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By Emily, August 30, 2010 3:44 pm

It’s no secret that I love summer fruit.  Tomatoes are close to the top of the list, but I love peaches.  And, finally, it’s peach season.  I usually don’t get around to doing anything with them besides eating them as soon as they’re soft, but maybe this week I’ll get around to it, because these recipes look yummy!

First, get in the mood by reading “The Annual Hunt for Perfectly Ripe Peaches” on The Atlantic.

The Atlantic also has a fairly lengthy post about canning peaches.  I still haven’t gotten up the guts to try canning, but if I was going to can something, peaches might be it.

Next, move on to the recipes, starting with Ruth Reichl’s warm peach cobbler.

Cynthia has a recipe for grilled fruit quesadillas.    Fruit, almond butter, cinnamon?  These may be happening sooner rather than later in our house, especially since I just bought a whole mess of tortillas.

If you’re feeling adventurous (frying scares me), perhaps you should make these Beer-Battered, Deep-Fried Donut Peaches as seen on Sixpoint (via the Kitchn; also seen on Mark Bittman’s site)

2 possible winners from Salon: tart and sexy peach relish and spicy and nutty peach crisp.  Oh fruit crisps, why are you so good?

What’s (possibly) better than fruit crisp?  Peach Amaretti Crumble from Closet Cooking.

Serious Eats has posted a Galette of White Peaches and Tomatoes.  I’m in the midst of a love affair with galettes (recipe links coming, I promise!)  I’m not sure where I’d get the heirloom tomatoes, but it’s definitely an idea I’m holding on to.

Oh, and because it’s completely necessary:

Any perfect peach preparations out there that I missed?

(Almost) Every Sunday, I choose a theme and highlight blog posts, websites and news articles from my Google Reader which I found interesting (and hope you do too!) If you want more reading, check out “What I’m Reading” on my sidebar.  And don’t forget to add Relishments to your reader or like Relishments on Facebook!

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By Emily, August 23, 2010 7:46 am

I hate to break it to you, but it’s just about time to go back to school (if you haven’t gone back already).  I’m not even going to count the days until Brian goes back to work (and hopefully I do too, but I’m still waiting to hear.  Story of my life.)  Let’s just say that high school around here resumes before labor day and that is really freakin’ soon.  I’ll be sad to see summer gone, but I never did feel like I got settled in a routine this summer, and I like teaching, so it’d be nice to get back to work.

Of course, the blogs are all about back to school, because what’s more important than school lunch?  In the past I’ve posted about the issues surrounding school lunches (here and here) and as a teacher who’s into food, it’s still something I’m really interested in.  This post, however, is about going back to school with your own breakfasts, lunches and snacks.

Getting out the door in the morning is not always the easiest thing.  Luckily, Tasty Kitchen has a collection of recipes for breakfast eggs in 20 minutes or less.  (Of course, this would be more appealing if the recent egg recall hadn’t turned me off of eggs, at least for the time being.  But that’s another story.)

Cheap Healthy Good has some interesting ideas about sharing costs and labor with a lunch buddy.  I’d be totally willing to bring in food for other people at school.  Then again, it’s Brian who does all the school lunch making around here, so I probably shouldn’t volunteer.

Mrs. Q on Fed up With Lunch is throwing a “Back-to-school Lunch Revolution Blog Party“.  If you have any interest in school lunch-related issues, you might want to check it out.  If I get my act together (unlikely), I might participate.

Epicurious posted a collection of “the latest and greatest in lunchtime fashions“.  There are some really cute lunchboxes on there.  I’m pretty partial to the Built bag my sister- and brother-in-law bought me for my college graduation.  I’ve used it to carry my lunch to work every day since (over 3 years) and it still looks brand new!  Epicurious also has a back to school guide featuring recipes, snacks, quick dinner ideas and more.

The Kitchn also has their list of the Top 3 Eco-Lunchboxes.

Jill Richardson asks “Senate Passes Child Nutrition Bill: Now What?” (on MarkBitman.com)

From Planet Green: 40 Healthy School Lunch Recipes to Make for Your Kids and Make “Real Food” Versions of These Popular Snack Foods (I may actually try some of these…)

Not going back to school?  Don’t worry.  Serious Eats has all you need to know to throw a lunch lady potluck. :)

What was your favorite school lunch?

(Almost) Every Sunday, I choose a theme and highlight blog posts, websites and news articles from my Google Reader which I found interesting (and hope you do too!) If you want more reading, check out “What I’m Reading” on my sidebar.  And don’t forget to add Relishments to your reader or like Relishments on Facebook!

