You really NEED Chili Crisp Oil Alright, I admit you can probably live quite a long time without Chili Crisp Oil. I did - for a whole lot of years. But once I had it for the first time earlier this year, I felt like my entire life had vastly improved. Scroll on to find out why, and how you can make Chili Crip Oil yourself. What is this stuff? The first chili crunch or chili crisp oil that I had was store-bought. It was on sale, and I was curious, so I bought a jar. It was really good - ... Read More about Chili Crisp Oil
Sauces, Dips and Spreads
Green Tomato Jalapeno Salsa
Green Tomato Jalapeno Salsa doesn't waste a thing! It is getting to be the time of year when gardeners begin to wonder if all of the tomatoes will ever get ripe. They often sit out there in the garden, bright, round globes of greenness that seem to defy the laws of nature. Tomatoes should be turning red by now, right? But say they're not - I've got you! Green Tomato Jalapeno Salsa is going to have you hoping for green tomatoes! Green Tomatoes make a perfect salsa Green tomatoes don't ... Read More about Green Tomato Jalapeno Salsa
Goat Cheese Spread with Tomatoes
Goat Cheese Spread with Roasted Tomatoes and Garlic is great for parties! This recipe is a kind of a riff on a favorite recipe that my sister makes. Her very delicious version uses sun-dried tomatoes, but we have a ton of tomatoes this time of year and I mean to take full advantage of that bounty. Goat Cheese Spread with Roasted Tomatoes and Garlic is the perfect way to do that. Why you will love this recipe This is the perfect way to bring a little more flavor to goat cheese. Goat ... Read More about Goat Cheese Spread with Tomatoes
Chive Bacon Ranch Dressing
Summer salads need Chive Bacon Ranch Dressing This is the season of abundance if you're a gardener. Vegetables of all kinds are ready to harvest. For us, that means a lot of preserving - canning, freezing, dehydrating. It also means mean eating of course. Some of our favorite things to grow are perfect for salads. Salads need dressing, like this Chive Bacon Ranch dressing. I'm all about whipping up a quick vinaigrette a few times a week. Summer or winter, you can't go wrong with that. ... Read More about Chive Bacon Ranch Dressing
Homemade Hummus
Homemade Hummus is easy and so much better Hummus in the grocery store is ridiculously expensive. That is why Homemade Hummus makes so much sense. I just checked and even the store brand is nearly $7/lb right now. That's crazy - for that much money, I can make 3 or 4 times as much of this stuff! Hummus is NOT hard to make You can make hummus yourself, if you have a food processor, even a little one. And it is probably going to taste better. You'll know exactly what is in there, because ... Read More about Homemade Hummus
How to Make the Best Homemade Yogurt
Let me help you make the BEST Homemade Yogurt It sounds like a big promise, I know. I stand by it though, and once you try my method, I think that you will agree. I'm going to show you the easiest way to make Homemade Yogurt without any special gadgets or equipment. Just two ingredients - milk and a good live culture yogurt you can buy in just about any supermarket. You can use gadgets to culture the yogurt, once it's ready for that step, and I'll link some that I have used successfully ... Read More about How to Make the Best Homemade Yogurt
Creme Fraiche – Homemade
Creme Fraiche Made at Home and Why You Would Want to You definitely want to make some Creme Fraiche at home, and I'll tell you why. In fact, I have a list of great reasons. It's so rich. So tangy. So decadent. SO delicious! And so unbelievably freakin' expensive if you buy it in the store. How expensive is it? When I checked prices this week, it was nearly $7.00 for an 8 ounce tub. What the heck? Don't you find that there are just so many overpriced things in the store? I think it's ... Read More about Creme Fraiche – Homemade
Creamy Feta Cheese Salad Dressing
Creamy Feta Cheese Salad Dressing makes any salad special It's snowing right now, as I am writing this post - kind of a nasty surprise for more than halfway through March. But that's Upstate NY for you - spring is sneaky, and waiting in the wings sometimes. That's why a fresh, crisp salad is welcome. And why this Creamy Feta Cheese Salad dressing is especially welcome. We prefer to eat seasonally, but I'm not giving up salad, no matter what time of year it is. I love more seasonal salads ... Read More about Creamy Feta Cheese Salad Dressing
Roasted Garlic Hummus
Roasted Garlic Hummus is one of life's great pleasures Ok, so it's not up there with getting married or landing your dream job, but Roasted Garlic Hummus is pretty close. Garlic is a favorite One of my husband's favorite things to grow is garlic. Once you get the basics down, garlic is quite easy to grow. And you plant it in October for harvesting in July of the following year, so it's out of the way as a chore when there is so much else that needs doing in the springtime. We have a huge ... Read More about Roasted Garlic Hummus
Easy Citrus Jam
Easy Citrus Jam brings in the sunshine Our winter has not been bad at all this year. For people who like to work with seasonal ingredients though, February in the Northeast can be a challenge. But Easy Citrus Jam fixes that! We can't grow citrus fruit outdoors ever up here in the Northern states, so this is one case where we have to rely on the seasonality of ingredients from other regions. I make no apologies for enjoying citrus fruit in the winter. It helps a person feel ... Read More about Easy Citrus Jam
Easy Guacamole
Easy Guacamole is ready in no time at all Saying that this is an Easy Guacamole kind of implies that Guacamole is difficult to make. It's not, of course, but this method makes it even easier. It's nearly as good too. In the summertime, when we have lots of great veggies from the garden it's different. I use fresh tomatoes, onions, and garlic. I basically make a pico de gallo and mix it with mashed avocado. But it's February, and I don't have anything fresh from the garden. I could ... Read More about Easy Guacamole
Basil Pesto
Classic Pesto or Basil Pesto? This could be called "Classic Pesto". I'm pretty sure Basil Pesto is the classic combination of ingredients to make this bright and delicious addition to your repertoire of sauces. If your garden is anything like mine, basil is abundant this time of year. I pinch off my basil plants throughout the summer, using the leaves in salads and veggies and pasta dishes. It's prime basil time right now So now, I have some beautiful, compact plants with lots of bright ... Read More about Basil Pesto