Visiting Florida farmers markets this time of year is so fun. It’s easy to find beautiful carrots with their greens attached, huge celery bursting with crunchiness, bright greens, deep purple eggplant, colorful peppers, big bunches of fresh herbs, and more. I don’t have a bag or basket big enough to carry everything I’d like…
Appetizers & Snacks
Strawberries & Cinnamon Mascarpone
“It’s time to get off the sugar train!” I exclaimed to my hubby Monday morning. To my surprise, he said he was ready to disembark, too. As I write this, 96 hours have passed since deciding to cut out refined sugar and carbs (for one month, that is, in order to push the reset…
5 Uses for Fresh Lemongrass
Lemongrass is a lovely, citrus scented herb in the grass family – it has a very pleasing lemon scent, and cooking with it offers none of the bitterness of the actual lemon, so it’s versatile in sweet or savory dishes, spicy or mild. But do you find yourself with lots of lemongrass and don’t know…
Crispy Corn Fritters
Cinco de Mayo! It’s the day Mexico commemorates its unexpected victory over French forces in 1862 during the Battle of Puebla (I just learned that). Here in America we join in the celebration by enjoying all those tasty treats that run deep in Mexican heritage and I, for one, will be enjoying cold margaritas, (many)…
Crispy, Crunchy Chickpeas
On Monday morning I pulled out my old juicer with the intention of dedicating two days to a fresh juice fast. I wanted to do something different to start my week, determined to only consume fresh vegetable and fruit juices, and I’ve heard health experts and nutritionists say it’s good to do periodically, so…
Classic Shrimp Salad With a Twist
Having a recipe in your arsenal that you can use in a variety of ways depending on what’s in your kitchen, how many guests unexpectedly show up at your door, or the number of calories you want to consume, comes in handy. This shrimp salad is one of those recipes. . . Shrimp is the…
Nopales Salad & Fried Plantains
I recently visited the Sarasota Swap Meet to do some research for an article I’m writing for Visit Sarasota. There weren’t many vendors, but that’s probably because it was Sunday, off season, and a scorcher of a day. I saw lots of gently-used treasures, but the best stuff was at the Latin produce vendor tent…
Lime, Honey & Rosemary Popcorn
When I was a kid my mom made popcorn in her pressure cooker pan (without the valve, of course) on the stovetop, and that pan always made a perfect batch. Today, I still like to cook it at home — finished with just a simple dusting of salt (or none at all, for that matter)….
Grilled Peaches, Ricotta, Honey & Thyme
Florida’s (short) peach season has come and gone, and I never did get my hands on any local beauties — it seems markets were either sold out or they just didn’t arrive in the volume expected. Alas, I’ll just have to wait until next year. . . But I did get my hands on some…
Classic Peel & Eat Shrimp
I sometimes get creative in the kitchen with seafood or produce in an attempt to offer new possibilities using ‘old standards’. But sometimes an ingredient simply begs to be used in a classic dish. When my friends at Left Coast Seafood Company recently offered me some fresh Gulf shrimp, I was SO excited. Those talented…
Radish Crostini
When it comes to comfort food the ones I reach for are those that perform well in small bowls and are eaten with a spoon – you know, things like home made soup, creamy polenta, ice cream, oatmeal, buttered noodles, mac & cheese, chili, etc. Holding a little bowl of something creamy, soft or warm…
Colorful Tomato Tartines
When you see the word ‘tartine’ (pronounced tar-teen) on a menu do you assume it’s something fancy because it’s French? Well, today we’re going to put that assumption to bed, because a tartine is basically an open-faced sandwich on a toasted piece of bread with something tasty on it. That’s it. But talk about possibilities!…