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By Emily, August 8, 2010 10:00 am

A couple weeks ago, I posted about my favorite recipe websites (still in love with Super Cook, by the way).  Of course, the alternative to the internet is the cookbook.  I don’t have a lot of cookbooks; I figure all the food blogs I read make up for it.  I do like cookbooks though and definitely wouldn’t turn one down.  Seems like every food blog on the internet was wondering about the best and most loved cookbooks this week.

My humble, but sufficient, cookbook collection:

I started thinking about cookbooks this week because Cheap Healthy Good’s “Ask the Internet” column asked what reader’s most useful cookbooks were.  As I’ve said here before, How to Cook Everything Vegetarian is my go-to cook book, followed by The Victory Garden Cookbook, which they just re-released this past spring.  Don’t ask why we have 2 cocktail books, we’ve hardly used either of them.  Anyway, the here’s the summation of the responses to CHG’s question.  Mark Bittman came in second, as he should.

The editor of CNN’s Eatocracy answered a similar question, listing the 5 cookbooks that changed her life.  I’m intrigued by the fact that I’ve never heard of any of them.  Good Cheap Eats must have been feeling the cookbook vibe this week, because Jessica posted the 3 cookbooks she loves.

Over at No Meat Athlete, Matt and Christine have just published an e-cookbook,  Fuel Your Run the Tarahumara Way: 15 Chia and Pinole Recipes the Modern Athlete.  If you’re into marathons and superfoods, it might be worth looking into.  I’m just spreading the word because I think Matt and Christine are awesome…but I’m still not going to run 50 miles like he did.  Or 26.2.  Or 13.1.  You get the idea…

The Kitchn wants to know: what was the first cookbook you ever bought?  I think mine was The Classic 1000 Beginners Recipes.  It was in the bargain book department of the bookstore I worked in and I was headed off to my first year living in an apartment in college. I figured a cookbook would be helpful.  Honestly, I haven’t used it much.

Finally, on Serious Eats, Leslie Kelly writes about her “cookbook habit” and inability to get rid of any of her cookbooks.  Again, some good cookbooks to check out are listed in the comments.

Do you use cookbooks?  What’s your favorite?

(Almost) Every Sunday, I choose a theme and highlight blog posts, websites and news articles from my Google Reader which I found interesting (and hope you do too!) If you want more reading, check out “What I’m Reading” on my sidebar.  And don’t forget to add Relishments to your reader or like Relishments on Facebook!

That said, there will be no Highlights next week, because I’ll still be in Chicago hanging out with tons of awesome bloggers!

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By Emily, August 1, 2010 1:59 pm

I can’t believe it’s August already.  It seems like school just got out and I had the whole summer ahead of me.   I have 2 choices: I can lament the fact that school is starting in less than a month (with the assumption that I actually have a job; it’s not official yet) OR I can get really, really, really excited about the fact that I’m headed to Chicago in 10 days to hang out with my best friend from college and attend the Healthy Living Summit.  And tomorrow’s the last day I’m teaching summer school (for this year, at least).  I’m choosing to focus on the latter.

Of course, I’m not the only blogger thinking about vacations.

The Kitchn wants to know about people’s favorite food travel experiences and memories.    Mine would include these 5 Food Experiences (a list which needs serious updating), crepes in Quebec with my sister, and all the food we ate on our honeymoon.

Simple Dollar has some great ideas for planning an inexpensive vacation.  I’m not sure Chicago is going to meet all of those criteria, but you only live once :)

Love Farmer’s Markets?  I do! CNN lists America’s best farmer’s markets.  Not staying in the states?   Travel and Leisure has a slideshow of the world’s best food markets.

I’m flying out to Chicago, and I’m glad it’s only a couple hour flight and I won’t have to worry much about real food.  Serious Eats is wondering: “Have You Ever Had Airline Food You Actually Liked?”  I guess I’ve never hated the airplane food I’ve had, but its not something I go looking for either.

Even though my flights don’t correspond with meal times, I’m still trying to think of airport-friendly snacks to bring.  And hotel friendly, for that matter.  The Kitchn’s got some hints on snacks for car rides that I may steal.

I also won’t have to think about entertainment on the plane too much (unlike last time I went to go visit this particular friend in Northern Ireland).  Still, I think I may put an audiobook on my iPod.  Free Technology for Teachers tipped me off to a great collection free audiobooks.

