Vegetables

Mom’s Hot “German” Potato Salad

Let me make a confession. I’m not very good at following recipes. On the rare occasion when I actually have a recipe in front of me while cooking, I feel compelled to tinker with it by adding a pinch of this or a splash of that. Or I transform it [...]

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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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Green Tomato Salsa Verde

September is a month when many home gardeners in the northern hemisphere start monitoring weather forecasts in earnest. Nighttime temperatures are dropping, but plenty of green tomatoes remain on the vine that will likely get zapped by cold weather in coming days or weeks. Pick them now, or hold off [...]

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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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Fresh Zucchini Pickle, Asian Style

Do you have zucchinis (courgettes) growing in your garden now? Have you reached the panic stage yet about what to do with them all? Most home gardeners I know have a love-hate relationship with this vegetable. They love it because it’s both delicious and productive. And they hate it because, [...]

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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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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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Shrimp, Scallop, Corn and Tomato Chowder

When an American hears the term “chowder” it typically brings to mind three very traditional hearty soups: “New England style” seafood chowder with its heavily thickened cream or milk base, “Manhattan style” seafood chowder with a base of chopped or pureed tomatoes, and vegetarian corn chowder which typically involves a [...]

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