Category Archives: year round

Cashew Peanut Butter

20 July 2012 by local kitchen

We’re a peanut butter household. While Tai is very much a granola or yogurt guy at breakfast time, I am all about peanut butter toast; sometimes with a little jam, often just straight up. Of late, Tai has forsaken his usual turkey wrap for lunch in favor of peanut butter & jelly (in a wrap no less), and he usually brings two (because wrangling 13 year-olds at the cliffs is hungry work), so we go through a lot of peanut […]

Categories: breakfast, condiments, nuts, quick & easy, year round • Tags: cooking, food, homemade pantry, quick & easy, recipes

Greek Grilled Chicken

12 July 2012 by local kitchen

We don’t eat a lot of meat in the summer. There’s so much else to eat: tomatoes and cucumbers, corn and green beans, peaches and berries, and endless amounts of zucchini. And while the advent of brightly colored summer produce is always a joy, the greens might slow down, but they don’t stop: chard, kale, scallions, radish tops, and a monster bunch of basil were all part of this week’s CSA. There is hardly enough time in the day, or room […]

Categories: chicken, grill, main course, oregano, summer, year round • Tags: chicken, cooking, food, local, recipes

Kale & Potato Curry

9 July 2012 by local kitchen

Tai had two of his four wisdom teeth extracted a few days ago. Given that most people have their wisdom teeth removed in their teens or early 20’s, it was not an easy procedure: Tai’s adult teeth and jaw did not give up easily. But give up they did, and though it’s been a painful few days for my poor husband, he’s enjoyed the side benefits of root beer floats, chocolate-cherry butter shakes and yogurt-blueberry-maple breakfast drinks. Of course, after […]

Categories: basil, kale & leafy greens, main course, oregano, potato, stew, summer, vegetarian, year round • Tags: cooking, food, local, main course, recipes, vegetarian

Use It or Lose It! Ancho Braised Beef Tacos

18 May 2012 by local kitchen

Chapter 2 in The Beef Chronicles: spicy Mexican braised beef tacos. The last episode found our intrepid heroine eating beef for the first time in 25 years: specifically, berry-braised beef with blackberry reduction. And while that recipe was a resounding success in the husband-pleasing department, and our heroine managed to eat a bite or two without significant gastro-intestinal distress, it wasn’t the most enjoyable of meals. The rice and blackberry sauce were her favorite part. Fast forward nearly two months (Can you believe […]

Categories: 100% local, beef, bell pepper, braising, main course, tomatoes, Use it or Lose it!, year round • Tags: beef, cooking, food, local, Mexican, recipes

Chipotle Hash Browns

29 April 2012 by local kitchen

I am drowning in data. I am trying to wrap up a huge project at work, a study that has been going on for over a year and has produced reams and reams and reams of data (much of which came from yours truly); I’m now in the process of distilling it all down into some sort of meaningful conclusion. And while this is the most fun part: understanding how all the pieces come together into one overall picture of […]

Categories: 100% local, breakfast, potato, side dish, year round • Tags: breakfast, cooking, food, local, potatoes, quick & easy, recipes

The 3-Minute Burrito

25 April 2012 by local kitchen

Sometimes, when you return from a vacation to foreign lands, all you can think about is recreating some of the fabulous food you ate on your trip. A jaunt to Spain in the late ’90’s marked my first experiments with frittata, inspired by the many late-night tortilla española tapas I enjoyed there. Frittata has continued a staple recipe in my repetoire ever since. On the other hand, sometimes when you return, all you crave are familiar, comforting foods: dishes you missed while […]

Categories: 100% local, main course, quick & easy, vegetable, vegetarian, year round • Tags: cooking, food, local, quick & easy, recipes, vegetarian

Blackberry Citrus Cake

15 April 2012 by local kitchen

Wow, did I put up a lot of blackberries last summer. I blame the gorgeous rolling hills at Greig Farm, and the excellent company, for picking, well, a whole lot of berries. Buckets and buckets. For which, now, I’m profoundly grateful: after berry-braised beef, and a blackberry-smothered birthday cake (with blackberry jam + cream cheese frosting!) for a certain newly-minted 8 year-old, not to mention jam and syrup and boozy berries galore, I’ve still got a couple of pounds in the […]

Categories: berries, breakfast, citrus, dessert, summer, whole wheat flour, year round • Tags: berries, cake, cooking, food, local, quick & easy, recipes, whole grain

Savory Cheddar & Chive Bread

4 April 2012 by local kitchen

Did you catch the awesome deal on Amazon last week? Two of Dorie Greenspan’s books, Baking and Around My French Table, for $6! As soon as David Lebovitz posted it, I snapped up two sets of books: one for me, one for future gifting. And posted it to my Facebook page, whereupon some of you lovely people snapped up your own copies. This is what social media is all about: $3 cookbooks! (OK. Not really. But still: a nice perk.) […]

