One of my favorite things about summer is when beets come in season. I know there are some beet haters out there, and if you are in that camp, try fresh local ones -- they are a completely different animal! Beets are in season June through September in Masschusetts, come in a variety of gorgeous colors, and also happen to be super good for you. This week's Eat Seasonal feature offers 8 ways to enjoy beets through the day:
We eat strawberries year round, but I'm always thrilled when strawberries come in season; the vibrant, juicy locally grown options are a totally different animal! This week's Eat Seasonal feature on strawberries comes just in time for upcoming strawberry festivals (keep an eye on upcoming Weekend Roundups!), though in Massachusetts, strawberries are in season both in June and also August to mid-October. Here are 8 easy ways you can enjoy them:
During my postdoctoral fellowship, I earned the nickname Kohcumber because I snacked on cucumbers every single day at the lab. For some reason, I fell out of that (excellent) habit, but this week's Eat Seasonal feature on cucumbers is inspiring me to load up my next grocery cart with cukes! Cucumbers are in season in Massachusetts from June through August; here are 9 (actually, 10) great ways you can enjoy them:
After poring over this seasonal produce grid for the best way to order fruit and vegetable features, it's sort of awesome that it worked out to kick off the Eat Seasonal series with scallions. Also known as spring onions, this vegetable is a permanent fixture in my mom's kitchen. I can almost hear her chopping them as I type this! Scallions are in season in Massachusetts from May to September; stock up and try and or all of these six recipes:
After recently sharing about 5 ways to eat local on a budget, I started thinking a lot about tip #2: shopping seasonally. And it inspired me to start a new editorial series! Via Eat Seasonal I’ll share roundups of simple recipes to help you figure out what to do with seasonal produce. I know that every year that we’ve signed up for CSAs, I’ve scoured around for just this sort of thing -- I hope you love the series!
I'm thrilled to share another Local Gems post today (be sure to check out the Arlington Center, Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Lexington, Medford, and Watertown features)! Today's Jamaica Plain recommendations come from my rad friend Casey, who writes about her city adventures with her wife and daughter over at Life with Roozle. Thanks for sharing these 10 local gems in Jamaica Plain, Casey!
I'm thrilled to share another Local Gems post today (be sure to check out the Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Lexington, Medford, and Watertown features)! Today's Arlington Center recommendations (East Arlington + Arlington Heights are forthcoming separately) come from reader Justine Uhlenbrock, a birth doula, minimalist mom of two girls, and writer who shares about motherhood, building a family legacy, and the intersection of food and family. Thanks for sharing these 11 local gems, Justine!
Today, Judy shares 7 great suburban spots for date night (hey, did you know it’s Date Your Mate Month?):
When I was pregnant, I fully expected that after the baby arrived my husband and I would still enjoy date nights at fancy restaurants in the city. In reality, three years into parenting, it’s proven a real challenge for us to get out, particularly since we both work full-time, want to spend our non-work hours with our little man, and feel uncomfortable overtaxing my parents (our only babysitters at present).
Happy May everyone! Among many random holidays (seriously, there are a lot this month!), it’s National Salad Month. And I'm totally on board with NSM for many reasons (hello seasonal produce! yay, roughage!). I thought I would use this holiday to round up 18 awesome salads from the archives. And now I'm hungry and want to make them all right now (I enjoyed #18 yesterday). Enjoy!
Following the fun features on Medford and Beacon Hill, today’s Local Gems spotlight is on Lexington, a pretty town 11 miles northwest of Boston. I’m grateful to my brilliant friend and colleague Morra Aarons-Mele (mom of two adorable sons and a digital tour de force via Women Online and The Mission List), who shares her Lexington faves today. Thanks, Morra!
I'm so excited to kick off the Local Gems series this morning and am doing so with nine local gems in Medford. This town is fast on the rise given its strong community, lightning fast access to Boston, and various amenities (including commuter rail access and visions of Green Line expansion). If you have other favorite Medford gems, feel free to share in the comments below!
Does your fruit and veggie intake plummet during the cold months? Yeah, me too! And I find that this time of year I especially need veggies to counterbalance the uptick in comfort foods and sweet treats. After finding myself in a state of culinary sloth post-holiday, I was determined to up my veggie intake and have found bliss in warm winter salads. When I served this salad (which I now eat daily, sometimes twice daily!) during a recent design consult with Paige, she said, “YOU MUST POST THIS RECIPE!” So here goes.
Today, Katy shares a tasty family-friendly recipe:
Last summer, two amazing, unusual things happened. First, while visiting my in-laws, I actually had time to relax and read a magazine. Second, I clipped a recipe out of said magazine. I typically don't like to follow recipes and find that many "quick" magazine recipes are heavy on overly processed ingredients. But the enchiladas verde recipe I clipped looked tasty, healthy, gluten-free, and also easy to make vegetarian. Here's my modification (read: simplification) of the recipe, morphed into our new family favorite: Magic Mexican Casserole.
I had such fun pulling together the 12 chocolate cupcake recipes post last week (research, right?) that I decided to round up another dozen incredible looking cookie recipes in these fleeting days of October (which, apparently, is Cookie Month). Whoever is making up these holidays, I love you! I'm super excited to try all of these recipes -- perfect for fall/winter baking inspiration! Which recipe will you try first?
Hey, so apparently tomorrow (October 18) is Chocolate Cupcake Day. I don’t know who makes up these random holidays but I'm on board, are you? I love chocolate. I love cupcakes. I love cute little wrappers. I love piping bags. So in honor of this delicious random holiday, I assembled a collection of 12 chocolate cupcake recipes via Pinterest. Now, to decide, which recipe to try first?
I'm a huge fan of slow cookers (aka crockpots). In fact, I think crockpots are downright sexy. Well, perhaps we won't agree on that, but what we likely will align on is how incredibly handy slow cookers are for simplifying mealtimes. When faced with a slew of CSA tomatoes (that we were told were best for sauces), I recently whipped up a batch of slow cooker marinara that made the whole family insanely happy. Here's the how-to (awesome spoiler: no blender required!):
Ever since becoming a parent, summer is a completely different ballgame. And while I could do without the transition woes and calendar juggling, I do appreciate how Laurel and Vi's summer schedules force me to think about blocking out down time and trying new things (both good things!). So when Starwood Hotels & Resorts invited me to participate in their My Summer Story campaign -- in which they're encouraging people to reflect on their summer stories and make the summer worth talking about -- I was like, yes, I am on board with this!
One great thing about summer? Salad. And it doesn't need to be boring salad. Today, Jules (also of In The Kitchen Catering & Food Delivery) shares the next installment in our Meals Made Easy series. Enjoy this unique farm stand salad (and be sure to try these zucchini, ricotta & tomato frittata, roasted shrimp with veggies, balsamic orange chicken, and coconut lime cod recipes too!):