Ratatouille – a Provençal Taste of Summer

By Sandy Hu

In the summer, I dream of Provence – the dry-hot heat, cicadas thrumming, fields of sunflowers and lavender, and farmers’ markets filled to bursting with fresh produce of the region. One day, I want to rent a little house in the country and spend a few weeks reading, puttering about, shopping with my straw basket on market days and cooking leisurely meals while I sip delicious Provençal rosés.

I was in a Provençal state of mind, when I invited my Twitter friend from Hawaii to dinner last Wednesday night. So I made a simple meal starting with tapenade and crostini. Steve grilled a butterflied leg of lamb marinated in olive oil and garlic. And to complete the menu, I roasted some new potatoes, made ratatouille and baked lemon tart for dessert.

Click to read more ...

How to Beat Egg Whites

By Colleen Boyd

Whipped egg whites have numerous applications. Some of the more common uses are to lighten cake batters, bake airy meringue cookies and to top pies.

But it can be intimidating when a recipe calls for whipped egg whites. You might find yourself asking one or all of these questions: Why do some recipes call for soft peaks and other for stiff peaks? When should I add the sugar? Can you over-beat egg whites?

Well don't worry, with a little inside information, the help of a few simple tricks and this video demo, you too can master this versatile technique!

Click to read more ...

A Garden in a Box

By Andrew Hunter

Who would have thought a garden could come in a box? I was waiting for an early afternoon coffee at a grocery store Starbuck’s when I spotted this box. I was intrigued because it read, “great for kids,” so after I got my espresso I went back to check it out.

The box claims you can grow oyster mushrooms on your kitchen counter. So I bought it and brought it home. Together, the boys and I followed simple directions where we cut open a bag, soaked it in water for 12 hours, misted it occasionally and, voila…a few days later baby mushrooms sprouted. The very next day, mushrooms were ready for harvest. It even grew a second round of the precious crop.

Click to read more ...

Happy Father’s Day

By Lori Powell

To all the dads out there who love a barbecue...this one’s for you!

I grew up in a small cape house on Long Island with four brothers. Even the dog was a boy. So it’s funny that whenever grilling was involved, and especially protein, I was the go-to grill girl!

Even if I wasn’t technically manning the grill, one of my brothers would be yelling for me to come over and do the finger test to see if the meat was done. I had the magic touch to see if a steak or chop was cooked to perfection. In the case of steak, medium rare for most of the crowd and then…yikes, well done for my dad.

Click to read more ...

The Sweet Spot for Sweet Cherries

By Katie Barreira

Like most stone fruits, sweet cherries are highly seasonal. In fact, they obtain almost half of their flavor and heft in the week before they are picked. Because cherries only ripen on the vine (some fruits can reach their peak after being picked) you’ll want to eat them at the height of the season and that means right now!

The very first of California’s cherries arrived in stores around the first of May and, according to the president of the Northwest Cherry Association, that region’s ruby crop shipped around the first week in June. So what are you waiting for?

Click to read more ...