Categories: 100% local, baking, breakfast, cheese, chives, quick & easy, snack, whole wheat flour, year round • Tags: baking, cooking, food, local, quick & easy, recipes, vegetarian, whole grain breads

Saffron Couscous

30 March 2012 by local kitchen

Need a quick & easy side dish for dinner this weekend? Of course you do! Everyone always talks about quick meals for weeknight dinners: the dreaded “30 minutes or less!” And I can understand it: after a long day of work, traffic, kids and errands, energy can be in short supply, even for the most ardent home cook. Most of the time, I enjoy taking my time while cooking: I put music on the stereo, pour myself a glass of wine, and […]

Categories: grains & legumes, quick & easy, side dish, spring, year round • Tags: cooking, food, local, quick & easy, recipes, side dish, vegetarian, whole grain breads

Berry-Braised Beef with Herbed Chèvre Rice & Blackberry Reduction

27 March 2012 by local kitchen

The last time I ate beef was the summer of 1987. I remember it quite well: I was home from college, working in Boston as a temp secretary for a rather stuffy accounting firm down at South Station, and living out near Boston College with some friends. The father of one of my roommates was in town on business and decided to take “us girls” out to dinner. He chose Anthony’s Pier 4, which was a bit of a thrill […]

Categories: 100% local, beef, berries, braising, meat & dairy, parsley, Use it or Lose it!, wine, beer & liquor, year round • Tags: beef, cooking, dinner, food, local, main course, recipes

Pork Fried Rice

18 March 2012 by local kitchen

Now that St. Patrick’s Day is safely behind us, I can talk about this dish that has cabbage, lots of green vegetables, and pinkish meat, without it having anything to do with traditional Irish boiled dinner. A head of bok choi (frozen last Spring and unearthed from the depths of the chest freezer), a few farmer’s market finds, some leftover rice and the last of the pork spare ribs made for a quick, easy, yet very satisfying lunch. According to Food & Wine, pork […]

Categories: Asian greens, carrot, main course, pork, rice, side dish, spring, year round • Tags: chinese, cooking, food, local, main course, pork, quick & easy, recipes, rice

Slow-Roasted Spare Ribs with Espresso Jam Glaze

13 March 2012 by local kitchen

Ribs: they’re such a weekend, laid-back, backyard barbecue sort of thing, aren’t they? I mean, they roast all day long, then you coat them in a sticky glaze, fire them up, and wash them down with warm cornbread, cold beer, and more than a few clean napkins. Still, it’s hard to think of a better reason for ribs-on-a-Tuesday than 70 degrees in March, no? You might just have to do it. And if you suddenly (cough, cough) are feeling just […]

Categories: main course, pork, year round • Tags: BBQ, coffee, cooking, food, local, main course, pork, recipes, ribs

Roasted Summer Vegetables

25 February 2012 by local kitchen

A week or two ago, my friend Crunchy Metro Mom posed a question on her blog: what one-off meals (that is, meals destined for one night only, with no leftovers) do you rely upon in your weekly meal planning and what tips do you have for quick & easy one-off meals that don’t rely heavily on prepared or processed foods? Now, there is no question that we can eat very differently here at Local Kitchen than they do at Crunchy Metro […]

Categories: 100% local, bell pepper, corn, roasting, side dish, vegetable, vegetarian, winter, year round, zucchini • Tags: cooking, food, local, recipes, sides, vegetables, vegetarian

Mini Linguiça Drop Muffins

27 January 2012 by local kitchen

We interrupt this citrus-filled January for a horse of a different color: mini linguiça drop muffins! I had a dream about these muffins last night: spicy, smoky linguiça, sharp cheddar cheese, tangy buttermilk, nutty whole wheat flour. I woke up with my stomach growling, a woman on a mission to recreate my dream. (On a side note, when I’m actually dreaming about processed pork products, I think it’s safe to say I might have overdosed, just a wee bit, on citrus. […]

Categories: appetizer, baking, breads, breakfast, cheese, holiday, oregano, pork, sausage, whole wheat flour, winter, year round • Tags: baking, cooking, food, linguica, local, quick & easy, recipes, whole grain breads, winter

100% Local: Brazilian Feijoada

7 January 2012 by local kitchen

I am an ornery cuss. Not only do I give you a hearty, wintry, braise-all-day-long meat & bean stew on a 60-degree Saturday in January, but I got dozens of great black bean ideas from you folks following my call for inspiration on the Facebook page, yet I ignored them all to try feijoada. Like I said: ornery. (Which must always be pronounced “orn-ree” for maximum authenticity.) Feijoada is a traditional meat and bean stew: according to Hank Shaw, black beans […]

Categories: 100% local, beans, main course, pork, sausage, stew, winter, year round • Tags: beans, cooking, food, local, main course, pork, recipes, stew