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Vichyssoise with Chive Blossoms

May 15th, 2007

Vichyssoise with Chive Blossoms

I have a great affinity for just about anything that you can eat from a bowl. During the Winter we tend to live on hearty hot soups and stews finding comfort and warmth in the bottom of our pottery bowls. As the days grow longer and Spring unfurls into Summer, soups are very much still in our repertoire, but they are aways cool, light, colorful, and refreshing. Unlike their winter counterparts that often simmer or braise for hours, these fresher soups are simple to prepare and require very little active time in a hot kitchen. I have a collection of them that I rely on during those warmer months, but this one is probably one of my favorites. Read more…

Ceres' Recipe Box ,

Homemade Lemonade and Wild Violet Ice Cubes

May 13th, 2007

Homemade Lemonade with Violet Ice Cubes

Now that it is Spring, I find that I just can not seem to get enough time outside. My first cup of coffee is sipped in the garden before the morning dew has even had the time to evaporate. Lazy afternoons are spent under a tall shady tree with an ice cold glass of homemade lemonade. If I am lucky, my evenings are spent unwinding on the patio with a glass of wine, my journal, and a book or two as my toes wiggle their way into the cool green grass. My winter’s hibernation, of long naps, heavy reading, endless internet surfing, late nights watching foreign films, occasional crafting, and attempts to master new culinary techniques have, by this time, long been forgotten…

It is during this long awaited season that I find myself gravitating towards Read more…

Ceres' Recipe Box, Simple Pleasures ,

Mint-Juleped Fruit Salad

May 6th, 2007

Mint-Juleped Fruit Salad

Yesterday, during The Kentucky Derby, we sipped on Mint Juleps and cheered for our horses. Today we woke up to left over Mint Julep Syrup, a few handfuls of fresh mint, a tiny bit of bourbon, and a bowl full of perfectly ripened fruit. Together they made the very best “Day After The Derby Breakfast.

The recipe is simple…
Fresh sliced fruit, a drizzle of Mint Julep Syrup, and a splash of bourbon tossed gently in a bowl.
Plate and serve with fresh mint leaves.

Of course, you may always chase this down with another Mint Julep…

Ceres' Recipe Box, Simple Pleasures ,

Extending the Season for Meyer Lemons and Blood Oranges

April 25th, 2007

Meyer Lemon and Orange Marmalade

One thing I really miss about living in Florida, are the orange trees that grew like weeds almost anywhere they were planted. I loved the way the orange groves would perfume the the air every spring when they were in bloom, and it was always a treat to be able to pick and eat the fruit when it was at it’s peak.

I will never forget the time myself and the other neighborhood children, could no longer resist the bright orange spheres slowly ripening on a local farmers trees. Completely disobeying our parents orders, we snuck into the orange grove, hid in the trees, and struggled to remove the peel from a few stolen pieces of fruit. Our hearts raced as we did so and Read more…

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Blustery Spring Weekend

April 10th, 2007

Asparagus

Our Easter weekend was ice cold and blustery. Other then venturing out to Holmes County (home of The World’s Largest Amish Population as well as The World’s Largest Buffet) for canning supplies, we stayed home cringing in horror as last week’s perfect green grass and shivering little yellow dandelions were periodically buried under a light dusting of snow. We also mourned the Hyacinths outside our door that had been reduced to limp little stems lying defeated on the ground as their fragile purple flowers bowed down in defeat to winter’s last hoorah…

The ten years we lived in Florida had long ago Read more…

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