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Basil Pesto

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Basil Pesto

Summer evokes food rituals and traditions. Once such memory that always surfaces is the abundance of fresh basil and fresh mint from the garden or from the farmers’ market. If you do need to purchase basil or mint the price is reasonable and can’t be beat during the summer months. Now is the time to make pesto and make pesto again and make pesto again! Yes, think back to the icy, cold winter. Nothing says warmth on a cold February day like pesto from the freezer. So get out the food processor and start making batch after batch of pesto. Stock your freezer with natures’ bounty.

Read the article that I wrote for the Kansas City Star’s Chow Town Blog for inspiration on ways to incorporate more basil and mint into your menu. [Read more…]

Strawberry Shortbread Bars

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Strawberry Jam Bars

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Promise me that I am not the only one who makes baking decisions based on not wanting to go to the grocery store. A game that I often play with myself is, “What Can I Bake With What I Have?” Now granted, since cooking is my business, I have to fess up that my pantry and stockpile could last for days and days before I would “have” to go to the market, but never-the-less, I enjoy the challenge of creating recipes with what is on hand.

I needed to bake a sweet treat for a friend in need and wanted to use some of those 45 jars of strawberry jam that I had processed earlier in the season and I did not want to make a trip to the grocery story for additional ingredients. Thus began the creation of Strawberry Shortbread Bars. [Read more…]

Fresh pita breads

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Soft, fresh pita bread

Pita bread is a favorite of mine — almost a blank canvas just waiting for luscious toppings. Yet pita bread that tastes like cardboard or one that cracks and rips when you try to fill the pocket is just not what I want. [Read more…]

Grilled Shrimp and Vegetable Quesadillas

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Grilling shrimp and vegetables photo
Summer evenings are glowing from hot grills, smoky aromas are drifting by and sizzling food is calling us to the table. It is grilling season for sure. Have I mentioned I look forward to grilling season? And somehow, Father’s Day just seems to shout “Grilling Season” to me, as I remember many a night when dad would grill, using the old black smith forge he adapted to use as a BBQ grill. I still have that old forge and while my grill today is more modern, the smoke and aroma remind me of dad. [Read more…]

Strawberry Fields Forever

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Strawberries

It has been a strawberry filled summer and summer hasn’t even arrived. Every year I promise myself that I will find a luscious strawberry patch, pick berries and enjoy the fruits of my labor. Sadly, years have raced by and either I couldn’t locate a strawberry picking farm or I was out of town during the peak picking time. This year the stars aligned and blessings were bountiful. My family and I picked berries two weekends in a row. Read the blog on KC Chowtown for a description and location of the berry farm. [Read more…]