Last week Michelle broke the mold for these “Dig In” posts by writing about Chinese Five Spice—and I loved it! I hope you did, too, because I’m focusing on flavor again this week. Instead of spices, though, I’ve decided to dig into lemons. Seem strange? Maybe. It was certainly inspired by a strange sight: a pile of Meyer lemons at a farmer’s market I visited in Boston this weekend. (In June?) This glitch in the “seasonal” matrix aside, lemons are an integral part of cooking in many cultures. And—to me, at least—they represent a fundamental principle of cooking: balance.

So, with a sack of Meyer lemons in tow, I wondered…

What’s the scoop on lemons?

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Photo: miss karen

I had some extra rhubarb left after I made the Honey Vanilla Ginger Roasted Rhubarb, so I decided to tackle another new way of using rhubarb: in a drink. As I’ve mentioned before, the ChowBaby loves to drink things that make his lips pucker. And this seasonal Strawberry Vanilla Rhubarb Lemonade performed as you’d expect it to.

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I make homemade popsicles all summer long. I was doing it before the ChowBaby was born and I’m still doing it. With a little creativity, you can throw together something way less sweet than the store bought variety and so much more refreshing. In fact, some of my popsicles have been so fun (not to mention easy), that they’ve impressed guests at casual dinner parties—I kid you not!

What’s my secret? Mixing fruit and herbs. There’s something magical about a sweet or tart fruit and a fresh green herb that never fails to surprise. Think basil and peaches. Or lemon and rosemary. And popsicles are one of the easiest ways to combine them since you just throw your ingredients in a blender, puree, and freeze. I had some leftover ingredients from yesterday’s post (Lime Chili Cilantro Roasted Chickpeas) that I didn’t want to waste. So I combined grapefruit, lime, and cilantro for a decidedly unusual frozen treat. These are not for the faint of palate!

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Spring is here! Or should I say summer?! The ChowFamily enjoyed the unseasonably warm weather this weekend with a road trip to the Lakota Wolf Preserve in New Jersey. The only not-so-fun part was the nearly 2 hours in the car on the way there (luckily, the ChowBaby slept the whole way home). But I came prepared with lots of fun finger foods—they performed double duty as our picnic lunch and as a distraction in the car. On the menu? Lime Chili Cilantro Roasted Chickpeas. 

What’s the scoop on chickpeas?

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Sunday was Greek Easter (well, really, Christian Orthodox Easter, not just Greek). Yes. This past Sunday. Not the Sunday before. That was everyone else’s Easter. (There’s nothing like growing up trying to explain the Eastern Orthodox calendar to friends, but I digress.) While a very holy holiday, Easter celebrations in Greece tend to be casual gatherings as much about religion as a welcome to Spring. My mother tells stories of outdoor picnics, lambs roasting on spits, and tables full of red eggs, mezzes, and tsoureki (sweet bread made especially for Easter). 

Like my mom, I have fond memories of casual Easter get-togethers centered around big meals cooked by my yiayia. And this Easter was no different. Still the baby of the family—well, besides Isaac—I have to really push to have family gatherings at my place. But I didn’t complain about heading to my aunt’s place this year since, to be honest, cooking a big holiday dinner was more of a fun fantasy than a reality I felt like taking on. So Isaac, ChowPapa, and I happily made our way to NJ for a surprisingly delicious Greek Easter meal.

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Photo: seppaton

Stacie and I were talking last week about the ingredients that we were particularly conscious of when it came to feeding our kids—especially in the first 2 years (since now we feed them exactly what we feed ourselves). And we realized that other than the foods that are verboten at certain ages (like honey or egg whites before 12 months) and making sure the textures were safe and the food wasn’t too spicy, there were 2 things we watched: salt and oil. 

Salt is obvious and most parents know to avoid salt altogether in baby foods and too much salt in kids’ foods. But a lot of parents also worry about oils. And while we wholeheartedly agree that too much oil is never a good thing—especially when it comes to our ChowBabies—we started introducing small amounts of olive oil as early as 8 months. We used it for things like roasting vegetables and sauteeing lentil patties. But we soon realized that a lot of parents avoid oil altogether. Even a “good” oil like extra virgin olive oil. Is it really necessary?

What’s the scoop on olive oil?

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