Ingredient: extra virgin olive oil

Quarantine White Bean Dip

Quarantine White Bean Dip

If you’re cooking and adding beans to everything these days like minestrone, soup, stews, etc., this is a great way to use up the extras. If you don’t have tahini, just use a tiny bit more olive oil. The fat from the olive oil and/or tahini is what makes the dip a little more decadent. Specific quantities are listed below, but just adjust to what you have on hand and your taste. FYI: this also works with canned beans.

Quick Artichoke Soup

Quick Artichoke Soup

My state of origin is Missouri/Misery — one of the increasing number of states where women are now considered chattel (sorry/not sorry to bring up politics). But I was lucky enough to have: 1. A grandmother who was a Master Gardener and 2. Lived in Laguna Niguel, California. Long before we had access to anything “exotic” at our local grocer she would send us boxes of Meyer lemons and artichokes fresh from her back garden. The photo above is a scene from the very beginning of my love affair with my favorite vegetable.

Nearly five decades later the opening of a Trader Joe’s in Boulder introduced 12-ounce bags of frozen artichoke hearts in the freezer section for $3.29. And suddenly, the ways in which I could express my love for the vegetable — a member of the thistle family — multiplied.

Yes, yes, YES – I get it. It’s totally not the same thing as a fresh artichoke and yes, I know they are not organic. And this does give me great pause. But when I asked a certain local chain to source frozen artichoke hearts for me back in 2010 the only ones they could find where $18 for 12 oz. Gulp. So I take my chances and hope that an article I read about one of the biggest growers in California switching to more organic methods is actually the case with these ‘chokes.

Avocado Decadence

Avocado Decadence

When I 16 and living in Ireland as an exchange student one evening my host mom served these avocados instead of a leafy green salad. One bite in and I remember thinking, “Why the hell have I never eaten this until now? and Can I 

Roasted Garlic

Roasted Garlic

Back in the summer of 1989 I had graduated from college and after a slight mishap with some carefully laid plans, I was catapulted back to my parents’ home for a few months. It was during that time I took refuge in my mother’s kitchen. 

My Version of The Kitchen’s Tomato Soup

My Version of The Kitchen’s Tomato Soup

  Print Recipe My Version of The Kitchen’s Tomato Soup The Kitchen empire opened their first restaurant (http://www.thekitchen.com) in Boulder, Colorado. In just over a decade they have grown and expanded throughout the United States with two new concepts – The Kitchen Next Door and 

Roasted Mushroom Soup

Roasted Mushroom Soup

  Print Recipe Roasted Mushroom Soup Delicious and incredibly simple. Perfect for an easy weeknight meal or my favorite, a Sunday night. The key to this soup is roasting the mushrooms to extract the flavor. A perfect soup for fall with a big loaf of