Through the years I have shared quite a number of crockpot recipes with you on this blog. The crockpot is one of my favorite pieces of kitchen equipment, and my family and I have a long history of looking forward to the recipes that come out of it. I even gave each of my children a going-away present when they left for college: a crockpot of their own, a simple recipe, a large package of dry beans, and a few small spice packets to allow them to fill their crockpot to feed themselves and friends whenever they chose. Continue reading
Category Archives: Recipes
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Delicata Squash in Santa Cruz
The delicata is a small, lovely squash that looks gorgeous and tastes a little bit sweet. One of my favorite features of the delicata is that, unlike most other squash, the skin of the delicata is edible (and delicious)!
The first time I ate this particular dish was while celebrating the wedding of dear friends who live in Santa Cruz. In keeping with an old family custom, and in order to easily identify the affiliation of each guest, the guests of one partner were invited to wear gold while those of the other partner wore cream. Continue reading
The Neighborhood, Its Trees, and a Recent Potluck (with Recipe)
I live on a cul-de-sac with a special group of neighbors. I’ve heard it said that ours was the first residential street in the village; attempts to maintain its character have continued for 70 years. Many homes—though not ours—are identifiable by the local stone used to build their original facades. The Neighborhood Lane Association that was formed shortly after people began moving in continues to this day. We have seen members of the last generation grow up, and then return to raise a generation of their own. Continue reading
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Garlic Makes the World Go ‘Round
Many years ago I was introduced to two special recipes, both of which owe their magic to garlic. The first is a pureed vegetable soup, pure de verduras, Continue reading
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Quintessential Peach Salsa
Truckloads full of Georgia peaches have been making their way into our neighborhood, and a few weeks ago my husband signed up to receive a box. We were very happy when it finally arrived last week, and we put the box of 42 hard peaches on the counter to await the great a-ripening. We were not disappointed. Continue reading
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Randi’s Sunshine Salad
I just spent a few days with my dear friend Randi. A long time ago, we grew up together on Long Island. She and her husband, Larry, keep a fantastic garden in which they plant all kinds of specialty veggies. Randi is an amazing and creative cook, and if you don’t believe me, just take a quick peak at this little gem that she whipped up once upon a time. Continue reading
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Incredible Almond Butter-Ginger Sauce
It is my pleasure to share, once again, this incredibly delicious sauce. I posted it once before, over 10 years ago, but a half-empty container of almond butter on my countertop, along with a huge chunk of fresh ginger, sent me on a search for the recipe. Now that I’ve found it, I am thrilled to share it with all of you! Continue reading
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Carrot-Zucchini Soup
Here’s a lovely plant-based soup that I tossed together a couple of weeks ago. I made it in a little green Staub Cocotte that I’ve had for a very long time. It always seems like everything I make in that pot comes out so flavorful and delicious. Any soup pot will do of course, but it’s always nice when you have a favorite. Continue reading
Three Kinds of Charoset 2024
At our upcoming Passover seders to be held on Monday and Tuesday nights this coming week, we will be serving a number of different kinds of charoset (kha-ROE-set). In addition to our traditional apples-and-walnuts charoset that I make each and every year, we’ll be serving two other truly extraordinary charoset recipes. I want to share for a moment that my mom and my Grandma Rosie actually taught me to make charoset in a large wooden chopping bowl (such a special memory), a bowl that continued to hold a place of honor in my parents’ house for many, many years after Grandma Rosie was gone. Things go much faster now with the food processor, though I always process each ingredient separately almost to the desired consistency, and then add them all back together for a big stir with a big fork. Otherwise you are likely to get fruit-nut spread, which is a different recipe entirely. Continue reading
YOUR HEALTHY PLATE: Two Kale Salads
This past Monday we had bookclub at my house, and it was really nice. We read Homegoing, by Yaa Gyasi, and ate a whole bunch of delicious things, including a fantastic sweet potato soup (from Amy Chaplin’s Whole Food Cooking Every Day), rainbow carrots and baba ganoush from the West Side market, and Lynne’s fantastic kale salad, which she throws together with tahini dressing and a homemade mix of spiced almonds, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds. One of these days I’ll have to get the recipe, but I can already see her laughing and tossing back her head as she says, oh I don’t know, I just toss it all together! So, at least for now, your guess is as good as mine.