FROM LAWRENCE, WITH LOVE

The asparagus season is almost over here in Kansas, but I thought that it would be worth sharing this recipe anyway, since I’m sure there are readers of Amanda’s blog in other growing regions where it is still readily available. This is one of the easiest things to do with a vegetable, and dare I say, by far the most delightful. 1 lb. asparagus 2-3 Tablespoons olive oil 2-3 cloves garlic, sliced or grated salt and pepper to taste Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Ri

I am not much of a dessert-baker, but every once in a while it’s fun to bake a cake on the weekends, especially if you are expecting company. This is a really light coffeecake, even if you use sour cream. It would have even less calories if you opted for nonfat yogurt. I made it the first time with frozen blueberries, but I imagine it would be even better with fresh berries. I’m sure one could substitute any other type of fresh berry available locally. Ingredients No

Early in the farmer’s market season, the one thing farmers have in abundance is spring greens. From late April until about July, here in Kansas we get plenty of spinach, kale, arugula and chard. Spinach is fairly versatile and can be used in salads, but the rest of the spring greens can look and taste intimidating with their bitterness and somewhat harsher texture. I like to sneak as many greens into our diet and have found that one way to make these spring greens palatable i

My husband Bryan came to appreciate asparagus late in life, at about age 30, and now he just cannot wait for the local asparagus season. For the last two years, he started asking around February if asparagus is coming soon. He’s like a little child waiting for Christmas and Santa Claus. “Is it here yet? Is it here yet?” he’ll keep asking. Even though we could be buying asparagus in December or January, store-bought asparagus tastes nothing like the local batches that start be

As you’ll remember from Sunday’s Shout Outs, Josh and I spent this past weekend in New York and I didn’t cook much last week that was worth blogging about.  I’ve asked our good friend Umut to do several guest posts over the next few days and this Braided Bread is her first.  Umut, take it away. . . My love affair with braided bread loaves dates back to my childhood in Istanbul. When I was in elementary school, there was a tiny little bakery about two blocks from my school, wh

After my success with the braided bread loaf, I e-mailed pictures of it to my mother, who reminded me that another festive bread shape in Turkey is what is called the “Flower Bread.” That bread is usually a white bread, but I like the taste of whole-wheat breads so much better that again, I thought I would do a version with mostly whole-wheat flour. I adjusted the recipe a little bit from the classic whole-wheat recipe according to what was actually available in my pantry. I