My herb explorations continue

This summer I decided to get up-close-and-personal with fresh herbs.  I grew several varieties on my back deck and bought more basil at the farmers' market because my own basil didn’t thrive this year.  I have been drying fresh herbs too. Saturday, I pushed the boundaries even further by experimenting with how to freeze fresh chives and basil.  

Maybe it's not a major adventure compared to some that others undertake.  After all, while I was herbing away, Diana Nyad swam 82 nautical miles and Andrew Kibble attempted to climb the 3 highest mountains in England, Scotland, and Wales in 24 hours.  But where I come from, being brave can be a state of mind in the kitchen as well as a requirement for athletic achievement.

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My top 3 ways to cut weekday dinner preparation time

When my kids were young, I stumbled on an almost-too-good-to-be-true way to cut preparation time and vary dinner menus.  They were convinced that various forms of pasta were different meals.  If we had spaghetti on Monday, they asked for rotini on Tuesday, and would often suggest farfalle (bow-tie noodles) on Thursday, convinced that those were three distinctly different meals.  And like many kids, they insisted that all pasta products should be served plain, with butter and cheese on the side.  For several years I served pasta almost every night with a vegetable or salad and occasionally meat or fish cooked as plainly (and quickly) as I could manage.  My kids would announce to anyone who would listen that they ate lots of different kinds of food.   I was so tired from working all day dinners prepared on autopilot in 20 minutes suited me just fine.

Fast forward past to my empty nest.  We try not to eat as much pasta (dreaded carbs) as we used to and I’m willing to experiment even if the result isn’t a culinary masterpiece.  When I have to prepare a weekday dinner quickly, I invariably rely on at least 1 of these 3 tips: 

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Rosh Hashanah apple cake for a sweet new year

This coming year is 5772, at least on the Jewish calendar.  Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year holiday) starts next week, at sundown on Wednesday, September 28^th.   Unlike the secular new year, the Jewish holiday is spiritual and begins a period of thoughtful contemplation that leads up to a day of fasting on Yom Kippur. 

Of course, if it’s Jewish, there is going to be food – and plenty of it.  (Even the Yom Kippur fast is traditionally followed by a delicious meal.)  The Rosh Hashanah food traditions include apples and honey and other sweets – to make for a sweet new year.   My favorite Rosh Hashanah dessert is this apple cake.  

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