ago, when it was my turn to cook a holiday dinner for my extended family, I realized I’d gotten myself in over my head. In fit of poor planning, I’d settled on a menu involving a great deal of fussy preparation and last-minute tending that would stretch my cooking [...]

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Tomato, Corn, and Cheese Tart with Basil

I’ve just returned from vacation at my little cabin in the woods of our family’s organic farm, Yellow Branch Farm, in the mountains of western North Carolina. Real farm labor, as always, was busily underway throughout my stay there. Cows were milked, artisanal cheeses made, vegetable and fruit gardens tended, [...]

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Tex-Mex Stuffed Peppers, 7-Layer Dip Style

Do you remember Tex-Mex 7-layer dip, the outrageously popular appetizer and party buffet table mainstay of the 1990s? I’ve certainly dunked more than my fair share of tortilla chips into that wonderful dip while attending other people’s parties. However, I’ve never actually served it at my own. This appetizer always [...]

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Tomato, Basil and Goat Cheese Gelatin Salad

I love jello. There, I actually said it. And I’ve never understood why it’s considered déclassé. It’s cool and refreshing in summer. It can be made with any number of fresh fruits, juices, vegetables, or seafoods. It’s pretty and fun to make. And finally, it jiggles. What’s not to love [...]

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Four Fruit Smoothie Popsicles: Mango, Raspberry Cheesecake, Blueberry/Coconut, and Avocado

“Summertime and the livin’ is easy….” That line from Ira and George Gershwin’s classic song keeps running through my head. Although “livin’” is supposed to be easy in summer, figuring out how to keep cool during the seasonal swelter can be quite a challenge where I live. Heating up the [...]

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Key Lime Cheesecake Bars

We Floridians don’t get serious about many things; witness our casual approach to the 2000 U.S. Presidential election. However, we and our sunstruck politicians can be roused by the important matter of key lime pie. In 2006, for example, after several months of vigorous debate in the Florida State Senate [...]

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Roasted Asparagus with Caesar Dressing

I do my best to eat produce grown locally and preferably sourced from my own organic garden. However, there are several temperate zone fruits and vegetables that refuse to grow in my semi-tropical part of Florida (I’ve tried) and are simply too tempting to live without. Who can resist the [...]

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Reuben “Sandwich” Bites

Grilled Reubens are my family’s idea of sandwich comfort food heaven, and it’s easy to see why. The origin of this superb sandwich is hotly contested, with some attributing it’s development to Omaha restauranteur Reuben Kulakofsky during the 1920s and others giving the nod to New York delicatessen owner Arnold [...]

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