Spring Planting March 30, 2008

I don’t know about where you are reading this from, but today here in Western Massachusetts was sunny, crisp, and even by teh end of the afternoon, a little bit warm. It felt like one of the first real breaths of spring we have had and it got me thinking a lot about planting here at the house.

Our CSA share won’t start up for a couple months still but my friend in Texas has already been harvesting lettuce from his garden. For those of us who still get excited by tempetures in the mid-40s we are just now beginging to be able to to think about our gardens here.

In that spirit, I wanted to pass along a link to this great article on starting a kitchen garden. From the site “A kitchen garden merely refers to a garden that consists almost exclusively of plants intended to be eaten. Although one might put a few decorative plants around the edges of such a garden, the vast majority of the garden is intended for food.”

Check out the full article here:

http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/03/04/planning-a-kitchen-garden 

RecipeHacking – Number 1 March 5, 2008

Welcome to the first installment of RecipeHacking.

Below is the first recipe, ready for you to hack. For RecipeHacking Number 1 we are focusing on an old favorite with a lot of potential: Mac and Cheese. Below is a terribly basic version of this old stand-by. To participate in RecipeHacking all you have to do is create a new version of Mac and Cheese with your own special twist. It can be a subtle change and a recipe revolution – just make sure you improve on the original (find out more about RecipeHacking here).

Post your new version in the comments section below and check back often to see what others come up with. Feel free to discuss and debate other’s recipes in the comments section as well. In a few weeks Erica and I will announce a winner. This round’s prize is a gift certificate to Whole Foods where you can get the goods to make the winning dish (or anything else your taste-buds desire).

Good luck – and hack away!

Mac and Cheese

INGREDIENTS
7 ounces macaroni
3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add macaroni pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
3. Toss the pasta into a big bowl with cheese.
4. Pour into 2 quart casserole dish. Cover the top with a healthy layer of cheese.
5. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown and heated through.

Introducing RecipeHacking March 1, 2008

Welcome to RecipeHacking, an occasional foray into unconventional cooking, adventurous eating, and competitive creativity

The idea is simple – each month we’ll post a recipe here at Kitchen Dancing and you – our faithful readers and fearless cooks – will tweak it, test it, re-imagine and redesign it. Post your new versions of the recipe in the comments section of the original post and the best new take on the recipe will earn fame and honor (as well as a nice little prize).

This is a contest for those of you who are constantly pushing the limits of your meals, scribbling notes in your cookbooks, improving on time-worn recipes. But RecipeHacking is not just for foodies and aspiring chefs – this is for all of us whose family put a crazy twist on an old favorite, those of us who have wondered about “secret ingredients,” or even just tasted a good dish and thought it could be a great dish.

Seek out your secret ingredient. Discover your taste for tampering.

RecipeHacking is for you.

Check back soon for the first recipe in this new series.