One of the big concerns these days is about the rising cost of food (and fuel of course). I hear it on the news and I hear it when I talk to my friends and family in America. I can......
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Zucchini, zucchini and more zucchini. We're enjoying it in abundance this week after the delivery of our first very green and zucchini laden CSA basket. This zesty, shredded zucchini salad is an...
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The lavender is in bloom! Which means that it is time to cut some stalks and take advantage of their aromatic little flowers and leaves in my cooking. I wrote last summer about Lavender Sorbet and...
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Fresh and peppery watercress! I love it! But I don't come across it very often. Strangely, it isn't often available in our little southern corner of France. When I found some at the store the...
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Sweet, luscious cantaloupe comes into season in June. Their delicate, perfumed flesh is a wonderful treat and can be enjoyed in both sweet or savory dishes. Photo courtesy of iStockphoto, Vera...
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The sour cherry season is in full swing here. And that means we'll be the happy recipients of many gift bags overflowing with the tart little treats from friends and neighbors. The first thing I...
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Rotisserie chickens are as ubiquitous to France as a daily baguette. They are the perfect thing to tuck into my market bag and bring home for lunch after a busy morning of buying fruit, vegetables and...
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Rhubarb adds a zippy flavor to recipes that is unlike any other. When combined with strawberries, cherries, apples, and other fruits, the flavor only gets better. On the savory side, rhubarb makes a...
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You would think that with all of the cheese I eat, I couldn't possibly crave any more, but lately I've become obsessed with feta cheese. © avlxyz Feta is a well known, tart and creamy, brined...
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A Saturday outing to la Fête de la Bigarade in la Caunette, a small village just up the road from our small village, yielded several kilos of bitter, Seville oranges, also called bigarades. How could...
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pome·gran·ate n. 1. A deciduous shrub or small tree (Punica granatum) native to Asia and widely cultivated for its edible fruit. 2. The fruit of this tree, having a tough reddish rind, and...
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Every time I'm in a foreign country I make it a point to go into at least one local grocery store. I love looking at all the different vegetables, drinks, cheeses, meats, crackers, etc. I was in...
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Smoky, zesty Spanish chorizo is a wonderful, flavorful and versatile ingredient. When looking at recipes that call for chorizo, it is important not to confuse Mexican chorizo for Spanish chorizo....
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I'm rather neurotic particular about raw oysters. I love them, but must have three things available when that platter of briny, salty, sea-tasting creatures is set down in front of me or else I...
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Well, summer is definitely over! The wind is howling out there, the high temperature today is about thirty degrees farenheit lower than it was on Monday and the skies are grey and ominous. I guess it...
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An exotic looking little oval fruit, the prickly pear or figue de Barbarie, was available at the market this weekend for a fantastic price so I picked up a few with the hopes of finding a recipe or...
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This week marks the 100th Weekend Herb Blogging! It is being hosted by Katerina at Daily Unadventures in Cooking. I'm slightly embarrassed to say that it is only the fourth time I've...
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A trip to the market yesterday yielded a kilo of perfectly ripe, plump Roma tomatoes. Even though a few of our very kind neighbors give us vegetables from their gardens and we have sweet little orange...
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When you bite into one, the first taste is a burst of honey-like sweetness. The Green Gage plum or prune Reine-Claude has a deep green skin and soft, yellow, succulent flesh. It is probably the best...
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Chickpeas, also known as Garbanzo beans, are good for you. (I know this statement might be considered quite boring to some of you, but please bear with me) They are an excellent source of vitamin B6,...
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Last spring a friend gave us several orange cherry tomato plants for our garden. They have been prolific, even with the unseasonably cool summer we've been having. The sweet little wonders have...
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