Kale, lemons and lima beans at the festival

Rafael Castillejo and Javier Reyes of Reality Changers volunteered at the lima bean festival, serving Mary Dralle's Lemony Lima Poppyseed Cake. (Photo by Laura Groch)

Rafael Castillejo and Javier Reyes of Reality Changers volunteered at the lima bean festival, serving Mary Dralle’s Lemony Lima Poppyseed Cake. (Photo by Laura Groch)

Me with Jean Bruns of the San Dieguito Heritage Museum, who was supervising the Encinitas Lima Bean Cookoff and Faire. (Photo by Laura Groch)

Me with Jean Bruns of the San Dieguito Heritage Museum. (Photo by Greg Groch)

Kale, lemons and of course, lima beans were the dominant flavors Saturday at the Encinitas Lima Bean Cookoff and Faire, put on by the San Dieguito Heritage Museum off Quail Gardens Drive.

I helped with the judging, sampling everything lima-beanish from Mini Sweet Pepper Poppers to Hawaiian Lima BBQ Beans to Lima-Kale Gratin and Cinnabean Rolls. (Winning recipes in an upcoming post.)

It was a lot of fun, with some very nice people who enjoyed the afternoon, the Continue reading →

It’s all about those beans, ’bout those beans — and Restaurant Week, too

Lima Bean Festival

Cooking instructor Mary “Cooking With Klibs” Dralle was among those exhibiting bean ideas at the 2014 Lima Bean Festival at the San Dieguito Heritage Museum. (Photo by Laura Groch)

Some very local goings-on in this post, starting with:

— Encinitas’ San Dieguito Heritage Museum, which is hosting its 7th annual Lima Bean Festival from noon-4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26. I’m helping judge the entries in the cooking contest, which is always a fun part of the festivities. But it’s not all about the beans, though — there are other attractions, including a plant sale, silent auction, kids games and tours of the historical Teten House. Come on by and taste-test (from 12:30-2:30 p.m.) the different concoctions dreamed up by area chefs, amateurs and Continue reading →

Here’s a scoop — make your own chocolate syrup

So. Hot. Need. Ice. Cream.

You can easily make your own chocolate syrup with just five ingredients. Photo by Laura Groch

You can easily make your own chocolate syrup with just five ingredients. Photo by Laura Groch

With chocolate syrup, of course.
Here’s how to make chocolate syrup on the cheap, and without any artificial ingredients.
One of the things I like to do in this blog is to offer easier, cheaper ways to make food. We used to call them helpful hints; today they’re called “kitchen hacks.” (Whatevs.) It’s all still about saving money and time, and sometimes making things a bit more healthful.
I know: What’s so healthy about chocolate syrup? It’s full of sugar. Well, OK — too much sugar is bad for you, so please don’t eat the entire potful of chocolate syrup I’m going to show you how to make. (One pot is not 1 serving.)

Continue reading →

Five more ideas on how to eat in the heat

Bleah! It’s still searingly hot outside. (Too hot for grilling, imho.) Who wants to cook anything, even if your kitchen is in air-conditioned comfort? OK, A/C does help. But still. Who wants to eat a heavy cooked meal when it’s 100 degrees out? (Have some more water.)

sandwich

Sandwiches can save the day when it’s fiendishly hot, but try ’em with some different sturdy bread or rolls. (Photo by Laura Groch)

So what can we do to feed ourselves and beat the heat, short of eating ice cream three times a day? (wait, not such a bad strategy …) Here are some reminders of cool basics for summertime meals that might spark your imagination. (Find more ideas here.)

• Remember the “beeg salad”? Invite it to dinner. On a bed of lettuces and/or greens (raw kale, cabbage shreds), add something starchy and/or grainy (cooked quinoa, pasta, bulgur, beans, potatoes), some cooked meat, chicken, tuna or hard-boiled eggs, veggies galore (tomato, chopped celery, onion, shredded carrot, cucumber, zucchini, olives, cooked Continue reading →

What’s red, and red, and red … 3 ideas to use tomatoes

Fans of farmers markets are enjoying the bounty of fresh, flavorful tomatoes, but if you’ve run out of ideas, I have a few standbys from the kitchen files.

tomatoes

Nothing is so tasty as a glorious ripe tomato. Or two, or three … dozen … try these ideas to use some of the crop.  (Photo copyright Laura Groch 2015)

First up is my favorite, panzanella, the Italian bread salad. The juices from chopped tomatoes moisten day-old Italian bread (or other sturdy bread, like country white or wheat bread).

I keep it simple, using day-old Italian bread and toasting about half a loaf’s slices to dry them further. I let them cool before tearing them into bite-sized pieces, then add two good-sized juicy tomatoes, cut into chunks, unpeeled.

Next into the bowl goes half a peeled cucumber, chunked; two thinly sliced green Continue reading →

Three ideas to “uncook” during summer heat

sandwich

The old sandwich will keep things cool when temperatures become intemperate, but what about dinners? (c) 2015 Laura Groch

We’ll be hitting the 100s this weekend and probably beyond, so I’m ready for some cool cooking.

The kitchen can stay pretty temperate for breakfasts (cereal, toast, yogurt) and lunches (sandwiches, wraps). But sometimes dinner is another story. (No, ice cream is not sufficient. Keep thinking.) Grilling keeps the heat outside, but if you can’t stand to be outdoors that long, here are Continue reading →

Thrifty AND nifty — finding those perfect odds and ends

Revere Ware pot lids

Two Revere Ware lids are among the potential finds at this local thrift store. Photo by Laura Groch

It’s frustrating to break the glass lid of a Corningware or Calphalon pot, or lose a kitchen utensil to the chaos of the office potluck. But you might not have to lay out big money to buy replacement pieces.

If you’ve got some thrift stores in your city or town, you’d be surprised at the kitchen items you can find there for pennies. Caveat emptor (oh, look it up): The pieces might have some small chips or dings or dents in them that don’t affect Continue reading →

For hot weather, some cool memories

Southwestern Tabbouleh Salad

Southwestern Tabbouleh Salad is cool, nutritious, low-fat — and ridiculously easy to prepare. And did I say cool? (Photo by Laura Groch)

Hot, muggy weather of the sort we’ve been having lately makes me want to find cool and easy summer meals. After 25 years of relying on fans, we’ve got A/C in our home now, which is nice, but I still don’t want to heat up the kitchen too much.

Which makes me wonder — what, in those long, hot summer days before widespread air-conditioning, did my mom and her fellow homemakers do to put dinner on the table?

Continue reading →

Singing the praises of soppressata

soppressata sandwich

A soppressata sandwich was a great way to wind down our brief getaway recently. (Photo by Laura Groch)

Spent a few days in San Antonio and Abilene, Texas, recently —- and I’m embarrassed to say that we never once tasted any authentic Texas cooking! Circumstances dictated that we did most of our eating at chain restaurants. Although I did manage to snag a forbidden sausage patty every morning at our hotels’ free breakfast buffets, Continue reading →

Top this: Slaw Dogs for the Fourth, and all summer long

slaw dog

Coleslaw might not be your first thought when it comes to hot dog toppings, but I find it very refreshing. Photo by Laura Groch

July 4 is a holiday full of patriotic observance, parades and flags, and rightly so. We also celebrate in that all-American of ways, by cooking and/or eating outdoors in a burger-hot-dog-ribs-chicken-picnic-barbecue fest. Also rightly so.

We’ll probably grill a few sausages and maybe a turkey hot dog or two. DH is strictly a mustard-and-onion topping guy, but I like to change things up. My latest favorite for hot dogs (and I might try this on a bratwurst, too) is a simple slaw. It’s Continue reading →