Strawberries are just now coming into season. They’re a little later than usual because of the cold, rainy weather we’ve had. But they’re starting to arrive and I’m happy. I love strawberries. They’re just so darn pretty. Ruby red bulbs speckled with tiny yellowish seeds and green spikey leaves…they’re kinda punk rock. I like that.
I am usually very skilled at killing plants. Though my intentions are good and I try my best to keep them alive, they’d much prefer to croak than endure my underwatering/overwatering/too much sun/not enough sun/is this the right kind of soil efforts. If having a green thumb is necessary to sustain the lovely gifts of nature, then I’m all fingers. Until now. About a month ago I was given a gorgeous peppermint plant and somehow have been able to prevent the thing from succumbing to it’s Jaime-induced demise. In fact, it’s growing like crazy! So what’s a girl to do with all this beautiful mint? I decided to have a nice, little tea party. Mint-themed, and with gin. Heck yeah!
I love citrus. I use it in sweet dishes, savory dishes, condiments, sauces, salts, sugars, salsas, dressings, and of course beverages. Rarely do I make a cocktail without the addition of either lemon or lime…booze usually needs that little bit of zesty tartness to round out the “burn” of the alcohol and to mellow whatever sweetness was added, usually in the form of simple syrup, honey or straight up sugar.
It’s been fairly chilly lately. And very rainy. I’m ready for warm spring weather, bike rides, farmers markets, and fresh seasonal fruits and veggies. It’s getting closer, but mother nature has decided to keep us waiting a bit longer. Must. Be. Patient. (i’m not good at that)
Spring also gives us a push towards rejuvenation, towards wanting to treat our bodies better and gear up for the heat and activity that’s about to greet us in the coming weeks…or it’s just that we don’t want to shove these jiggly, sun-deprived thunder thighs into a pair of shorts. (for real, i’m not ready, not even close)
Sloppy Joe’s…you either love ’em or hate ’em. I love them; my husband hates them. He thinks they’re annoying and unnecessary. They’re messy; they drip all over your hands. As you eat them, you’re increasingly left with less between the bun and more on the plate…but that’s one of the things I love about them! When you’re finished noshing the sauce-soaked bun, you get to scoop up all the sloppy-laced fixins that lay strewn about on your plate. Maybe you politely scrape them up with a spoon…maybe you dig in with your fingers and shove the fallen goodies in your face. I’m just sayin.
This salad highlights the transition from winter to spring by combining tangy, juicy oranges with tender, nearly-sweet emerald spears of asparagus. It’s the baton hand-off in the relay of seasonal life. Orange tips it’s hat in farewell while asparagus extends it’s arms in a welcome “Hello”…Spring has arrived!
I am a very lucky mother…my son loves spinach. It was the first veggie we fed him when he was a baby and he’s gobbled it up ever since. But spinach usually gets a bad wrap from kids…they say it looks gross and tastes weird. Well, they’re wrong. And sometimes you just have to look them straight in the eye and tell them that. “Hey buddy, you’re wrong, spinach is awesome, it’s a superfood!” Yeah, go the superhero route. And throw in the word epic, they’re saying that these days…totally.
I was recently given a huge amount of carrots (we’re talking about the size of a small toddler) from a couple farmer friends of mine. The carrots had surprisingly survived the winter and I got to be one of the lucky recipients. My family loves carrots…in a major Bugs Bunny sort of way. So aside from packing them in lunches, I’ve been coming up with recipes that feature these lovely, orange-gold vitamin A-packed veggies. I’ve made a Spinach, Carrot and Brussels Sprout Pizza, Indian-spiced Carrot and Black Bean Stew, and Carrots and Brussels Sprouts with Penne and Peanut Sauce. We might be starting to turn orange at this point…I guess we’d fit in with the tanning-for-spring-break crowd. And yet, we just can’t get enough.
One of the simplest, little changes in your household can lead to a collectively huge environmental impact! Plus it’s affordable, fun, and let’s you be creative: reduce paper usage and waste by making the switch from paper napkins to cloth napkins.
The average person uses 2,200 paper napkins per year, which is about 6 napkins per day. If everyone used one less paper napkin per day, more than a billion pounds of napkins could be saved from landfills each year. That’s an equivalent to filling up the entire Empire State Building!
My son surprised me the other morning. He came to the table during breakfast carrying three Everyday Food magazines and said, “Mom, I was looking through these and picked out three recipes I’d like you to make.” What? My 10-year old son was looking at cooking magazines? And actually found it interesting enough to pick out some recipes? I turned giddy. I instantly had visions of us spending hours cooking together, watching cooking shows together, talking about recipe ideas and interesting ingredients. I said, “Sure, of course! We can make them together!” He showed me the recipes, we tagged the pages, and the plan was set in motion.
the Seasonal Veg Head 