When you grow up in New England, you usually gain a fondness for seafood since it’s prevalent, fresh and really delicious. So that’s where my love of clam ‘chowda’ began. . . But before we go any further, I feel it’s important to qualify myself. When I talk about New England clam chowder (a.k.a. chowda),…
A Batch of Red Sauce
I’m not Italian, but I adore Italian food, and my obsession started as a kid. My family’s old farmhouse had a big yard with a field that backed up to our Italian neighbors. I was friends with their granddaughter, who lived there with her brother, mother and grandparents, and it was my first exposure to…
Zucchini Pancakes with Blistered Tomatoes & Basil
Zucchini is being grown right now at local farms like Geraldson Community Farm and Honeyside Farms, so you should be able to find it at the farmer’s market, but it’s also available year-round from growing zones outside of Florida. This squash is great because it can be used in a variety of dishes like bread,…
Blueberry-Basil Crisp
There are few desserts I love more than warm, berry crisp. Think about it – your spoon breaks through that crunchy, buttery layer of goodness, then it dives deeper into soft, warm, gooey fruit. And, as you raise that drippy spoon to your mouth, you can’t help but anticipate how delicious it will be once…
Creamy Rice, Pineapple & Orange Pudding
When Easter rolls around I think of family dinners around my grandmother’s table. Dinner usually included baked ham with sweet and cinnamon-y pineapple sauce, creamy scalloped potatoes, fresh asparagus and homemade rolls, and it has always been one of my favorite meals. But dessert was also a treat. She usually served lemon meringue pie (or…
Roasted Carrots with Orange-Cumin Butter
Spring is a great time to pick up fresh carrots, ideally the little ones with their greens still attached, which is usually a sign of freshness. Since I had no luck growing carrots in my own garden this year (they simply gave up), I got my hands on these beauties, lovingly grown at Geraldson Community…
Roasted Shrimp with Lemongrass, Lime & Cilantro Sauce
A tasty sauce adds flair to whatever you pair it with, and it even has the potential to become the star of the dish. When pairing a sauce with something, I try to not create flavor competition. Basically, if I’m making a zippy, very flavorful sauce, I tone down its partner. The same is true if…
Kale Salad with Sweet Chili Dressing
All Hail Kale! Yes, it’s time for another kale salad, and this one celebrates the hearty crop of kale in my garden. Hubby and I are pleased with our ability to grow kale and, for first-time Florida gardeners, it’s one of our big successes. Look how beautiful it is: Unlike some near-misses and shear disasters…
Field Trip Friday – Culverhouse Community Garden
(Field Trip Fridays capture interesting, fun, food-related and/or fishing adventures that I like to share with you!). Merriam-Webster defines a community as “a unified body of individuals,” and a garden as “a plot of ground where herbs, fruits, flowers, or vegetables are cultivated.” Pretty simplistic definitions of each, but when you blend the two, as…
Roasted Beet & Basil Salad
Late last Fall, my husband and I built our first raised beds for our new garden. Let me just say that we are NOT experienced gardeners, and whatever knowledge I retained from my childhood vegetable gardening in New England is pretty much irrelevant when it comes to Florida gardening. . .But as Canadian farmer Brian…
Seville Orange Curd
In the course of my 50 years, I’ve enjoyed many tasty desserts and have to say that I’m partial to those that are citrus-based. When Easter rolls around, I especially crave lemon meringue pie because it was always on our family’s holiday table. But that’s not to say I would turn away zingy lemon tarts,…
Spicy Beef with Green Papaya Slaw
If you read my recent Field Trip Friday about Mustang Flea Market, you know that this long-time market in Florida is a treasure trove of produce, mostly Asian. As you know by now, I love to try new foods (well, fish eyes and feet of any kind might be off my list), but pretty much…