Sharpening a knife sounds simple enough, but many people don’t put any effort into keeping their knives sharpened. Nothing is more frustrating to me than picking up a knife, trying to cut through a vegetable or piece of meat, and having it crush rather than slice cleanly through the flesh. Continue Reading

This is a very versatile and simple sauce. Simply enjoy it as an appetizer with your favorite cheese, crusty bread and strawberries. My kids love it tossed with pasta. Continue Reading

Browning meat and the Malliard Reaction

If a recipe says to brown the meat, the author expects that you are going to do just that.  Get the piece of meat nice and browned on all sides.  Continue Reading

H.R. 875 is the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009, a bill that would establish the Food Safety Administration within the Department of Health and Human Services.   If the bill becomes law, along with bills H.R. 759 and S. 425, there will be an immeasurable adverse affect on small farms.  In fact, even people who grow food only for their own consumption would be impacted.   For example, this bill would make the use of pesticides mandatory – what would that mean for organic farmers?  HR 875 is a major threat to sustainable farming and the local food movement.

I’m posting some links to more information about HR 875 in hopes that by spreading the word we can all work together to stop this bill.

To read the bills:
Bill H.R. 825
Bill H.R. 759
Bill S. 425

To read more about how this bill will affect small farmers:
Educate Yourself
Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund

To sign a petition against the bill:
Health Freedom USA

Ok I just finished planting a new set of seeds in my Aerogarden.  This is a great way to grow herbs indoors.  In just a few weeks I will have a whole batch of healthy hydroponic herbs.  I like being able to just clip of a few fresh herbs while I am cooking. Continue Reading