a day in the garden

Last Saturday, Ryan and I spent a few hours with my mother, strolling through her garden and then enjoying the best BBQ in Texas. I grew up in my mother's house, and every time I go back there the warmth of home overcomes me. Being home, for me, is zen.And since my mother has poured so much love into her garden, it feels all the more wonderful to be there. The connection, on so many levels, to the earth--and not just any earth, but particularly the earth that my sister and brother and I grew up on--is so clear as we walk through the paths, lean down and touch the living greens, smell the soil...

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strawberry jam forever

When Ryan gave me the bread machine, I was pretty thrilled to see that aside from making breads, and doughs, and gluten-free goodies, it also had a jam and chutney setting. I'd never made homemade jam or jelly before, but with a couple of days stuck inside last week thanks to a springtime cold, I had to fill my latent hours with kitchen crafts.So I washed and hulled two pounds of organic strawberries--picked up on sale at the local grocery for $2.99/pound--and tossed them in a dish. Based on recipes I'd read online, I came up with my own and added one cup of granulated sugar, the juice of one...

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dog biscuits II: peanut butter crunchables

When I mention that I spend a couple hours of my free time once in a while making dog treats for my dog (and organic, for that matter), my words are usually met a grandiose roll of the eye. "You make treats for your dog???" they ask, as if I've just explained that yes, I've always had this second nose, and no, I'm not endowed with a superhuman olfactory sense.The truth of the matter is, it's cheaper to make 'em than to buy 'em--for $8, you can buy a 1-pound bag of "all natural" dog treats. However, you've got to carefully read that label for any kind of funky fillers. But for about $2 at home...

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holy moly hot beans

You know how I like to tinker with recipes? Blatantly ignore the well-tested instructions heeded by countless others because I think my take on things might add a nice little punch? Well, in this case, it was more like being run over by a semi than landing a "nice little punch" on the tastebuds. Hailing from this great state, it's hard not to have an affinity for pinto beans, any style. I grew up eating them Nan Byfield style, simmered on the stove with saltpork and served with hot sweet cornbread and--this is the weird part--topped with spoonfuls of dill relish. Since I introduced Ryan to...

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Efficiency? I’ve got it.

A couple of days ago, we were blessed by the first drops of rain in what feels like ages. Seeing as how Texas is currently facing the worst drought in fifty years, the rain, which has continued through the week, has been something to celebrate. Just try explaining the need for precipitation to my dog, who has been inventing her own inside games this week, like "let's see how many toys we can collect in the middle of the floor". In any case, the welcomed rain coupled with unwelcome 40-degree temperatures called for a hot pot of soup. Inspired by our impulse buy from the bulk bins at Sun Harvest...

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snap cracker pop

A couple of weeks ago, on a whim (now really, does that surprise you?), I made crackers. Just your basic, run-of-the-mill, flour and water and salt crackers.Let me tell you something....they were a smash hit. Probably one of the easiest recipes I've ever thrown together, it resulted in snappy, salty snacks that were tons better than their store-bought counterparts. And that's not all: at the cost of, oh, fifty cents, I made a batch of fresh crackers that would have cost (for organic and sea-salted, which is what I made at home) upwards of $2 or even $3.This simple money-saving recipe is totally...

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stocking up on stock

The rumors are true: homemade stock is better than store-bought! So listen up, home cooks. Get out your pencils and take notes. This has become one of my favorite home kitchen tricks. After reading what felt like a million articles about making stock at home, and tiring of forking over $3/quart for the organic stuff, I took Bittman's advice and opted to start making my own. The first batch was veggie stock, and while I wouldn't call it devoid of flavor, it lacked something. Batch number two involved the leftover bones and bits from a store-bought rotisserie chicken. All the veggies in the fridge...

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missin' the kitchen

howdy, faithful blog readers! once each month, i hit a lull in the cooking--this month it was due to an unfortunately spicy pot of beans, coupled with deadline and a trip to wisconsin for a press ok (which is where i'm writing from right now). but it hasn't been all failures in the kitchen; stay tuned for a brush-up on the peanut butter dog biscuits (a hit!) and a note about roasted chick...

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