Superstar Kale Salad

By Linda Anusasananan
For The Family Table, a blog for busy families

I love the farmers' market. Today I found three bunches of kale for $5.

Bunches of curly green, Red Russian, and laciniato kale beckoned with their freshness. Since I wanted to use the kale raw, I tasted the leaves and chose the most tender and mild: the dark green laciniato with long, narrow leaves and a pebbly texture.

Once shunned, kale is the new superstar of greens, noted for its high concentration of antioxidant vitamins A, C and K. Often used for soups and long-cooked preparations, people are discovering creative ways to use this healthy green.

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Paring down

By Lori Powell
For One or Two Bites, a blog for singles and couples

So, Groundhog Day came and went and with it, the news that we have five to six weeks until spring. Feeling very inspired, I started on spring cleaning – or in my case, spring clearing – so that the cleaning part will be easier.

This past weekend, while Nemo was bearing down on the Northeast, I was pulling things from closets and making piles of no-longer-needed stuff that will be sold at yard sales or given away to Goodwill and the Salvation Army. Old books will be donated to the local library to make room for the stacks of new books that have not had a home on my limited shelf space.

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A Valentine’s Day Dessert for Cooking Newbies

By Ben Mims
For Cooking Newbie, a blog for beginner cooks

Most holidays can be daunting for the beginning cook, with many courses to serve to large groups of people. Valentine’s Day is the best time for a beginning cook to shine since he or she will be cooking for just two.

I find the best way to approach this day is to see it as a normal weeknight meal, but with the quality and care turned up a few notches.

Serve meatloaf, if that’s what you and your significant other go for, but make it with the best ground beef, pork or lamb you can find and maybe some homemade ketchup slathered on top.

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Brunch Recipes and Tips from Haydon Street Inn

By Sandy Hu
The latest from Inside Special Fork

A charming wine town where the Russian River, Dry Creek and Alexander Valley converge, Healdsburg is only an hour and a half away from San Francisco, driving north over the Golden Gate Bridge. But it feels like another world – the perfect escape when you’re desperate to get away, but just don’t have time to go anywhere far.

Despite its proximity to San Francisco, Steve and I like to stay overnight at a B&B to savor the adventure. On a recent Friday, we took off north on a whim and found the Haydon Street Inn.

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Scallion Pancakes for Chinese New Year

By Sandy Hu
A new video for Video Friday

Chinese New Year falls on Sunday, February 10, as we usher in the year of the snake. Despite our Chinese surname, our family doesn’t have a tradition of celebrating this important Chinese holiday. But we might cook up a few Chinese dishes, just to feel connected.

It you’re putting together a New Year menu in celebration, try this Scallion Pancake recipe from Andrew Hunter, for starters. He shows busy families how to shortcut the prep time by using flour tortillas instead of making the pancakes from scratch.

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