Recently, a friend of E’s, a budding Broadway star at the ripe old age of 23, asked me if I would boil up some of his college pal’s Mom’s “cool” pasta and consider sharing my thoughts with my readers.
Sure! But I have lists growing outa of the ears of my lists about places to eat, people to call, products to check out. So it’s been a little while since I first read the label on MagNoodles Smart Pasta and marveled. Continue reading
By Camillo Ferrari
The vibe at the Lime restaurant in Norwalk, CT is a throwback to the late 70′s. Square sheets of glass protect faded, striped umber and orange tablecloths and customers’ business cards are wedged between cloth and glass. A smattering of haphazardly framed photos of early 1980′s T.V. icons hang next to kitchen tools and framed notices of events from another era.
I arrived early for lunch at Nicholas Roberts Gourmet Bistro on another dreary February day, looking forward to warming up with veggie centric, creative eats. Self described as “mindfully organic and local”, it is just my kind of place and I’m never disappointed. Continue reading
photo: Mimi Giboin
I’ll admit to feeling a quick flutter of excitement when friends suggest eating together and the expectation is that I chose the “perfect” spot.
I rapidly flip through my mental rolodex, wondering if they want the meal to comfort them or blow them away with offbeat creations? Do they want a hip, cacophonous environment or a conversation friendly dining room?
When I ask these questions, I often get the hand-wave and hopeful “YOU chose”. Continue reading
Giveaway is now CLOSED. BUT please keep on reading and find the scrumptious recipe at the end of this post.
Sometimes the mere suggestion of a twist on tradition is enough to get me going in the kitchen. And I wasn’t even thinking about Chanukah yet.
On the last day of the outdoor Westport Farmers’ Market in November, organic farmer, Patti Popp of Sport Hill Farm, beckoned me to come check out her pile of brussel sprouts still firmly attached to their stalks.
My focus shifted as I noticed the generous, fan shaped LEAVES fanning out at the tip of these nobby supportive stalks.
THE LEAVES? I had never given them a moment’s notice, and likely had never even seen them before. They were both dusty and vibrant and Patti encouraged me to experiment with these lovelies as wrappers for whatever filling I saw fit. Continue reading
Labor Day’s signal is loud and clear.
Like Pavlov’s dogs, we respond to the first Monday in September with a wave of sadness as the date proclaims that summer is over. Not so fast!
I’ll take this Labor Day to give thanks to those who advocate for fair wages, better working conditions, and fair trade. Now is a good time to re-state our commitment to honoring those who grow our food with concern for our environment and better nutrition for our families.
I’ve come closer to my food sources this year, through an all organic, GMO free, guaranteed local farmers’ market in my hometown, in Westport, CT. As a result of the persistent efforts and support of town leaders, a visionary and super smart (and strict) market manager and tireless volunteers, I can now turn to my local (within 120 miles) market for farm fresh deliciousness each and every week. Continue reading
contributed by Melissa Roberts
Do you ever really think about your coffee? I never did.
Though my morning cup is a daily ritual, I neither cared nor thought about where the coffee came from as long as the brew was hot and strong. But coffee is big business and a controversial topic environmentally and politically–points that came to my attention recently with the discovery of Dean’s Beans.
Dean’s serves up coffee with a conscience. Continue reading
Some days I’m pressed for time and speed shop through my farmers’ market, stopping only long enough to grab the goods and move on. On more leisurely days, I meander from farmer to chef, getting the juice on what’s growing and cooking. Continue reading
Neot Smadar
For young lovers and their parents, ‘tis the season of gift giving as summer weddings approach and engagements are announced.
How about considering unique, edible gifts?
I ran across information about Negev Nectars and was taken by their mission “to support small- scale, sustainable agriculture in Israel, and to provide a market for these farmers.” All products sold through this American company come from Israeli farms located in the Negev desert. Continue reading
Sometimes there’s an unexpected confluence of circumstance that makes writing about holiday foods a real thrill. Maybe it’s the adventure of discovering a new product that I suddenly feel I must have in my ‘fridge at all times.
In my perennial search for traditional foods with a twist, it was a great coincidence when the CT. farmers Robin and Ron Simmons contacted me about trying their organic, local, low fat and kosher yogurt .
Simmons Family Farm Yogurt almost sounded too good to be true. I shared with family and friends and began tasting the product over a period of a couple of weeks, just in time to make the connection between dairy and Shavuot. Continue reading