I love a good salad. In fact salads are the backbone of my summer (and often autumn, winter and spring) menus. They can be made ahead and at times even improve with advance preparation, leaving me free near dinner time to focus on other parts of the meal or on other things […]
A good tomato sauce is at the heart of many wonderful meals. Seasoned with garlic, onion and herbs, a rich tomato sauce is a classic. My family just called it Spaghetti Sauce while using it to pull together a variety of recipes. It is delicious on its own over a […]
An herb garden filled with parsley is the perfect complement to both basil and butterflies. Fresh from the garden, parsley blended with basil makes a delicious Pesto Sauce. If you plant enough you can also gladly share your parsley with handsome caterpillars that will soon become Swallowtail Butterflies.
The blend of luscious fruit with savory basil and crisped prosciutto make Nectarine Bites a pleasingly light yet flavorful starter.
It’s mid-May, late spring and the last day for Starbucks Frappuccino Happy Hour. Friday was the only day of these past ten when the temperature tempted me to take advantage of this special deal and indulge in one of those frosty blended beverages. As pretty as they looked on the […]
This has been the best summer yet in my backyard garden. I have grown nice gardens before but when we moved to the Pacific Northwest, over a decade ago, I found myself facing a whole new set of gardening challenges.
I plan to avoid the heat of the day by baking these delicious Blueberry White Chocolate Bars early. Maybe I’ll serve them for an afternoon snack with a glass of iced tea or some beautiful Lavender Lemonade…
Summer’s Heat Summer’s heat has descended on the Portland area this week. Everywhere I go people are trying to outdo each other in relating the dire forecasts they have heard for a record breaking heatwave in the days to come. I smile and nod my head trying to suppress my […]
One of my favorite things about summer in this part of the country is the glorious local blueberries that are so abundant in markets at this time of year. From tiny and tart to huge and juicy-sweet…
Rattlesnake Beans lose their distinct markings when cooked. Luckily Heirloom Tomato Vinaigrette makes this dish a stand out all on its own.
Summer Berry Basil Sauce is sweetened with a touch of honey and spiced with warm notes of cinnamon and the soothing summer aroma of fresh basil. This sweet treat takes only a few minutes to prepare and the result is simply fabulous.
I just love Jamie Oliver. I used to watch Oliver’s Twist and I would get hungry just listening to him talk about food. (It’s probably the accent!) I can remember drooling over the risotto he cooked. It sounded so good that I even tried it myself, carefully watching and following […]