Aisle Twelve

(Sorry for the crappy picture.  It was night when I took it and couldn't get good light!) I do not profess to be a baker. I do love baked goods, but baking to me seems like a lot of work; lots of measuring and you have to be exactly precise. Then it seems since no two ovens are the same, it really is a crap shoot if the food will come out underdone in the middle and burned on the edges or just one big, black crisp. As you can tell, I’ve had some baking mishaps. It seems though that you get a much bigger reception when you bake something rather than make (a.k.a. cook) something. Even in this blog I find the biggest reactions to the things I make seem to be to the baked goods. I also sort of subscribe to the school of thought that if it is not made of chocolate, it is just not worth the calories. I do enjoy an apple crisp or strawberry pie from time to time but when I am craving something sweet, more often than not it is chocolate. I tossed that chocolate philosophy out the wind...

  Heat and humidity. When it’s been a heat wave like it has been the last couple weeks, turning on the oven or stove or standing over a hot grill is the least desirable thing there is; and after eating out for days on end, I needed to make up a dinner that was healthful, filling and refreshing. But then the eternal question….what to make for dinner? What would fulfill all these requirements? Sometimes when I over think a dinner question to death, I decide to just give up and let the culinary gods decide for me. Luckily, they were very good to me today. Someone at work graciously brought in their bumper crop of the most delectably ripe cantaloupe. My first plan for this melon was of course, breakfast. But as the melon sat on my desk at work, and the ripe melon smell kept wafting to my nose…my stomach started to get inspired. Who says melons just have to be for breakfast? I decided to make the melon part of dinner in a melon and prosciutto salad. For years I have seen recip...

If you have followed this blog for awhile, you’ll notice that I have a little love affair with peas (see Lemon Spaghetti with Pea Pesto). Not only do I enjoy their clean, bright taste, but I just love the vibrant, crisp green pearls on your plate. It’s like an accessory for your food, they dress up anything! Take this dish for example. Between the green pearly peas and the adorable farfalle it’s almost too pretty to eat. On a practical level (boo) they are cost effective and keep well in the freezer so you can always have them on hand. Peas are a healthy addition to any meal. Other vegetables must be so envious of the pea. This dish is a take on a recipe from my Everyday Food Cookbook. It was supposed to be Salmon Farfalle with Mint and Peas. A very spring dish. I, however, did not have salmon but decided shrimp would be a good substitute. I know there are cultures, the Mediterranean for example, that use mint in savory dishes but I have to say, I am not a big fan of it in my savory...