Recipes

It feels almost silly to share this recipe for Crispy Baked Kale Chips considering how many recipes already exist online. Really, I’m writing about them today to remind everyone how easy they are to make at home compared to buying them (and a lot less expensive, too). They’re the perfect snack to pack in school lunches. Some recipes direct you to blast the kale with heat as high at 400ºF. I’ve been guilty of that in the past, too. Time and experience making many batches of kale chips have taught me that a little patience goes a long way. Low...

Rome is on my travel bucket list. Until I get there, I feed my urge to go by following a few bloggers and writers living in the Eternal City. Right now I can see it’s rice salad season from their photos on Instagram. I know, that sounds crazy—does rice really have a season? Well, it’s not so much about the growing season of the rice, as it is about the ingredients you use in it. Fresh tomatoes are a main ingredient, and that’s what makes rice salad a seasonal dish in the Roman mindset. Aside from tomatoes, and of course...

It’s so easy to get spoiled during the summer, as produce is plentiful, and needs little help from us to shine. This salad is a perfect example. Ripe, juicy tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, and vibrant fresh-picked mint from the garden come together for a simple, but incredibly satisfying no-cook side dish. As we often say when talking about Dress It Up Dressing, ingredients this good shouldn’t be disguised—dressing should enhance them, highlighting their innate deliciousness. All this trio of cucumbers, tomatoes, and mint needs is a bit of our Red Wine Vinaigrette, a grating of fresh lemon zest, and some salt...

It’s easy to take the garden for granted when it’s showing off in the summer, especially my sage which has more gusto this year than any sage plant I’ve ever owned. My weekly weeding sessions keep the herbs in tip top shape, and yield more trimmings than I can manage to use. This is where a little foresight comes in handy. In a few short months, we’ll be wearing overcoats again, and our gardens will be memories of another summer in the books. It’s possible to keep some mementos, though, ones you can put to good use in soups, stews,...