By Maria

New and Improved Tomato Sauce Recipe (from Scratch)

New and Improved Tomato Sauce Recipe (from Scratch)

Last year I wrote about making my tomato sauce from scratch—as any good gardener married to an Italian needs to do. But the truth is I have improved it this year with a new secret, thanks to another Italian. Over the years I’ve tried it all, and I think this year I’ve finally gotten it […]

Read More
It's Perennial Love!

It’s Perennial Love!

Today tomato week continues with a very special treat…a short film that celebrates our passion for tomatoes by featuring passion and tomatoes. Perennial Love is perhaps the first romantic melodrama with an all-botanical cast. There’s romance, drama, mystery…and plenty of lycopene. Tomatoes in love! We hope you enjoy it. But be forewarned…there was too much […]

Read More
Summer Gazpacho That Kids Will Love

Summer Gazpacho That Kids Will Love

How do I know kids will love this cold soup? Well, the other day I made it as an experiment and served it for lunch. Eve had a friend over. The next week I saw her friend’s mom and she asked me for the recipe. Her daughter told her she loved it!!!! That, to me, […]

Read More
Tomato Week: Easy Tomato Recipes & Tomato Plant Harvesting Tips

Tomato Week: Easy Tomato Recipes & Tomato Plant Harvesting Tips

It’s tomato time. Tomato plants in gardens around the country are lightening their loads, as their tasty treats ripen and eager gardeners pluck the fruit. Farmer’s markets are a sea of red, orange, yellow, and green globes of flavor, from the giant beefsteaks to tiny midget heirlooms. It’s a great time to be a tomato […]

Read More
Sweet-and-Sour Tomato-Pepper Salad Recipe

Sweet-and-Sour Tomato-Pepper Salad Recipe

This clean, quick, and easy recipe tastes just like my childhood summers to me. My mother used to make it, and I always loved it—even after I learned how she made it, which seemed just plain weird. I think it’s a Pennsylvania Dutch recipe. It’s so easy it will take you only five minutes to […]

Read More
Orange Cream Float: The Taste of August

Orange Cream Float: The Taste of August

Remember when you were a kid and you got all hot and sweaty from running around outside, and you smelled like crushed grass, dirt, and salt, and you were so hungry, hot, and thirsty, and then you got an orange cream popsicle and you knew in your soul that summer was good? Remember that? I […]

Read More
A Visit to My Kitchen: Beth Terry from Fake Plastic Fish

A Visit to My Kitchen: Beth Terry from Fake Plastic Fish

Nearly three years ago, a photo of an albatross chick changed Beth Terry’s life. The bird’s stomach had exploded from eating disposable plastic bottle caps and additional plastic waste. It motivated Beth to see if it would be possible to live a life with less plastic, if not plastic free. Her blog, Fake Plastic Fish, […]

Read More
Maria’s Fried Country Chicken! Part 2

Maria’s Fried Country Chicken! Part 2

You’ve heard me say it before: I love fried chicken (in moderation, of course). But the chicken recipe’s got to be worth it. To me, the perfect fried chicken is nice and batter-y, is organic, has its skin on, and is good and crispy. If I have to eat fried chicken out, KFC original recipe […]

Read More