My biggest “concern” at the moment is figuring out what to pack and making it all fit in a carry-on sized bag. (Well, that and finding a dress for the cocktail party.)  Silly airline is charging $25 to check a bag.  Chances are I’ll have to check on the way home, so if I can avoid it on the first trip, that’d be awesome.   Any tips?

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By Emily, July 25, 2010 6:03 pm

Our kitchen drawer--points to whoever can name everything in it.

Brian and I have a fairly well stocked kitchen, made up of hand-me-downs, wedding presents, things we bought for ourselves and items I’ve picked up at Goodwill and tag sales (my new obsessions).  Nevertheless, I’ll never say no to going into a kitchen store (or the kitchen department of a store) because I think that kitchen gadgets are really really cool.  Maybe I need to get out more?  I don’t know.  At any rate, some websites for people who love kitchen tools as much as I do:

Last year in honor of Christmas, I wrote a post featuring My Favorite Kitchen Gadgets.  If I had to redo the post today, I’d probably also include the cocktail shaker (from Goodwill…and not just for cocktails!), blender, Kitchenaid Mixer (how did the mixer not make it on the first list?!), and pastry mat.

Everyday Minimalist did a similar post this week, listing her 15 essential kitchen utensils.  I agree with most of her list, but could easily do without 7, 9 or 15.

The Kitchn (I know, I link to them a lot, they’re awesome) did 2 kitchen tool round ups this week: spatulas and corn cob holders.  We always had corn cob holders growing up, but Brian and I haven’t gotten around to getting any.  We do, however, have 4 ears of corn in the fridge, so perhaps I should think about this further.

This post was made for me (and my husband): 10 Nerdy Kitchen Finds In Honor Of Comic Con

Chow had a post about the website Pop Deluxe, which “houses one of the larger collections of useless kitchen tools we’ve ever seen.”  I, of course, went to the website and found the gadgets adorable.  Granted, I probably won’t actually buy any of them, but they’re fun to look at and could make an entertaining gift.

$5 Dinners asks “What kitchen utensil could you not live without, if you were stuck on a tropical island?”.  A lot of people went for knives, which made sense, but perhaps a hot pot for my tea?

Take a look at this Serious Eats post featuring The Best Mixing Bowls, which also mentions the idea that it’s safe to put metal in the microwave.  Did anyone else know that?  I’m not sure I believe it.

The TofuXpress review on Eat Well with Janel made me wonder if I’ve been doing tofu “wrong”, since I’ve never pressed mine at all.  May need to look into that.  Anyway, apparently the press is pretty awesome, if you press your tofu.

What’s your favorite (most fun/useful/unique, etc) kitchen tool?

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By Emily, July 18, 2010 8:34 am

Brian and I are still doing the CSA thing, though clearly it hasn’t been blogworthy as of late.  Still, there’s nothing more awesome than local, fresh, organic food (I swear it tastes better).  Our town’s farmer’s market just started up this weekend (I have no idea why it begins so late) and so I bought some potatoes and cherry tomatoes, in addition to all the stuff we grabbed at the CSA on Tuesday.

But sometimes all these fresh veggies are overwhelming.  I want to use as much of them as possible while they’re in season, but what do you do with so much food?  Luckily, the internet is here to help with that issue.  Confession: I haven’t made any of these recipes yet, but they all look good to me and we’ve still go time for trying them out.

A reader on The Kitchn asked for “quick, easy ways to get more vegetables into her diet” and the answer features several recipe round ups, plus a bunch of helpful reader comments.

Apparently, colored cauliflower is all over the place.  I didn’t realize this, but perhaps I just haven’t been looking.  Will people eat more vegetables if they look really cool? (Hint: My post for tomorrow says “yes”)

The Marinated Mushroom Salad on Serious Eats looks like a yummy side dish…I may have to try it this week.  Brian has recently realized that he doesn’t hate mushrooms, so now I don’t have to think twice about using them.

I made this recipe for “movie style” ratatouille a couple weeks ago, but there’s a more traditional ratatouille recipe from the Boston Globe that I wouldn’t mind trying out (especially since I’ve got a whole bunch of eggplant in my freezer).

I eat way fewer sandwiches than I used to, but these White Bean and Roasted Red Pepper Vegetable Wraps with Spinach featured on Cheap Healthy Good might change that.

Summer Vegetable Salad is this week’s “What’s On Your Plate?” recipe on Good Cheap Eats.  It’s like pasta salad…only more veggie-y.

I don’t have a grill or a grill pan, but this Layered Vegetable Tort in the NY Times looks so appetizing I may have to get one–or find another way to cook the vegetables.

