Picking Peaches in Georgia at Gregg Farms

Bucket of Freshly Picked Peaches from Gregg Farms

Bucket of Freshly Picked Peaches from Gregg Farms

Picking your own seasonal ingredients from local farms is a great way to freshen up your cooking with high-quality ingredients. Not only that, but it allows you to connect with the land that your food comes from, and to harvest some of the “ugly” fruits and vegetables that would otherwise be wasted. Incredibly, somewhere between 25 and 40 percent of all the food produced in this country goes to waste, so picking some “ugly” produce can be a tasty (if minor) way to reduce that figure. read more

Candy Treasure Chests with New Zealand Treasure

Candy treasure chest with jewels

Every summer my family reunites in Cape San Blas, Florida, for two weeks. This beach trip is one of my favorite times of the year. Not only do I get to spend time with everyone, but I get good food to boot. When my family gets together, we really cook (sometimes for half the day)!

Some nights have a theme, which my grandmother usually picks and organizes. For instance, we had a “pirate night” this year, during which everyone dressed up in pirate clothes they’d made during the day. The gastronomical highlight of the night were these candy treasure chests. read more

Afternoon Tea with our Neighbors

Strawberry Cake, Chocolate fudge frosting, strawberries, strawberry hearts, romantic cake

I’ve recently participated in several teas, first at The Drake Hotel in Chicago, then an afternoon tea in Florida. You can’t blame me for indulging my tea obsession; it’s quite addictive and fun! Last weekend, my neighbor Annie and I created a lovely afternoon tea menu, which featured:

Oolong Tea

Black Mango Tea

Orange Blossom Tea

Pagan Alms Tea

Egg Salad Sandwiches with Dill

Cucumber and Cream Cheese Sandwiches

Ham Sandwiches with an Apricot-Mustard Spread

Cherry Chicken Salad Sandwiches read more

Colored Dough Decorative Cookies

Colored Dough Decorative Cookies, Christmas cookies

I love Christmas and I love all the delicious sweets that surround the holiday. Hot cocoa, apple cider, sugar cookies, eggnog, gingerbread men, candy canes, sandtarts, etc. One of my favorite parts of Christmas is making Christmas cookies. This year I learned a revolutionary technique, at least revolutionary for me! Instead of using icing or sprinkles to decorate your cookies, create decorative patterns using colored dough. Such a marvelous concept. It takes you back to your playdough days, where you roll out snakes and balls. For once, you can encourage your kids to play with their food! Take this simple recipe for dough and let your imagination go wild. This recipe can apply to all holidays and themes, just change the cookie cutter shapes and dye the dough whatever color you want. Voilà! Instant hit. read more