I’m often asked how to cook artichokes. I grew up mostly in California and we ate a lot of artichokes. I only remember my mom boiling them in water and serving with mayonnaise and lemon juice, which is still a favorite of mine. We love artichokes–so much so that I have 3 plants of my…
Vegetables
Grilled Asparagus
This is my absolute favorite way to cook asparagus and it turns out to be the simplest too! How cool is that?! First a storage tip. A friend of mine that grew up with his family running a large farm taught me to store my asparagus in a jar of water in the refrigerator. They…
Simple Cooked Cabbage
I do like cabbage but I am not particularly fond of cabbage that has been cooked to death. I find the simple steam/saute method works great with cabbage (and many other vegetables!). Basically, you simmer the vegetable in a mix of butter (or other fat) and water (or broth) until the liquid has evaporated and…
Pickles: Refrigerator, Fermented, Freezer and Canned
Last year I played around with lots of different pickles, from the traditional fermented pickles (which start with salt and water and flavorings but no vinegar) to the vinegar-based canned (water bathed). Growing up, my mom made dill pickles every year and I totally took them for granted. I just assumed everyone could wander out…
My Mom’s Dill & Garlic Pickles
Last year I made several different kinds of dill pickles and these were our favorites! It’s my Mom’s Dill & Garlic Pickles. She sent me the yellowed newspaper clipping, bordered with Scotch tape. Last year, I didn’t add the alum but this year I did, just wanting to taste it the old original way. I…