I’ve been making some version of these herbed “bar snack” nuts for about fifteen years now, and it’s only in the last few that I’ve noticed a quirk—a quirk not in the recipe, but rather a quirk in me. It seems I pick out all the almonds first. What’s up with that? I love almonds….
Category: ate it up
consumed
The Gottahave
Every family has that gotta-have-it dish, the one somebody’s been making for so long that no one remembers who first brought it or where the recipe came from. One year, it’s accidentally left off the Thanksgiving checklist—or some smartypants decides to try a version she saw in Gourmet or the Times or Jamie Oliver or…
Puff-Pastry Tomato Tarts
The Great British Baking Show. Love it. Every season, it seems like Paul and Mary have the bakers make puff pastry at least three or four times. I’m mesmerized anew each time. I’ve tried it myself from scratch exactly once. Made the lean dough (yes, by hand and pastry scraper). Chilled it. Pounded the butter…
Suffers’ Succotash
“Come on, let me cook for you, baby.” Cheeky video aside, The Suffers’ Make Some Room is one of my favorite love songs ever, all about giving and sharing and doing for the folks we care most about. It was even in the running for the First Dance at our wedding last March. But truly,…
Barbeetcue Sauce?
This is a weird one. But if you’re a fan of pickled beets, you’ll love it. And even if you think you’re not a fan of pickled beets, you might love it, too. Sweet and cinnamon-y, it’s a natural when spread on toasts—or even a bagel—over a schmear of creamy cheese. The rice vinegar’s tang…
Tahini Slaw
Sure, sure, you could say this is just a riff on the salad I posted last winter, the one with the shaved Brussels and kale with tahini-lemon-maple dressing. But this one’s way different. For one thing, there’s cabbage in this one—big heads, not those little mini guys. And for another, there’s honey, not maple syrup….
Get Dipped, Get Sauced, Get Dressed
Tender herbs can be tough. Basil and cilantro and parsley, especially—whether from my CSA or from the grocery store—seem to arrive in bunches so generous that it’s rare I can use them up before they turn yellow and limp (or black and slimy). A pesto batch makes a quick dispatch of the basil. And a…
Squash Blossom Specials
Yesterday, for the first time in years, our sharebox included a carton of squash blossoms—a dozen or so beauties, each about four inches long. I knew they wouldn’t last long, even in the fridge, so I wanted to use them right away. There you go. A double-dip, blossom-binge day: Squash Poppers stuffed with goat cheese to…
Endless Summer Salad
All summer long, my Grandma Morsch had a bowl of this refreshing, sweet-and-sour salad in the fridge. It’s possible, actually, that it was the same bowl all summer long. Well, for a couple weeks in a row, anyway. Because after supper, when the vessel’s contents were more brine than veg, she’d just slice in another…
Rhubarb & Chard (& Mustard Seeds & Sausage)
Okay, so it’s not exactly “Hey, you got your chocolate in my peanut butter!” territory, but it’s close. Over high heat, the rhubarb breaks down quickly, dissolving into a sauce that slicks the dark, tannic greens; those tannins—and the rhubarb’s citrusy tang—work to balance the rich sausage; the mustard seeds weigh in with a little pop of…
