Heather says: In my corner of the south, Hoppin’ John is a traditional New Year’s dish believed to bring good luck. I’m not superstitious, but some traditions, like this one appeal to me. Every year on New Year’s Day we serve Hoppin’ John, collard greens, and cornbread. Hoppin’ John is a nice, flavorful version of … Read more
Heather says: Once in a while every cook stumbles on a technique that transforms a vegetable from a tolerated item into a highly anticipated side dish. This technique which can easily be modified does it for broccoli and I. Admittedly I never hated broccoli, I just didn’t love it, except in salads like broccoli almond … Read more
Heather says: Winter will be here for a couple more weeks, it won’t be until April that the fun produce really starts to arrive. At least there is asparagus and broccoli. So I’ve continued to work with turnips and rutabagas for my Fearless Friday endeavors. This week, I tried out a recipe for scalloped turnips … Read more
Heather says: Fearless Fridays are about pushing our culinary boundaries, lately I’ve done well with purchasing seasonal vegetables, but the actually cooking the produce in a recipe part has been kicking my butt. I suppose I should cut myself a little slack, as I have been out of town. What have you done fearlessly in … Read more
Heather says: It’s still winter and the season’s interesting produce choices will still be lingering for a while, yet. Have you attempted to work any seasonal foods into your menu? Learning to utilize seasonal vegetables is a way average consumers can attempt to keep money within their local economies. Not every community has a Community … Read more
Heather says: Winter can be a tough time for eating seasonally. Most of the vegetables are root or belong to the brassica genus (brussels sprouts, cabbage, collards). With the exception of potatoes, these usually aren’t the first ingredients a novice cook reaches for. This cabbage soup recipe is beyond simple, it’s not beautiful which is … Read more
Heather says: Welcome to the Fearless Friday that almost wasn’t. I’ve been under the weather and limited to soups and very soft foods. Being the masochist I am, I’ve also been paging through and drooling over my cookbooks waiting for the day I can manage them. Thursday’s dinner prep rolled around and as I stood there, … Read more
Heather says: Vegetarians rejoice, there’s no bacon in this wilted spinach salad. Also, this is more of a wilted spinach salad template than a recipe. If you don’t like feta, use a crumbly cheese you do like. If you hate pecans, but love walnuts, great! Use those. If there are no bunches of spinach at … Read more
Heather says: As part of our attempt to eat more seasonally, we’re also trying new -to us anyway- vegetables. I know leeks aren’t at all uncommon and taste-wise they are simply a milder green onion, it was just nothing I’ve ever had much reason to experiment with. This soup has a flavor that suggests there … Read more
Dear Home Ec 101, Would you post about how you cook cabbage? That’s something I never cook… is it cheap and healthy? Thanks! Signed, Cravin’ the Cruciferous Heather says: Yes, cabbage when purchased in season, is both cheap and healthy. It is a great source of both vitamin C and fiber. Here in North America … Read more