We’ve recently picked up some carrots at the CSA…green tops and all.  Luckily, the internet also has recipes for carrot tops.  Maybe this week they’ll get used instead of tossed.  (via The Kitchn)

And, last but not least, recipes for everyone’s favorite summer bumper crop, zucchini:

Zucchini pilaf with almonds (Diner’s Journal)

Herbivoracious’ zucchini stuffed zucchini blossoms

12 recipes to help eat  up all your zucchini, from the Kitchn.

I’ve recently discovered 2 more ways to use up our CSA vegetables which are delicious–but that’s getting its own post, tomorrow.

(Almost) Every Saturday, I choose a theme and highlight blog posts, websites and news articles from my Google Reader which I found interesting (and hope you do too!) If you want more reading, check out “What I’m Reading” on my sidebar.  And don’t forget to add Relishments to your reader or “like” Relishments on Facebook!

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By Emily, July 11, 2010 10:10 am

It’s been quite a week.  I started teaching summer school, which is a first time experience for me and even though I taught for the better part of last year, is definitely different than the regular school year.  Yesterday, for the second time, I took the test I need to pass to get the teaching license I want.  I think it went alright; we’ll see.  Oh, and it was a ridiculously hot, humid, sweaty week.  Must be summer :)

There were a bunch of blog posts featuring no-cook, stay cool meals this week.  Not that I took advantage of any of them–being on vacation, followed by going back to work, followed by a big test didn’t make me the best menu planner this week.  There’s still a lot of summer left though, so I’m sure these recipes will come in handy..

It’s “No-Cook Month” over at Cheap Healthy Good.  They’re posting recipes for things like Greek Antipasto Pita and Chocolate Cherry “Ice Cream” Popsicles (I made them with strawberries and they were awesome).  They also provided 13 ways to cook without an oven –using everything from a grill to a car engine.  I lost my mind on Wednesday this week and made tomato sauce, biscuits and ratatouille after I got home from school.  I probably should’ve read this article and kept the oven off.  Although, if you’re already hot and sweaty, what difference does it make?

The Kitchn has 7 recipes to help beat the heat, like Broccoli and Feta Pasta Salad or Vegetable and Mint Summer Rolls with Spicy Peanut Sauce.  Also, check out their 10 recipes for watermelon. I haven’t had watermelon yet this summer; I should probably do something about that soon.

Epicurious calls ceviche “summer’s best no-cook dish” and Serious Eats posted a step-by-step guide on how to make ceviche.  Has anyone actually made ceviche, or is it just something they do on Chopped and Top Chef to sound fancy?  Was it worth it?

Planet Green’s 40 recipes to make when its too hot to cook includes soups, salads, main courses, desserts and ideas for entertaining.  If you can’t find something there, you might just want to order take out.

Finally, if you’re not too hot and tired to have people over, Serious Eats has a few No-Cook One-Handed Appetizers for your summer parties.

If you’re in more of a dessert mood (for some reason, the heat makes me want to eat nothing but junk), check out the June 5th highlights featuring ice cream and popsicle recipes.  I thought it was hot then–clearly I had no idea what I was talking about.

We’ve been advised by a couple people to make the investment in an air conditioner.  What do you think?  Vote, then add your comments below.

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Stay cool!

(Almost) Every Saturday, I choose a theme and highlight blog posts, websites and news articles from my Google Reader which I found interesting (and hope you do too!) If you want more reading, check out “What I’m Reading” on my sidebar.  And don’t forget to add Relishments to your reader or like Relishments on Facebook!

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By Emily, July 3, 2010 9:16 pm

Its possible that I have an unhealthy obsession with recipes.  It’s an excellent example of the way in which the internet enables my bad habits.  Granted, I’d have plenty of recipes to choose from if I only had my cookbooks and magazine subscriptions, but the web brings recipe collecting to a whole new level.  Today I thought I’d share some of the recipe sites I’ve recently discovered and some of my personal favorites.  Feel free to leave a comment and add your favorite site to the list!

I recently discovered (and fell in love with) recipe search engine  Supercook.  Supercook is similar to the recipe site CookThink in that it allows you to select ingredients that you crave or have on hand and helps you find recipes that use that ingredient.  Supercook has a few additional bonuses, however.  The site encourages you to add as many ingredients as you have on hand, suggests additional ingredients which you might forget you had, and pulls your results from across the web, including Real Simple, Epicurious, Recipe Zaar, Martha Stewart, All Recipes, VegWeb and more.   And Supercook lets you exclude ingredient categories such as meat, dairy, gluten, nuts or fish.  I’ve already used the site to find a couple good recipes (including this one for awesome Key Lime Bars)  and I think its going to be a go-to in the future, especially with our random CSA produce.

