Slow Cooker Everyday Challenge day 6: Crock-pot El...

If you’re scrutinizing this slow-cooking challenge I’ve set myself (which is unlikely, I know, since who really would be), you’ll notice this post is out of order, and might conclude that I missed a day. If so, I must protest, that isn’t true! If there’s anything I’ve plowed through with fidelity this week, which has been rough and snot-faced and wearying, it’s this slow cooker plan....

White Bean and Kale Soup with Stale Bread “C...

First off, I apologize for the worse-than-usual/actually pretty atrocious soup photo, and lack of photos plural. Posting this soup was really kind of an afterthought. I was in fact intending to write about experiments with kale, upon which I’ll expound  in further detail in a sec. But before I do, I have only two quick things to say about this lovely, fragrant, and comforting soup: 1) You don’t have to put bread...

Oh (Ginger) Snap!

It’s taken a little longer than usual to get to posting this week. Even though I’ve had relevant ideas flinging through my head like ping-pong balls, I’ve been a seriously reluctant writer, even when it comes to the randomly casual sort of messaging, like e-mails and Twitter. My head has been too cloudy, having caught a bad cold that seems to be taking down our school, knocking off students and teachers like...

My New Favorite “Must Use”: Knife Shre...

So, we’re attempting some new “crops” in our small but generous raised beds this year, and I’m learning by necessity about thinning. You know that feeling of arrival that is borderline bittersweet with the realization that the eager anticipation is about to end? I’m not necessarily talking about achieving a hard-earned goal, or even being mid-way through a much longed-for vacation. It’s...

Lightened-up Clam Chowder (for Morag’s Mike)

Any true New Englander is bound to have cozy clam chowder associations, even if they’re tucked away far back in those dark recesses of the mind. In fact, clam chowder is such an east coast institution that “lightened” versions seem almost sacrilegious, and perhaps a little pointless when you go too far, kind of along the lines of dessert. On the other hand, I don’t actually like creamy things (unless...

Lettuce Explore: Outside the Salad Bowl 1

Go to the end of this post for a Roman minestrone recipe with lettuce. Recently, during an interview with “Chicago’s Conscious Caterer”, the inspirational chef and leader in sustainability Greg Christian, the topic of cooking lettuce came up. Greg was sharing an example of how he stretches one Sunday “big pot” meal into a week’s worth of versatile, varied dishes. One revamped weeknight...