Currently growing in Southern California
When I get bored I want to cook. Cooking engages my brain, it smells good, it tastes good, and if I do it right, it looks good. I’ve created something wonderful from just a few random forgotten ingredients in the fridge. This quiche was no different. Its the end of the week and I have odds and ends in the fridge that need to get used up.
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It’s mid-July already! Can you believe it? Its finally 100 degrees out here in SoCal and we are doing our very best to stay cool during the hottest part of the day. Around 5pm, when I start to make dinner it is still in the upper 90s so I am always trying to avoid cooking inside. Just using the stove makes the air conditioner kick on every time so to avoid astronomical electric bills I am doing 75% of my cooking on my amazing gas grill.
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When Gavin falls asleep in the middle of the afternoon I know he’s about to be hit with something big. Last week in the middle of the weekend this very thing happened. One minute he was watching a video and the next he was asleep on the floor by his bed.
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Three out of seven days each week you will probably find me cooking chicken thighs. They are an easy choice for our little family. They are cheaper and more flavorful than chicken breasts and I can bring the leftovers to work for lunch the next day. We get stuck in ruts though. I like to…
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At 2am last Friday, I drove my daughter to a Starbucks in a nearby town. She got out of the car, gave me a big hug and sleepily climbed into the truck of a classmate whose parents had offered to drive them to the airport. From there they would join their teacher and other…
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I made this salad in the work lunchroom once and everyone kept commenting on how good the cut veggies smelled and how beautiful it was. So it would be an easy, yet impressive side dish for a potluck. The best thing is it only takes about 15 minutes to make.
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I woke up in the middle of the night freezing cold. Even though I had a fuzzy warm blanket and my son snuggled up next to me, it wasn’t enough to keep me warm. I managed to sleep the rest of the night, but first thing this morning, before I even made coffee, I lit…
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Are you feeling those first stirrings of Fall yet? I know I have been for a couple of weeks now. The nights are much cooler. My bedroom windows are still open at night, but only a crack. The evenings are still very warm but I have pulled out the warmer blankets for the middle of…
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The rainy season is here! Bright green grass now covers the ground. The grapevines are rapidly losing their leaves. A fire in the wood burning stove is now a nightly necessity and we have swapped our summer clothes for winter ones. This is my favorite time of year. Around here we get rain that…
Read MoreI cannot wait for summer food. Peaches, tomatoes, watermelon, cold potato and pasta salads, Popsicles, lemonade, BBQ chicken… please wait while I stop drooling… Ok I’m back. I needed a summer food fix so I threw together this fast little salad. Quinoa is a great alternative to my favorite pasta, potato and rice salads and…
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Shoots and Roots 