Fried Ripe Tomatoes (Gluten-free or not)

Fried Ripe Tomatoes are a cousin to classic fried green tomatoes.  Green tomatoes fry up well because they are still a bit hard.  You can dredge them in batter or cornmeal, throw them into hot oil and they do not fall apart.  Fried Green tomatoes are often served with remoulade or some sort or spicy…

Eastern Tennessee Harvest- Succotash

When I was in the fourth grade, I found a recipe for succotash in the recipe section of the local newspaper.  It caught my fancy, and my mother agreed to help me make it.  Succotash is corn and lima bean stew but I am pretty sure that the newspaper recipe included ground meat of some kind. …

Cooling Kohlrabi and Apple Salad

This crunchy salad is dressed with yogurt, mint and tangy Middle Eastern seasonings.  There is something very familiar about this salad, but it took me a while to place it. I have mentioned before that I spent my early childhood in a house with no junk food.  When I was little (kindergarten) I attended a…

Feeding the Masses of Miniature Spectacle Makers!

Lately, I have been very focused on helping with the 10th International Toy Theater Festival.  This festival inspired me to begin making my own puppet shows in the 90s, and it is still my favourite festival in the wide world.  It is produced by Great Small Works, a group of theater makers whom I admire…

Raw Asparagus Salad/ Asparagus, Avocado and Goat Cheese Open-Faced Sandwich

Recipes for raw asparagus salad have been catching my eye lately….Raw Asparagus and Quinoa Salad on My Darling Lemon Thyme, Asparagus Mint Slaw on Saveur and sooooo many recipes for raw shaved asparagus with lemon and pecorino.  It turns out the raw asparagus is nutty and delicious, especially right now when you can get it all tender…

Watercress Salad with Avocado and Broiled Pineapple

Happy Mother’s Day!!  This is a recipe for my mother and also for anyone else who reads this blog in Hawaii (where I grew up).  I have made this fabulous salad recipe, from Gran Cocina Latina: The Food of Latin America by way of Food 52, many times in the last few weeks.  It is really good, even…

Watercress and Buttermilk Vichyssoise

I am rediscovering my love of watercress.  It was my favourite green vegetable in my college years.  Every week I would make one of my three watercress dishes. 1. Pasta with watercress arugola and goat cheese 2. Tomato soup with watercress 3. Watercress and arugula salad with sun dried tomatoes and marinated artichoke hearts.  I…

Fried Lima Beans with Feta, Sorrel, Sumac and Lemon

This recipe combines beans that originated in Peru with cooking techniques and spices from the Middle East AND the little green things that are starting to come out of the ground at this moment in New York State.  It used up a few delicious green spring herbs (ramps and sorrel) that I had enthusiastically purchased…

Four Weird and Delicious Pestos

I know this is weird, but I don’t make basil pesto.  I make pesto for three reasons. 1.  I have some sad bunch of green something that I did not use in a timely fashion, but cannot stand to throw away, so I make it into pesto.   The truth is, I do not buy…

Crushed Green Olive Salad with Celery and Mint

I knew I was going to love this salad as soon as I read the recipe.  I am a big fan of good green olives and celery.  In fact, when I travel I always pack green olives and celery as an airplane snack.  Also, this salad has mint in it and I love mint in…