This Food and Wine cold soup is fresh, complex and the perfect answer to your, “I have too many cucumbers in my garden” dilemma. And if you don’t have too many cucumbers but just want something refreshing, creamy and tangy, then make this soup. One might think a cucumber soup might be a little banal, but this one is memorable and totally stole the show at my parents’ anniversary dinner which included grilled leg of lamb. That’s saying something.
These were exactly what I was dreaming of when my own personal Throwback Thursday of a brain brought forth memories of eating at Van De Kamps in Burbank, CA in the 70’s and tearing away at sweet, and slightly tangy Hot Cross Buns. The NYT recipe came through my email and reminded me of some sweet and easy days of being a little girl, ordering these buns and sitting in a booth with feet dangling at least two feet from the ground and sticky fingers ready to be licked after the buns were devoured. Of course, my taste buds were not highly evolved at the age of five, and so I’m sure my memory exaggerates the reality of these buns, but once I had them on my mind, I knew I needed to make them for Easter Brunch.
Tensions are high lately and moods are low. Sometimes, we are simply bored and tired of our own four walls and the same faces we are seeing everyday. Other times we are stressed out by our responsibilities or weighed down by the gravity of the world news, family news and losses that keep tallying up all around us.
And yet, most of us are finding little wins in our daily lives, and we are learning to make do…with less of everything: money, food, seeing friends, fun and the list could go on for the rest of the page and more. Perhaps, those small wins are tallying up as well, not to the degree, of course, that the huge losses are scoring, but we can CHOOSE to see the little wins no matter how microscopic.
I’m fully aware that this blog has an inordinate number of muffin recipes. But, in all fairness, these are PERFECT MUFFINS, and they are exactly the right answer to any gloomy day. My daughter is away at college and at least once a month I send her a care package of muffins. They are frequently a small bright spot in an otherwise harrowing day filled with studying, midterms, and always feeling like you are at least one step behind.
Have you ever…
Fallen crazily in love?
Fallen down, way down, with no glimpse of the sky?
Fallen, literally, into a mud puddle, or down a flight of stairs or simply between the cracks?…
View original post 845 more words
I’m a normal person. Normal is a relative term when I use it — FYI. But really, I don’t believe in anything in the kitchen being too fussy or time consuming to make. Lacking in patience and general panache, I believe wholeheartedly in recipes that WORK and are doable to normal humans who have very busy lives and little time.
This Green Lentil soup is cozy, earthy and brimming with smokiness from the Pancetta and cumin. If you cook it just right, then a spoonful is a bit toothsome, and the lentils are not quite falling apart. Oh, and there’s just a hint of heat from the fire roasted tomatoes and plenty of good for you ingredients like spinach and carrots. A bowl of this is like a warm but slightly spicy hug. All good things in other words.
Sit down, which I assume you are if you are reading this post. Take a deep breath, and tell me what’s been troubling you. Too long a list perhaps? Has your boss, spouse, kids, roommate, efriend got you down? Have your shoes and whole wardrobe, for that matter, reached their expiration date? Completely out of ideas for your next blog post?
View original post 1,098 more words
Please don’t roll your eyes. I know most of us don’t think of fancy schmancy crepes as a kitchen sink anything. But that’s where you’re wrong my friends. Crepes are actually easy peasy. If you can make pancakes, then you can make crepes, and they actually require MUCH fewer ingredients. And bonus points–crepes are the perfect vehicle for whatever’s in your fridge at the moment!
Joy, it can come from touching the soft fur of your pet, taking a lick of a drippy ice cream cone and simply feeling a breeze on a warm day.
Sweet And Crumby 