While there are matsuri (festivals) all year long in Japan, summer is when they’re at their peak. Like a local fair, the dates vary from place to place with many festivals celebrated at the city or even neighborhood level.

Themes range from celebrating the harvest to remembering the dead. Bon Odori is a matsuri that’s typically held during Obon (known as the ghost festival in other parts of Asia) where locals come out dressed in yukata (a light cotton kimono) and dance to the beat of a taiko drum.

Continue reading “Explore the Food of a Matsuri Japanese Festival”

Homemade salsa in summertime is a beautiful thing. It adds the perfect touch to any backyard barbecue and is great to pack up in jars and take on a weekend camping trip (don’t forget the chips!).

Continue reading “Be Versatile with Homemade Grilled Peach Salsa “

Along with orange chicken, green beans with garlic black bean sauce is one of my favorite Chinese American dishes. Next to other battered and fried meat in sticky sweet sauces, there’s something pleasantly refreshing about a savory vegetable dish. Sure, it’s a long way from healthy, but the color and flavor contrast lures me in every time.

Continue reading “Create Color with Green Beans with Garlic Black Bean Sauce”

I have a problem.

I love the idea of eating fresh apricots, but not so much the reality. The reality is that they are never as juicy as I make them out to be in my head, and not as sweet either. Now I really love dried apricots, though! I could eat those all day. When I was training to become a yoga instructor earlier this year, I practically lived off dried apricots and almonds for snacks during our long days of training.

Continue reading “Bake an Old-Fashioned Dried Stone Fruit Pie”

With farmers markets around the country in full swing, a look around your local market will probably reveal all manner of colorful produce that you’d never see in a supermarket.

Continue Reading “Keep It Fresh with Garlic Scape Salad”

This past week I’ve been down in artichoke country. Monterey County, to be exact, which is affectionately called “The Salad Bowl of America”. I was down there for a few days learning all about salad, and yesterday drove through miles and miles of pure farmland on my way home. I don’t know about you, but to me there’s nothing more relaxing than driving through the country. It reminds me of home.

Continue Reading “Serve Grilled Artichokes at Your Next Summer BBQ”

If she were still with us today, next month will mark Julia Child’s 100th birthday. She inspired a generation of home cooks and left an indelible mark on America’s culinary heritage. Her tome, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, set out to do what no other American cookbook had done before: to make French cuisine accessible to the masses.

Continue reading “Use Julia Child’s Bouillabaisse for Seafood Stew”

You might have guessed as much by now, but I love shopping according to the seasons. When you buy seasonal produce, you not only save money (who wants to spend $10 on blueberries from Chile?) and support local farmers, but you also prepare the best tasting meals since the ingredients are so fresh. Who doesn’t love that?

Continue reading “What’s In Season During the Summer?”