What $10 can buy—and what it can give

Ten bucks can buy any number of little indulgences. In the hands of Feeding America, it can also feed 100 hungry people.

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It was recently announced that, by 2020, a woman’s face will grace our ten-dollar bills. That got me thinking about what a Hamilton (or Tubman or Roosevelt or…?) will get you these days. Continue reading “What $10 can buy—and what it can give”

Three simple rules, five mussels recipes

Paul Greenberg offers three simple rules for eating seafood, and we offer five simple recipes for delicious, sustainable mussels.

Moules Marinières (Sailor’s Mussels)

Everyone tells us to eat more seafood. It’s a low-fat, high-protein food that’s good for our hearts, our brains. But then we’re warned that pregnant women and small children should avoid canned tuna. That certain species are being overfished to the point of unsustainability. And that many forms of fish farming are wreaking havoc on the environment. So what do we eat? Or not eat? In this Sunday’s New York Times, Paul Greenberg offered three simple rules. Continue reading “Three simple rules, five mussels recipes”

A fresh take on a no-cook pasta (and everything else) sauce: Sage Pecan Pesto

Sage puts a fresh, summery spin on classic basil pesto. This quick, no-cook sauce is perfect for pasta, chicken, chops, steaks, roasted vegetables and more. Recipe below.

Sage Pecan Pesto

Our friend Gloria plants a veritable truck garden every year, mostly on her patio. In contrast to her, this spring we planted approximately nothing in our yard. As a result, that’s pretty much what we have growing there. Except for the sage. We planted it two or three years ago, and it’s surprised us every year since by coming back. Continue reading “A fresh take on a no-cook pasta (and everything else) sauce: Sage Pecan Pesto”

The bright, fresh promise of summer: Blueberry Lime Yogurt Cake

Greek yogurt and lime juice lighten up and brighten up a traditional Polish blueberry cake. Recipe below.

Blueberry Lime Yogurt Cake

We are getting a lot of amusement out of describing this roller coaster weather. On Friday night, it was so clingingly muggy and hot that we turned on the air conditioning. On Saturday night, after a day of plunging temperatures and changing clothes every couple of hours to stay warm and struggling around comically in pretty much maritime gales, we had to turn on the furnace. And when we went out to a surprise party Saturday night, I wore boots and a light down jacket. Continue reading “The bright, fresh promise of summer: Blueberry Lime Yogurt Cake”