15 Easy In-Season Recipes for Labor Day

How wonderful are Labor Day vacations?  They snag the last bits of summer, salvaging time with family and friends before the rush of fall schedules pulls us in different directions.  They celebrate cooler weather and golden sunlit evenings.  They offer rest. When I was growing up, Labor Day was our favorite family vacation time.  We…

Dessert for Dinner: Brie Quesadillas with Peach Compote and Basil

In elementary school, I had a friend whose mom would make waffles for lunch.  Ricotta-cheese-stuffed waffles, topped with strawberries and maple syrup. I loved going to this friend’s house.  It was a magical world.  Outside, in the corner of their yard, you ducked under some wild rosebushes to reach a trail that led over a…

Getting Creative with Local Produce: In the Kitchen with Marie Connell of MyHouse Cookies

This morning, Marie Connell of MyHouse Cookies stood in her kitchen surrounded by tomatoes as she prepared to make quiches. “I know the farmer,” she told me about the tomatoes, “I know she picked them this morning.  I know they haven’t been sitting in a truck or a railway car for a week.”  If Marie…