California Club Sandwich

Posted July 1st, 2010 by goodlifeeats

0
Last week I told you about my favorite summer drink (sparkling raspberry lemonade). This week I wanted to tell you about my favorite sandwich to eat in the summer. I like to call it a California "Club" Sandwich.. I love making my own gourmet deli sandwiches at home for lunch. They are cheaper, faster, and usually better. Often we create sandwiches for dinner in the summer because it doesn't require us to turn the oven or stove on... Read More ›

No-Cook Dinners for Hot Days

Posted June 30th, 2010 by scaron

1
What is it about hot days that makes you want to run screaming from the kitchen? Forget cooking on a burner (or worse, the oven!) -- all you want is a frosty beverage and a seat in front of the air conditioner, right? That's why on days like that, I try to skip the intense meals and aim for something a little more simple. I adore salads for hot days. You can whip up a big batch of Antipasti Pasta Salad and eat it all week (toss in some g... Read More ›

BBQ Appetizers and Snack Recipes

Posted June 27th, 2010 by scaron

0
When we're planning the Tablespoon blogging schedule, my editor and I trade a lot of emails discussing topics and approaches. When it came to settling on this topic, she wondered if an article talking about little bites to eat at a barbecue (or do you prefer BBQ?) should be titled BBQ Appetizers or Snacks ... Around my part of the country, these are always called appetizers.  But I did a little Googling, I found that to others, they are... Read More ›

How to Throw a Celebration Dinner

Posted June 24th, 2010 by scaron

0
With Independence Day right around the corner and school just ending, it seemed like the perfect time to talk about celebration dinners. One good friend of mine, Cate O'Malley from Sweetnicks, throws a small bash each year, serving up towering slices of rainbow cake. Her kids adore it, and you have to admit that the bright layers of the cake are eye-catching. (For something similar, try this Rainbow Angel Birthday Cake!) Whether yo... Read More ›

Raspberry Lemonade

Posted June 24th, 2010 by goodlifeeats

0
Lemonade has always been one of my favorite summer drinks. To me, it just screams "Summer" with its cold fruity taste. Every time I drink a glass of lemonade, I am transported back to the hot and humid summers of my childhood years in Houston. A tall glass filled to the brim with ice and lemonade always reminds me of weekends spent with my dad while he grilled something yummy on the barbecue for dinner. And it definitely brings ba... Read More ›

Lasagna Recipes

Posted June 23rd, 2010 by scaron

0
Lasagna Recipes
I have many, many wonderful memories of being in the kitchen as a child. Among them? Watching my grandmother assemble lasagnas at the kitchen counter. She would boil the long, curly-edged noodles, cube blocks of mozzarella (even when shredded cheese grew popular, she stuck to the cubes), prepare the ricotta mixture ... all of it. Then she would layer it all, telling me about each step as she went. Naturally, when I started cooking (a... Read More ›

Tips for Shopping the Farmers’ Market

Posted June 21st, 2010 by scaron

0
Summertime is the best time of the year for shopping farmers' markets. The fresh, sun-ripened produce tastes amazing and is usually pretty inexpensive (in some cases, even cheaper than the grocery store!). If you are new to shopping farmers' markets, these six tips will help you navigate the open-air vendors with confidence. 1. Do a quick walk around first. Many vendors are likely to have the same common fruits and veggies ... so take a qu... Read More ›

Strawberry Love

Posted June 19th, 2010 by scaron

0
What is your favorite fruit? Mine is (hands down) strawberries. I cannot remember a time when I didn't adore those sweet little red jewels. They usher in summer with their juicy goodness, preparing us for a season filled with other lovely fruits like blueberries, raspberries and melon ... Fresh fruit is the best. Every summer, my kids and I head out to a local pick-your-own farm and pick strawberries. It's a fun tradition that we all l... Read More ›

Nature Valley

Posted June 17th, 2010 by scaron

0
Nature Valley
One day, sometime in middle school, I was riding the bus home from school and decided to try the Peanut Butter Nature Valley bar that my mom had packed for me. Honestly, I had been avoiding eating it since it seemed so ... adult. As in, where's the chocolate chips? But one bite had me hooked. Years later, when I went to college, I took along three gigantic boxes of Nature Valley bars from Costco. They were my favored breakfast/snack/pick me up... Read More ›

Tablespoon Q&A – Part 2

Posted June 16th, 2010 by scaron

0
Dear readers, thank you all for your wonderful questions! Here is part two of the Tablespoon Q&A. --Sarah How do you choose and cook steak so you know it will come out tender and flavorful? -- Anna Jones Dear Anna, Choosing a good steak is largely a question of preference. Generally speaking, a good steak is one that is well-marbled (as is the case with a rib-eye, porterhouse and the like). Grass-fed, in my opinion, is more flavorful th... Read More ›