Archive for August, 2011

Aug 26

Salads 101: Everything You Need to Know

2011 © copyright Savory Simple, all rights reserved

This summer I’ve become a salad fanatic. Believe it or not, I was terrible at making salads before I went to culinary school. It was my shameful secret. I knew about the different tastes (sweet/salty/bitter/sour) but I didn’t realize that paying attention to such a simple cooking principle would have such a dramatic effect on my final product. I also didn’t realize the importance of adding texture and color or that the trick to making salads truly filling was to add protein and healthy fat.

I’m going to break everything into categories to describe how I make salads. Even the picky eaters in my family enjoy my salads, so I think you will too! Pick and choose from this list, but try to add something from as many categories as possible to create a good balance.

Aug 13

23 Comments

Hot Toddy

The past two weeks have been rough. I’m sick with a brutal virus that just won’t leave me alone. I’ve dealt with an assortment of symptoms: sore throat, lethargy, low-grade fever, mild congestion. And it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere! I feel better than I did when it first hit me but I am definitely not myself.

My savior during this particular illness has been hot toddies. For the record, I’m not typically a drinker. I just don’t care for alcohol these days; many times it either makes me tired or gives me a headache. But when I have a bad cold this drink really helps distract from my misery. The honey and lemon do wonders for my throat. The alcohol adds a nice mellow buzz on top of my wooziness, allowing me to stop feeling pathetic and relax for a bit. Is it actually helping me get better? I doubt it, but I don’t think it hurts.

Aug 11

25 Comments

Corn Chowder

When I worked a nine to five job, I was somewhat lazy about visiting farmers markets on the weekend. Baltimore has wonderful markets but you really have to arrive early to get the best produce options. When my husband and I moved closer to Washington DC, I was delighted to discover a small farmers market within walking distance of our apartment. It may not be the largest market in the area, but I can find what I need. And now that I work unusual hours, I love arriving early to the market on Saturday and wandering through the local, seasonal goodies.

If you’re looking for a farmers market in your area, a great resource is Real Time Farms. In addition to providing information on farms and farmers markets, they also link restaurants to specific farms, which I think is pretty cool.

Right now is such a great time to buy corn. Because this is the peak season, it’s cheap and full of flavor. I love adding it to salads or mixing it with quinoa. But in my opinion, chowder is the best way to enjoy corn in the summer. Many recipes use bacon but I think that takes away from the star attraction. This recipe brings out all of the natural sweetness and savoriness of the corn, has richness from the dairy and stock and a lovely earthiness from the fresh herbs.

Aug 2

39 Comments

Roasted Gazpacho

Over Memorial Day weekend last year, my boyfriend proposed to me on top of the Empire State Building. One year later, this past spring, we were married in Cabo San Lucas in a private beach ceremony. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life.