by on November 14, 2012   •   38 Comments Holidays

Honey Pomegranate Glazed Brussels Sprouts


All of the Thanksgiving dinners we attend (three in total, the first happening back in October) are large, with the total mouths-to-feed count hovering around 25. As such, no one person is ever left with the sole responsibility of making a meal to feed the crowd. Instead, we communally share the job, signing up for dishes and drinks, each bringing the classics or surprising everyone with a bit of a twist and a deviation from the norm.

There will always be plenty of green bean casserole, and the hosting party provides a giant roast bird, possibly even a ham depending on the side of the family. Warmed bread is served slathered in soft butter, and a bright array of side salads and vegetables run down the center of the table. Potatoes are mashed and aunts and cousins argue over whether they should be laced with garlic or kept plain jane for their gravy river.

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by on September 19, 2012   •   24 Comments Preserving

Crushed Tomatoes: Canned or Frozen?

Written by Shaina of Food for My Family.

Here today, gone tomorrow. Or so the saying goes. The tomatoes that seem to fill every square inch of my farmer’s market will surely be around for another week, but then they will slowly disappear, being replaced by an overabundance of winter squash and pumpkins. The pumpkins are coming.

What’s been priceless to me during the long winter months, however, is having those tomatoes around. Store-bought tomatoes simply do not sing as do their locally-grown counterparts. They lack the depth and character of the heirloom varieties that stare back at me in my backyard and on the farmers’ stalls. They are devoid of flavor. (In my opinion, at least.)
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by on August 1, 2012   •   12 Comments Dinner

Garlic Grilled Pattypan with Chia Brown Rice

Written by Shaina of Food for My Family.

My garden is bursting with fresh produce. Daily I go out and check on tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuces, and a huge amount of squash. Remind me again why I thought five courgette and summer squash varietals was a good idea?

Really, I adore squash, but in an effort to make all the squash I eat interesting, I simply overlooked the fact that one zucchini plant has the ability to produce enough zucchini for more loaves of zucchini orange bread and stir fry than one family can eat. Multiple that times five and suddenly I am in need of coming up with interesting ways to use all of our bountiful squash harvest.

That said, I’m really enjoying the bowl full of pattypan goodness that graces my table daily. Their flying saucer shapes and vibrant colors I will never tire of, no matter how many times a week I have to eat them.
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by on June 13, 2012   •   22 Comments Dinner

Grilling a Steak for Dad and 3 Steak Seasonings

Written by Shaina of Food for My Family.

In our home the grill is generally dominated by my husband. He cleans it, maintains it, claims it as his own. When I want something done out there, I usually just set it on the table and he’ll head outside to light the grill without a word passing between us. This is definitely his territory.

Still, there are times when he works late, when business trips interfere with my meal planning prowess, and when I am the one in charge of the outdoor cooking as well. (Truthfully, there are also times when we simply disagree on the method and final desired product, too. Such is the life of two people with strong opinions about the food they prepare and eat.) It’s those times that it’s important for me to know my way around the outdoor kitchen just as I know my way around the indoor one.

Of course, I may just want to surprise my husband or my dad or my father-in-law with a perfectly grilled steak for Father’s Day, too.
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by on April 25, 2012   •   21 Comments Organization & Productivity

Planning what to grow in your backyard vegetable garden

When we first purchased our own home, my first thought was that I finally had the chance to have a garden, a space all my own to do what I wanted. It took a year before the raised beds were in and ready to be planted in the spring – and plant them I did.

A bit too eager to get food from the ground, I overloaded my space and so by about midsummer, the zucchini had taken over, the potato plant was expansive, and the tomatoes were literally out of control. A good problem to have, for sure, but with all the overcrowding, it was hard to get in to harvest, and I often lost tomatoes and zucchinis that I missed under the tangle of vines and leaves.

I learned an important lesson that summer: Proper garden planning helps avoid harvest heartbreak.

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