Large cannellini beans, barley, and arugula mix together to become an easy salad for bringing to the park to enjoy on a warm spring day. April 22nd is Earth Day. Get involved. Have a Picnic for the Planet. The weather has been kind lately. Too kind, almost. Where I live the weather can change quickly, from sunny and warm to cold and snowing overnight (as it did Sunday to Monday this week). The changing seasons and shifting temperatures remind us to take advantage of the good weather while it’s... more

A Mediterranean-style rice bake with marinated artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomato and goat cheese is just the thing for those end-of-winter days. Pin It We live in meat-and-potatoes country. My husband grew up on it, and my family is guilty of it as well. Still, despite our upbringing, my husband and I don’t often fall back on the food of our childhood dinner tables. Instead, we choose to round out meals in a more eclectic fashion, often opting for alternative carbohydrates. More often than... more

This vegetable curry is perfect for using up some of your turkey leftovers from Thanksgiving, or you can make it without the turkey for a completely vegetarian meal as well. Both ways, this meal is sure to satisfy on cold nights in the winter. We had a lovely, quiet Thanksgiving. One that I am thankful for because we could use a little return to normalcy around here. And after we stuffed ourselves full, we came home and sat for a while, just us as a family. I don’t think we’d been... more

I’ve shared fried rice before, only that time there was chicken involved, and this time I turned to whatever the farmer’s market would supply me with. I came home with a mesh bag full of sugar snap peas, baby bok choy and beautifully twisted garlic scapes. I’ve always been fascinated by the garlic scapes, shooting up in the spring from what will be garlic bulbs in the fall. I did little jumping jacks in my head when I saw them, and now I have to figure out what to do with the... more

I suppose I could think of and share a reason why it would be called Texas caviar, but the point is that there are no fish eggs in it. I like to think of it as salsa that has been kicked up a notch or two. In fact, it’s been changed so drastically, I dare call it a salsa. My sister’s friend brought this to a birthday dinner a few years ago. I was instantly hooked. It’s tasty, interesting, flavorful and packed full of protein. There are beans. There are enough beans for this... more