Please note that this Olive Oil Basics Blog is part 1 of a 3-part series. An Historical Olive Tree in Greece Olive trees, olives, and olive oil are a super important part of the culture and life in Greece. When I visited Greece, I learned fun facts about olives every day. When I visited the Greek Island of Crete, I began appreciating the olives' significance more than I ever had before. Imagine a tree, like the one in this picture, that is more than 3,000 years old. Can you? It was mind-blowing to me when I saw the tree and realized its history - including a branch that was cut, traveled … [Read more...] about Olive Oil Basics 1: The Trees
Summer Basil Pesto – It’s All About the Ingredients!
Quality Ingredients Matter If you ask me, the quality of ingredients really matters when making a great summer basil pesto. Why? Because each ingredient contributes to the flavor you experience when you roll it around in your mouth and over your tongue. Let's look one-by-one at the ingredients in a super tasty basil pesto made in the summertime. If you need a recipe, here's my recipe for summer basil pesto. Fresh Basil: The very best basil for pesto is what you grow yourself. It's really fun to grow fresh herbs - and easy, too. Basically, you need to find a sunny spot in your … [Read more...] about Summer Basil Pesto – It’s All About the Ingredients!
The Spring Farmer’s Market has Healthy Nutrition Choices for Everyone
The Market Opens in May There's something very exciting going on in May - that is, in addition to the Kentucky Derby, a new baseball season, and many college graduations. I'm talking about the season of local Farmer's Markets opening and blooming with vibrant colors, amazing flavors, top-quality nutrition, and fun for everyone. It has become a 'thing' these past 3-5 years to meet your friends, buy a vegetable, and meet a farmer on Saturday mornings at the Market. But, it was weeks and months before May that local farmers got started... Starting the Crops As winter transitions to spring, … [Read more...] about The Spring Farmer’s Market has Healthy Nutrition Choices for Everyone
Blueberry Buckle Recipe
Are you a blueberry fan? Me, too, so here is a little background and then a yummy recipe for Blueberry Buckle which is a long-time family favorite! What's So Special About this Recipe? My recipe for Blueberry Buckle is super special because it came from my mother and years of picking blueberries in our yard out West with my sister and brother. In fact, growing up, a familiar summer chore was to go outside and pick blueberries. Even though we sometimes complained, our reward was that Mom would make us a pan of Buckle! In my yard in North Carolina, now, there are rows of mature and very … [Read more...] about Blueberry Buckle Recipe
Mediterranean Meals are Healthy and Satisfying!
Mediterranean Meals Begin with Mediterranean Ingredients I often recommend meals made from Mediterranean ingredients. Why? They are full of flavor, full of nutrition and easy to learn to cook. Also, they use familiar ingredients that you can find quickly and inexpensively at an American supermarket. For a start, look at the ingredients in my photo at the left. More Mediterranean Ingredients To learn more ingredients that are used in the Mediterranean area of the world, think of the flavors of Greece, Turkey, Italy, Spain, France, North Africa and what grows locally there. The list … [Read more...] about Mediterranean Meals are Healthy and Satisfying!