Turning the Soil

Enter to win a collection of food items from France, selected by Sandy, along with Around my French Table cookbook by Dorie Greenspan. To enter the sweepstakes, go to http://bit.ly/YGrDyy. Follow Sandy in France on Twitter to keep updated on new goodies for the prize package.

By Andrew Hunter
For The Family Table, a blog for busy families

Another year, another planting. It feels good to turn winter’s settled soil and plant spring seedlings for a summer harvest. Turning the soil mixes the nutrients and readies the ground for planting. For the boys and us, planting teaches the importance of sustainability and regenerating our mind, body and spirit.

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On a Roll with Tuna

Enter to win a collection of food items from France, selected by Sandy, along with Around my French Table cookbook by Dorie Greenspan. To enter the sweepstakes, go to http://bit.ly/YGrDyy. Follow Sandy in France on Twitter to keep updated on new goodies for the prize package.

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

I have written many times about my summer vacation in Maine and the food that I've enjoyed there. Since August is still a long time away for me to grab a real Maine lobster roll and since lobsters, at the moment, are a bit pricey, I decided to make a roll with a more affordable filling. Also, my other inspiration was that I found in my local Hannaford’s, top-split hot dog rolls, more commonly known as New England-style rolls.

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Chocolate-Nut Bars: the Perfect Dinner Party Dessert

Enter to win a collection of food items from France, selected by Sandy, along with Around my French Table cookbook by Dorie Greenspan. To enter the sweepstakes, go to http://bit.ly/YGrDyy. Follow Sandy in France on Twitter to keep updated on new goodies for the prize package.

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

Whenever I’m invited to dinner parties, I’m usually always asked to bring a dessert. I used to bring pies and cakes and large family-style desserts to make an impression. But as I’ve been to more and more, I’ve realized that what most people want after a large meal is really just a small nibble of something really indulgent. That’s why these days I always bring cookies. But they can’t just be sugar cookies; they need to have a little more panache.

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Everything is Beautiful at the Marché

Enter to win a collection of food items from France, selected by Sandy, along with Around my French Table cookbook by Dorie Greenspan. To enter the sweepstakes, go to http://bit.ly/YGrDyy. Follow Sandy in France on Twitter to keep updated on new goodies for the prize package.

By Sandy Hu
The latest from Inside Special Fork

Saturday at the marché in Arles, I was reminded once again why I had wanted to make this town our home base during our vacation in Provence. We are staying, instead, in Avignon. Avignon is beautiful and we have a chic (and affordable) apartment inside the walled city. No problem there.

But the Saturday market in Arles is my favorite, and all the fabulous food stalls beckon, making me want to go home and cook. I kept humming the song from A Chorus Line...Everything is beautiful at the (instead of ballet) marché. Because everything IS beautiful, from the most gorgeous fruits and vegetables, to the luscious cheeses, the crusty breads and flaky pastries, the meats and seafood, the herbs and spices, the honey...

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Spaghetti Primavera

Enter to win a collection of food items from France, selected by Sandy, along with Around my French Table cookbook by Dorie Greenspan. To enter the sweepstakes, go to http://bit.ly/YGrDyy. Follow Sandy in France on Twitter to keep updated on new goodies for the prize package.

By Andrew Hunter
For The Family Table, a blog for busy families

Primavera means spring, and spring has officially sprung. It’s time to enjoy longer days, warmer temperatures and the beautiful spring produce in our markets.

In our house, we try our best to cook with the season’s crops, so when it comes to spaghetti, we make Bolognese in the winter, chilled pasta with roasted corn and chicken in the summer, and caramelized butternut squash with sage and hazelnuts in the fall.

So Primavera is the hit this spring and much lighter than its winter cousin. We use a fruity olive oil, tomato puree – because fresh tomatoes aren’t quite in season yet – and loads of green veggies.

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