If Supercook doesn’t do it for you, Chow posted about another recipe aggregator, Yummly.  Yummly doesn’t seem quite as simple to use as Supercook, but it does let you customize the taste of your food (salty, sweet, savory, sour, bitter), among other things.  Also, there’s a social networking aspect to the site which could be fun if Facebook, Twitter and Foodbuzz weren’t already taking over my life.

On the rare occasion when I know what I want to cook, but don’t have a recipe for it, I consult All Recipes.  The best part about the user-submitted recipes?  Reviews from the people who actually cooked them, often including helpful substitutions or suggestions.  So much better than attempting something blind from a cookbook.   I made Spinach and Sun-dried Tomato Pasta based on the 4.5 star recommendation it’d earned and the rating definitely didn’t lie.

Really fun to look at, They Draw and Cook is a site which features simple recipes illustrated by various artists.  They’re super cute and some of the recipes seem worth trying out.  The site is taking submissions if you like creating art as well as food!

CNN’s new food blog, Eatocracy, is collecting heirloom recipes from readers.  There haven’t been a ton of submissions yet, but seems to me there’s a lot of potential.

I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating:  Evernote has completely saved my life in terms of organizing the recipes I come across on the web.  I started using it over a year ago and I’ve got 613 recipes saved currently (I told you I was obsessed!) Many of my recipes don’t come from the sites above, but from the blogs I read every day (check out the blog roll in the sidebar!)  I copy and paste anything that looks good into Evernote and then search them later when its time to cook.

I know there are a million recipe sites out there; these are just my favorites.   Anyone have any sites to add to the list?

(Almost) Every Saturday, I choose a theme and highlight blog posts, websites and news articles from my Google Reader which I found interesting (and hope you do too!) If you want more reading, check out “What I’m Reading” on my sidebar.  And don’t forget to add Relishments to your reader!

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By Emily, June 19, 2010 8:46 pm

Tomorrow is Father’s Day (so sorry if I’m the first one to tell you!).  For the first time in memory (though I’m sure it’s happened…), I won’t actually be spending the day with my father.  Fear not, a trip to Maine is in the near future, but it still seems strange.   Granted, my father and I haven’t always seen eye to eye regarding food, but he’s still the best dad in the world.  Happy Father’s Day, dad! See you soon!

Did you forget about Father’s Day? Make amends by getting your dad a great foodie gift!   Slashfood has a number of gift ideas for food loving dads, including Star Wars pancake molds (Williams-Sonoma also makes cookie cutters) and a portable grill.   Epicurious put together their own gift list, which includes knives and the Hot Sauce of the Month Club.   If your dad likes a good drink, check out Serious Eats’ Liquor Gift Guide for Father’s Day.

Cooking for your dad this Father’s Day? The wonderful folks at Tasty Kitchen put together a beautiful collection of breakfast, snack, main course and dessert recipes that would surely please your papa.  Epicurious has a Father’s Day Guide featuring cookout and grilling ideas, grilling cookbooks and beautiful burgers.

Slashfood did 2 interesting posts about fathers recently.  One on Father-Son Distilling Teams, the other is interviews with some chefs who are also dads.

Finally, what’s a holiday without some Cake Wrecks?

Are you cooking anything special for your father tomorrow?

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By Emily, June 12, 2010 4:27 pm

Few things in the world are making me as annoyed as the BP Oil Spill. I know I’m not alone in this, and I suspect most of you are well aware of what’s been going on. If not, this video from Time provides a pretty good overview.

The oil spill is going to do some serious damage to Gulf food culture: “of some 136 species or stocks of fish and shellfish from the Gulf that have been historically featured in regional seafood markets and restaurants, 125 are projected to have been directly impacted by oil contamination.”

“Toxic Soup” is a Change.org series focusing on how the Deepwater Horizon oil spill impacts the Gulf’s seafood industry and marine life.  Topics include the effects on shrimp and oysters, plus the various efforts to reduce the damage.

In addition to everything else, this week the oil spill shut down the nation’s oldest oyster-shucking company.

Some restaurants are doing their part this weekend by participating in Dine Out for the Gulf Coast.

The Atlantic has 3 lessons food marketers can use to combat their crisis, obesity.

To lighten the mood, my favorite BP Oil Spill parody thus far: