Kitchen Gadget Girl

With the new school year upon us, my daughter and I decided that each week we would bake a new cookie together. According to the papers I received from school yesterday, it is a great idea to cook with your kids, as it works on exciting math skills like fractions and measuring. Personally, I don’t care as long as the final product is good! This week, we made Banana-Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies, starting from a recipe from my new Martha Stewart’s Cookies book (which I love, love, love!). Here is our cookie:

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This weekend was the Slow Food Nation conference/meet-up/thingamabob (what do you call a day devoted to food - ah, yes, nirvana) in San Francisco at the Civic Center and Fort Mason, and I was fortunate enough to go both Saturday and Sunday to the Taste Pavilion. Saturday, I volunteered to work at the Welcome Center, where I met some very nice folks, but they seemed slightly overstaffed, so I reassigned myself to the Pickle booth inside the Pavilion. Well, actually, I was recruited (they must have heard about my 3rd place win with my B&B pickles at the San Mateo County Fair!)….

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This was not really a traditional dinner party, in the sense that we did not all sit around the table. But we did eat the same thing, Sweet and Sour Cabbage with Smoked Pork Chops. Why, you ask, did we not eat together?

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Sorry for the lengthy absence, I have been gallivanting around Alaska with the family. In my absence, Biggie from Lunch in a Box posted a coupon for Reusablebags.com, one of my favorite stores for environmentally sensitive materials including Laptop Lunchboxes and many different styles of reusable shopping bags.

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Last week, my friend Becca emailed looking for a recipe that would use the Trader Joe’s Puff Pastry and green apples that she had on hand. She was looking for something sweet and quick. I turned to the Food Blog Search, organized by Elise at Simply Recipes, with help from Kayln and Alanna. In no time at all, I found recipes for Apple Tart from Cerrus & Bacchus, and No Cinnamon Apple Turnovers from Tasty Palette. Quick and easy, and each recipe included pictures. Try it next time you are looking for a new recipe!

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Because we are going out of town, and because I am not fond of returning to a refrigerator full of spoiled veggies, I decided to cook my way through our CSA box last night. We were headed out to a BBQ with friends, and I thought I would bring enough veggie dishes to satisfy us all. This is what I did with my box:

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This week was a great food week in my life.

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I love roasted chicken, especially with lemon and salt. It is my favorite, hot from the oven. Sometimes, I will cook two at a time, just for leftovers. I have also been known to sneak bites in the kitchen before bringing the serving plate to the table.

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My college friend Laura was in town last week and came over for dinner with her two boys. I served a summer dinner, taking advantage of much of my CSA produce (potatoes, basil, peppers, romaine lettuce, zucchini, and carrots). We started with an appetizer of peppers, sautéed quickly in olive oil, until blistery and sprinkled with sea salt, along with a chunk of Asiago Fresco and a light rose wine. The rest of the menu included: Continue reading…

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Now that you have brought together all your supplies and have your fruit, it is time to make some jam. Best to set aside at least 3-4 hours, so we aren’t rushing anything. Here we go!

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