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From Our Blog Archives
Five Voices
Tue, June 03, 2008
from Shannon
An hour before my friend Christine was coming over to make Cherry Almond Granola for our Breakfast Foods swap, I was really excited. I still hadn’t really heard about her trip to Spain and Morocco, we needed to talk about planning an auction later this month for a local hospital, and just needed to catch up on our lives.
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Teach Your Friends Well
Wed, June 04, 2008
from Alison
Sometimes cooking with a friend can be selfless. Yesterday was one of those days. I got together with my friend Christina in order to demonstrate the simplicity of making homemade granola.
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Serendipity in Cooking
Thu, June 05, 2008
from Shannon
When three of our friends were making muffins recently, they were having such a great time talking, laughing and hanging out that they forgot...the milk.
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Leftover Lentils
Mon, June 09, 2008
from Alison
Last week, Suzy and I made a ton of salads and wound up with a huge amount of leftover lentils. Just as I was about to toss what we didn’t use into the garbage, I decided to hold off in the hopes that I could find a future use for them. They sat for several days in my vegetable crisper as I waited for a light bulb to go off. I waited. Nothing.
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American Cooking
Tue, June 10, 2008
from Shannon
It’s always fun to introduce someone new to the idea of Cooking With Friends. This past weekend, a friend came to visit us from Washington, D.C. He’s single, young, and a doctor, working long hours. He never, ever cooks for himself. It’s just me, he says, and then there are the dishes to clean up.
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Better Biscotti
Wed, June 11, 2008
from Alison
For years, I’ve been trying to perfect biscotti. I play with flavor, texture and even size. This little biscuit is finicky – a few too many minutes in the oven will make it overly crunchy. An extra tablespoon of butter makes it too soft. But I’ve also learned that there are a wide range of preferences among biscotti lovers and you can’t please them all. Some people like them chewy (like my husband) and others like them extra crunchy (well, me). Let’s just say that perfecting this delectable and low fat treat hasn’t been the easiest cooking task I’ve tackled.
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Stove Strike
Thu, June 12, 2008
from Shannon
It’s not officially summer yet, but all around the nation the weather is heating up, causing many of us to go on a stove strike. It’s a great time for our Cool Cucumber Dill Soup (see home page) or to throw together a Garden Vegetable Salad or Gazpacho with very little effort or cooking.
Our friend Kim O’Donnel, who writes about food for washingtonpost.com and realsimple.com this week asked a dozen food writers (including us!) for their hot weather cooking tips. It’s a great blog, check it out at:
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/mighty-appetite/2008/06/cooling_off_with_hot_food_writ.html
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Sweating Three Berry Jam
Mon, June 16, 2008
from Alison
Three friends together in one extremely hot kitchen making a three berry jam. That was Jennifer, Jackie and I the other day, despite the heat advisories and early school closings.
With only a small fan blowing a bit of relief towards us, the three of us stood in Jenn’s non-air conditioned kitchen over a hot stove boiling berries, sugar and pectin while the dishwasher worked at maximum heat sterilizing jars. That’s probably NOT what the weather man had in mind when he recommended that we stay indoors. In retrospect, our day and our determination to make jam, was somewhat comical.
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Stretching Muscles
Tue, June 17, 2008
from Shannon
A ski instructor once told me since he started skiing, he thinks about it even when he isn’t really thinking about it. He might stand on an escalator almost unconsciously moving the right way, exercising muscles on the off-season. You might have had the same experience when you’re learning a new language or skill, like Yoga or knitting.
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In Anticipation of Vacation
Wed, June 18, 2008
from Alison
The week before my vacation, I’m spending a lot of time day dreaming about the foods that my family has missed for the past year: Razor clams, Goose neck barnacles fresh grilled sea bream, lemons picked from our own trees and fragrant rosemary bushes. I can picture the fresh melons, cucumbers, cauliflower, peaches, oranges and avocados overflowing in crates set out on the cobblestone town square by weathered farmers. As I pick my way through, I am busy creating the next meal in my head.
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Endless Inspiration
Mon, June 23, 2008
from Alison
It was the first Tuesday of the CSA (Consumer Supported Agriculture) season and I went to pick up my share of farm fresh vegetables. I couldn’t wait! If not for my cranky toddler, it would have been a perfect moment.
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Cherry Capital
Thu, June 26, 2008
from Shannon
I’m about to be in a two-bedroom Lake Michigan beach house with a dozen people, and I can’t wait.
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While I’m Away
Mon, June 30, 2008
from Alison
While I’m away, my herbs and vegetables will keep growing. The basil, cilantro and chives will beg for someone to snip them; my zucchini and beans will bear their first fruits and flowers.
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