When the weather starts to turn cool, I always turn to my slow cooker. My Cuisinart Cook Central Mulit-Function Cooker has truly revolutionized how I make dinner. No longer do I have to separately sauté in another pan that needs to be washed. Now I do everything in this wonderful ...
Tri-Color Pepper Spiderbite Penne
My last post was about the phenomenal local goat cheese in my region of the Carolinas. Inspired by Fishing Creek Creamery's Spiderbite, a unique combination of creamy chèvre with the spicy bite of ghost peppers and a tiny hint of chocolate, I decided to revamp one of our favorite weeknight pasta ...
Has Gardein Created the Most Authentic Meatballs?
Quorn has held the “best meatless meatball” title for a very long time in my family. We recently tested a new contender: Gardein Classic Meatless Meatballs. I had already made a batch of sauce in my slow cooker. It featured organic versions of the following ingredients: Vidalia onions, garlic, ...
A Cheese Addict’s Praise for Local Goat Cheese
I was thrilled to see two of my favorite local cheese makers profiled in this morning's Charlotte Observer. "Smile and Say 'Local Cheese'" profiles Fishing Creek Creamery from Chester, SC, Bosky Acres from Waxhaw, and Uno Alla Volta Cheese from Charlotte. I've been a long ...
Sicilian Swiss Chard with Chicken Cutlets
Swiss chard has been one of my favorite greens since childhood. I grew Swiss Chard in my summer garden at Miles School, and always marveled at how different it was in flavor than spinach, collards, and the other greens we grew. Because my mom has macular degeneration, I am very conscious about ...
Before Watermelon and Cherry Tomato Season Ends . . .
The peak season for both watermelon and cherry tomatoes is approaching its end. Since I love the beautiful array of colors in the gorgeous artisan cherry tomatoes I've written about before, I decided to throw caution to the wind and combine these two unlikely ingredients! While I've previously ...
Celebrate Labor Day with My Easy Grilled Pineapple Chicken Salad
Happy Labor Day! If you'd like to know a little more about the history of Labor Day, check out this link. If you're looking for something a little more adventurous than a grilled burger to enjoy today, I hope you'll fix my Grilled Pineapple Chicken Salad. I created it for an impromptu cookout ...
What’s More Southern Than (Oven) Fried Green Tomatoes?
Fried Green Tomatoes are a Southern delicacy. (Heck, most Southerners like everything that can possibly be deep fried - pickles, Oreos, Twinkies- you name it!) Although I count myself as a semi-Southerner (after 33 years south of the Mason-Dixon line), I have learned that I can adapt Southern ...
