By Laura Woolfrey Macklem:
Out of all the warm weather produce, summer squash seems to either be the most abundant or the most difficult for home cooks to employ. You don’t hear lamentation of tomato...
By Laura Woolfrey Macklem:
There’s been much talk about pending food shortages, particularly because grain production is suffering with drought and the war in Ukraine. Grain should be a staple in every...
Homemade bread made with freshly milled flour provides a soft yet sturdy canvas for sandwiches and spreads with tremendous health benefits canceling any bread guilt. Common, nutrition-lacking loaves are now the price of the artisan counterparts in the store. Buy grains now to to stock your pantry, and fill your bread box with a slice of heaven.
By Laura Woolfrey Macklem:
The start of Carlsbad’s strawberry season yields the biggest, sweetest strawberries I’ve ever had. I remember my then 4-year old scooting up to the strawberry stand and asking...
The start of Carlsbad’s strawberry season yields the biggest, sweetest strawberries I’ve ever had. I remember my then 4-year-old scooting up to the strawberry stand and asking “one basket please” and being gifted a giant, ruby red strawberry as an extra treat. Between our berry acquisition and the Flower Fields, that day was a little slice of heaven.
By Laura Woolfrey Macklem:
Growing up, my mother faithfully made corned beef and cabbage every St. Patrick’s Day. During the rest of the year, she often made cabbage, ham and potatoes. Maybe it’s because...
By Laura Woolfrey Macklem:
Starting this month, OsideNews introduces Preserved Home, a column devoted to homemade and home-preserved recipes.
I grew up in Escondido, and my best friend growing...
I remember driving from Escondido to Moonlight Beach in Encinitas as a teenager, passing produce stands overflowing with fresh blood oranges and other fruits and vegetables. Before I knew about preserving, I would stop along the road just buy a little here and there, and savor the produce fresh. I may not have preserved fruit back then, but what I have preserved are memories growing up surrounded by citrus and avocado groves, friendly produce vendors, and, most of all, a very best friend.
My gingerbread loaf recipe, though, is a much-anticipated treat and baked in ornamental pans. With a deep, spiced flavor and soft crumb, it’s the perfect holiday breakfast treat.
Don’t get me wrong, I really do enjoy pumpkin and it’s employed in my kitchen in the fall and winter. But butternut squash is something I use all year because it doesn’t depend on heavy fall spices to lift the flavor. Pumpkin has to be gussied up, while butternut squash naturally can stand alone.
With fall and school starting, soup is on the mind of home cooks, often looking to the slow cooker for quick, comforting meals. There’s nothing like a bubbling pot of soup waiting for you after a busy day when fall hits. And even if it doesn’t feel like fall outside for you, the vibe is everywhere, so why not join in?
