• Strawberry tomato salad
    Baking,  Food

    Strawberry Season Recipes

    As the days grow longer, dishes get brighter with red bursts of strawberry and brilliant yellow slices of heirloom tomato.  This is the time to linger over a meal and let the berries of the season carry you into eventual summer.  Since strawberries are a featured ingredient throughout Thirsty Radish, I gathered a few of my favorite strawberry recipes along with some new ones and tips.  They are the foundation for beautiful meals that are worthy of gathering over but also perfect for weeknights.  Grilled Strawberry and Heirloom Tomato Salad After a brief stay in the grill pan, strawberries become even juicier, which makes them the ideal salad addition.  This…

  • Roasted carrots, potatoes, and radishes with healthy dips
    Food

    Roasted Vegetables with Onion Dip and Herbed Ricotta

    With natural goodness dressed in gorgeous colors, roasted vegetables with lighter dips are an ideal addition or alternative to a cheese and charcuterie board. When you caramelize sweet onions until they become even more so, you have the foundation for a delicious dip that’s perfect for entertaining, game days and marathons of a new show. Though it’s thick and richly flavored, this dip is a healthier alternative to most as the base is Greek yogurt.  The cooking process lends such depth to the onions that I keep the rest of the ingredients simple.  As the other accompaniment to the roasted vegetables in this recipe, I make a creamy herbed ricotta,…

  • Food,  Living

    Holiday Cheese Board

    Spark holiday cheer by creating a festive board brimming with an assortment of cheeses, charcuterie, and accompaniments both beautiful and delicious.  When I make a cheese board, I start with the vintage wooden round seen here then build around the moment it will be served.  Heading into New Year’s Eve, I thought about the sweetness to be wished for the months ahead, incorporating raspberry jam, deep honey, blackberries, and gorgonzola dolce, which has a buttery sweetness.  Aged gouda lends its own hint of butterscotch while truffle-laced pecorino and herb-crusted salami offer bold richness.  As you build a holiday cheese board, here are tips on what to include and how to…

  • Wheat berry salad with roasted squash spinach and pear
    Food

    Wheat Berry Salad with Roasted Squash, Spinach and Pear

    Finally there is a chill to the air, and we can settle into my favorite part of autumn, the stretch leading up to Thanksgiving.  The leaves have been whipping around my yard, and blustery days have me craving heartier salads with ingredients such as those in this wheat berry recipe.  Roasted Honeynut squash and pear deliver peak fall flavors while the wheat berries themselves lend the characteristic nutty, slightly chewy texture that give this grain salad the substance we seek as coats and mittens slowly become essential.  Freshly made, this vegan dish can be enjoyed warm or room temperature and makes a great Thanksgiving side. Ahead of her time in…

  • Halloween chocolate peanut butter cups
    Food

    Homemade Halloween Candy: Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

    On Halloween you’re more likely to find me melting chocolate until it’s nice and glossy than watching a scary movie.  Tending to a dark pool of chocolate, and tasting along the way, is the perfect indulgence for a cozy stay-in Halloween.  Since making homemade candy requires a few steps, it’s also a great project if you have some helpers of any age on hand.  From stirring the chocolate to spooning the filling and ultimately topping your homemade peanut butter cups, there are plenty of ways to get everyone involved. For the dark chocolate peanut butter cups pictured here, I used colorful toppings from my pantry including matcha powder, naturally colored…