Apricot Jam Captures a Fleeting Taste of Summer

By Sandy Hu

When our boys were young, Steve and I used to do some home canning in the kitchen of our two-bedroom condominium in San Francisco. We did it for the cost savings.

Paying tuition at the French-American International School for our two boys and funding their extra-curricular activities meant that going home to Hawaii was a stretch for us. And, a trip home always involved taking food gifts to family and friends, following the Japanese custom of gifting, omiyage. One way we could ease the budget was to make some of the omiyage ourselves.

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Chicken Piccata – Easy Answer to a Busy Weeknight Dinner

By Allison Kociuruba

When I’m having a busy week and need to get dinner on the table, I turn to an easy one-skillet dish, Chicken Piccata. It’s delicious and requires a few ingredients that I usually keep on hand (or on a short shopping list to pick up).

In this classic Italian recipe, a simple sauce of butter, lemon juice, parsley and capers adds a punch of flavor to chicken breasts. I serve it with a simple side of steamed vegetables or a spinach salad. Depending on my mood, I’ll sometimes add chopped artichoke hearts or green olives to the sauce.

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Dinner on the Run

By Marilyn Hunter

My first taste of pepperoni bread was several years ago on a cross-country road trip. A friend’s mom baked it for our long journey so we could make better time with fewer food stops. I’ve never forgotten her generosity or the convenience of eating something so delicious on the road.

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Cook Simply in the Summer

By Lori Powell

Summer is one of those seasons where it’s easy to cook for just one or two. For one thing, you have the most amazing vegetables, fruits and herbs at this time of year. When you have the best the season has to offer, cooking simply is really all that is required!

It’s the season of the corn on the cob. There are so many ways to prepare it but the cardinal rule is just keep it simple. See the photo below for a quick and easy way to get those crunchy kernels off the cob.

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Micro Magic: Baking in July

By Katie Barreira

‘Microwave? Who needs it?’ was once my party line on the high-frequency heating device. In a kitchen with limited space, a microwave oven seemed like a waste of precious real estate.

I had teakettle for hot water, an oven for reheating and a double boiler for more delicate jobs. While it may have made things quicker, the microwave wasn’t offering me anything I didn’t already have…that counter space was reserved for the fryolator.

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