Between rain and a nasty virus going around our house most of the week, I’ve barely looked outside — let alone ventured beyond my front door. Seriously. It’s been brutal. But today, the rain finally subsided and the sunlight started to stream through the clouds again … so out we went. (What you can’t see in the above photo is that Paige is harboring a bit of the cabbage leaf in her tightly clenched hand … Silly girl)

We’re growing impatient for something to produce an edible food for us. The cabbage is growing wider than I imagined it would, but isn’t yet curling into that tight, familiar ball that we expect. Hopefully it will soon. Have I mentioned how impatient we are for these plants to become our food?

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Strawberry season is inching its way closer and closer and I cannot tell you how excited that makes me. I loved heading out to the strawberry patch with my grandmother as a child. We would pick and pick and pick (and eat and eat and eat), red juices flowing down our fingers (okay, maybe it was just my fingers) and staining my checks and clothes. I am pretty sure that I ate more berries than we would walk away with (don’t all kids? Will has certainly tried).

These days, when I go strawberry picking, it’s with a purpose: to bring home lots of berries for the whole year. Some berries get transformed into jam, others are carefully frozen to last us all year and some are for eating right away and in freshly made dishes.

Now, don’t get me wrong: I could definitely eat all the berries plain, right up front. But those fresh berries are also so tasty in smoothies, breads, cakes … and in this delish Whipped Strawberry Cream. Make sure it’s good and cold and then dish it up. It goes so well with so many things. Read the rest of this entry…

A few weeks ago, I made dinner for Will and Paige – something balanced with some meat, veggies, pasta and the like. It was a Will and Paige meal — something simple, but tasty, with a healthy sized serving of pasta. For me, I quickly whipped up some Romano encrusted shrimp (I really need to share that recipe too). Will took one look at my plate and requested a taste. Then another taste. Then another. Before I knew it, he’d eaten his food and half of mine.

He had never eaten shrimp before but one single taste left him positively smitten with the meaty little sea-dwellers.

Earlier this week, when I went to go make myself some shrimp with dinner, I was smart and made a lot more … and after taking one bite of this recipe I was in love. Is it terrible that I secretly wished Will wouldn’t finish his serving? Is it even worse that I was disappointed when he cleaned his plate?

It’s true. I was. But these are just oh so good. Truly. Read the rest of this entry…

As I type this, thunder is roaring outside my office window and ominous clouds are dumping rain everywhere. It sounds vicious outside, the kind of rolling booms that make you want to curl up under a favorite quilt and huddle until it passes. Meanwhile, less than 20 minutes ago, I was outside planting and watching these clouds roll in. Welcome to a true New England day … don’t like the weather? Wait five minutes.

But I am not complaining, it has been a good Sunday here. Sunny and productive, with lots of errands and yard work accomplished.

Today was a rare morning where everyone slept a little later than normal. For the first time in literally years, I got to sleep past 8 a.m. — and well past 8 a.m., at that. It was a rare treat.

When we all finally did rise, I whipped up a delicious batch of Banana-Stuffed French Toast. This is a recipe that I actually first posted back on June 22, 2006. I made it for Father’s Day that year, and it was a huge hit. So when Shawn came home last night with a big, soft, beautiful loaf of challah bread, I immediately thought of this recipe. The ingredients are primarily pantry items, which means that you can make it almost anytime. And it comes together – start to finish – in 45 minutes max (and that’s if you do several batches in the frying pan like I did … if you use a bigger pan, it will take less time).

In any case, this is great for a laid-back Sunday morning.

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As someone who hasn’t had much luck in the past with gardening, I am constantly amazed and wowed when I look out my office window. Greeted with a large ball of catmint, yellow and fuchsia (when I tried to think of the word for the color, all I could think was magenta … I think it technically is) flowers and blossoming lilacs, it’s not only beautiful,  but it makes me feel accomplished. I did that. Those flowers out there are blooming because of me.

We didn’t really do much in the way of new plantings this week, instead getting some much-needed weeding done. Will however  did plant his flowers, little blue perennials that are a pretty addition to the garden. I love how they mound slightly.

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Sometimes, I wish I could slow time down just a little bit. This month is flying by at warp speed and I just want to stop it for a little bit so that I can sit back and enjoy May. But time has other ideas, and we are just along for the ride.  Pretty soon, school will let out and it will be summer vacay for kids everywhere (Psst! Check out my guest post at Momversation on keeping kids of all ages occupied this summer).

Summer is a lovely time. It really is almost like everything slows down ever so slightly. We find ourselves outside more, basking in the sunlight and tending to the property. Weekends are spent strolling through farmer’s markets and picking strawberries and blueberries at pick-your-own farms. There are lazy days by the pool or on the beach and strolls near dusk.

And there are vegetables — many, many fresh, delicious vegetables.

We are still about a month away from the first harvest here in New England, but once we get there, this will be a perfect pasta to make from farmer’s market finds.

I’m the first to admit that I went through a phase where all I wrote about on this blog was pasta. Recognizing that it was a bit too much, I made a conscious decision to work on non-pasta recipes. That was probably two years ago or so … maybe even three.

So these days, if I write about pasta, you know it’s because it’s a pasta that I really, really love. That is totally the case with this pasta. Loaded with veggies, this one is a delicate, light, ever so slightly sweet (in that delectable, almost caramelized, way) dish. Serve this up with a tossed salad and some crusty bread. Then devour.

That’s exactly what the kids did tonight. Devoured. Read the rest of this entry…

We gave Will a kid’s digital camera for Christmas last year. These are a few of his prized shots … It sure is interesting to see things from his point of view.

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I’ve been going crazy with zests and fresh citrus in my cooking lately. It’s just imparts such vibrant flavor. Whatever it is that you are making becomes more alive with the simple addition of little scrapes of peels.

Really, it’s hard to believe that I was so resistant to using zest until recently. And why? Honestly, I shied away from it because it just seemed like such a tedious thing to do … since I had never tried it. But as it turns out, zesting a lime or a lemon takes but seconds and pays off major taste dividends.

These muffins are heavy on the lime taste and lighter on the coconut, but the coconut still adds a nice richness to the flavor. Make these the night before and heat one up in the morning for a quick, fresh breakfast on the go — and don’t forget to split them in half and slather on the butter. Or eat them at room temperature with a steamy cup of coffee.

Mmm. Read the rest of this entry…

Can you see that? That tiny little beginning of broccoli stopped me dead in my tracks today. I had already written this post and just needed the photos to go with it … then I saw that little spurt of broccoli and I couldn’t contain myself. Ooooh. I am so unspeakably excited. It’s really growing!!!

Back to the planned post.

It’s been a busy gardening week here. Although the last few days have been rainy, we still managed to make some major headway. Last Sunday, we finally installed and filled the last raised garden bed with soil and on Monday, I planted our first tomato plants — some cherry tomatoes and some early-season tomatoes. Read the rest of this entry…