I have all these in my garden now. Looks delicious!

Love your Indian spice boxes!

Oh this looks so good too! Spring green and pink... lovely.

Ain’t that the truth. I have a kitchen full of stuff I can’t bear to part with because I might need it.

Ditto, Ruth. I’m so conditioned by store-bought food that if a tomato, for instance, isn’t perfectly round and red, it’s not going to taste good. In my experience, if it’s got a funny color, it’s because it’s probably some weird storage tomato with flounder genes that tastes like cardboard. So this year I bought some heirloom tomato seeds. I’m looking forward to yellow and black fruit with both dread and delight, and it’ll be a huge challenge getting my family to try them.

I cook for my cat. It takes a couple of hours a week and has made a huge difference in his health. As for expense, it’s cheaper for me to make it with the same meat and vegetables I would eat than it is to buy the prescription stuff my vet sells (that was conditionally recalled in 2007). My cat was eating prescription food because the dry stuff he loved have him a urinary-tract disorder and made his skin itch constantly. I’ve been cooking for him for two years April. I figure every dollar I spend on his food is a dollar I don’t give the vet :) Kudos to Cynthia - yes, it takes research to figure out what pets (and babies) need. Worth it, though. Now a flock of hungry chickens? I have no idea what they eat!

I grew up in a home where greens were not on the menu, so I have never prepared chard, kale or any other green. They’re so beautiful and economical, thought. I would love to try them!

“vile ditch weed” - - hilarious! :)

That’s easy! Cilantro tastes like turpentine. And I love it. The first time I ate it, I spit it out - it was such a shocking flavor when I expected something more lettuce-like. I guess I acquired the taste, though, because I put it on everything now.

I made this cake for my office. I doubled the recipe and baked it in a gigantic pan, and frosted it with a browned-butter frosting. Delicious! And so easy. A forgiving cake for those of us who don’t need high art for the occasion, just satisfying.

I loved the rich yeasty flavor these waffles had. They reminded me of my mom’s sourdough starter when I was a kid. She made sourdough pancakes to die for that were thick and chewy like crumpets. I highly recommend these. They couldn’t be easier. Served them with Trader Joe’s Blueberry Sauce (find it with the maple syrups).

I made this dish over the cold, rainy weekend with yellow eye beans from Rancho Gordo New World Specialty Food (didn’t have borlotti beans) and it was fabulous! Here are some pictures. The carrot softens the acidity of the tomatoes perfectly. It was warm, filling and satisfying.