Insights about issues that come up with home gardening, and how we handled them (or didn’t).
Lessons From the Garden
Category: Kitchen Smarts
5 Lessons Learned From Julia Child
A reflection on the joy, ease, and comfortable approach Julia Child brought to cooking.
Our Basic Grilling Guide & Great Grilling Sides
Grilling season… the most wonderful time of year when you can bring the cooking outside and when pots and pans don’t greet you after a delicious dinner! As we embark on another season of warm weather cooking, it seems like the right time for a little “grill basics” refresher.
Better Green Beans
Rubbery, squeaky, or mushy. Those are the dreaded descriptors that but many people off green beans. At their best, however, green beans can be crunchy, snappy, and crispy. They add green to your plate, and green is a color many of us could stand to eat a little more of. Let’s talk about two techniques to improve your green bean game.
Better Kale
There are two vocal camps of people when it comes to kale: those who can’t get enough of it, and those who think it’s more garnish than food. How you prepare it, however, can change someone’s mind from kale-hater to kale-fan in a single dish…if you know the right tricks.
Better Brussels Sprouts
The first thing to understand about the bad reputation of Brussels sprouts is that it used to be deserved. Farmers have been working hard, however, to develop varietals that taste better, which is one reason they’re experiencing something of a Renaissance. They can still be tricky to work with for textural and flavor reasons. When they come out well, however, they’re worth the effort
Better Cauliflower
Cauliflower contains sulfuric compounds that release when its cooked, which can make this delicious and versatile vegetable less than a family favorite. Here are a few tips to keep the smell down so it doesn’t occlude your enjoyment of an otherwise magnificent vegetable.
Love is Shakshuka
Shakshuka is not a well-known dish in all parts of the U.S. I only learned about it from a little cafe in Philadelphia when I was traveling for a conference a few years ago. I fell in love immediately and started looking for variations for Guiding Stars. For me, discovering new dishes from different cultures is a small and delicious reminder of the richness diversity brings to our lives.