I love pickles. All forms. All vegetables. Pickled onions, turnips, cucumbers, peppers. Bring. Them. On. Until last week the only thing I pickled on a regular basis was red onions, which I love on salads and on top of tacos and other Mexican dishes. (I love this recipe for quick pickled onions) Then I found this super fast and easy recipe for spicy dill pickles and am currently on my second jar of them in less than two weeks. They are perfect. read more+++

Montreal was an amazing place to eat, but after a trip in which I ate poutine, croissants, fried pork, steak and more bacon than I care to admit, I was in need of some serious dietary improvements. I came home craving fruits, vegetables and whole grains. This is pretty much the state I am in at the end of all travels. Too much enjoyment of the local cuisine and I feel a strong desire to balance things out. The first thing I made for us was this very simple brown rice pilaf with green olives, lemon and a sprinkle of goat cheese. read more+++

The barbecue that I started writing about in my last post had a pretty amazing first and last course, both of which you need to try. read more+++

A couple of weekends ago we barbecued with our friend Katie in the suburbs (well, technically the outskirts of the city). This might not seem newsworthy to you, but for apartment dwellers without access to a grill it was a very special and eagerly anticipated event—the opportunity to perform an important ritual of summer and try out a couple of the grill recipes I have been collecting. I am still kind of amazed that we are now people who grill-out, not just the children of people who grill. It seems so adult. I guess we are also buying houses, having babies and opening our own businesses- so maybe grilling shouldn’t be such a surprise.

The day started off with rain and grey skies, but as we pulled into her driveway the clouds parted and we were awarded the perfect summer day—hot in the sun, cool in the shade with blue skies and big fluffy clouds. It was a BBQ miracle and the perfect early summer evening.

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I seem to either make desserts or party food. I just reviewed my recipe index and find that I offer you guys very few recipes for entrees. I think I gravitate towards things like side dishes, appetizers and spreads because fairly often we piece together a meal using these foods. Some delicious artichoke-olive spread on a baguette with a nice robust salad or a serving of Mac & Cheese and some fresh fruit and I am happy. It is the way we eat. I also find that many people will only cook new recipes for special occasions and like many of you I find myself most excited by special spreads, appetizers and sweets. Little treats. And so, to continue the recipe tradition, I present: Charred Onion Dip.

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It is always nice to hear that someone who makes stuff that you like, likes what you do too. When Ed Droste, founder of Brooklyn-based band Grizzly Bear, mentioned Lottie + Doof on his twitter feed I quickly heard from a bunch of loyal Grizzly Bear fans and I knew that Ed would be an excellent guest for L + D.

I’ve been a fan of Grizzly Bear since I first heard Horn of Plenty back in 2004. A mutual friend sent me the album and I was immediately drawn to the music. Several years later, Grizzly Bear has transformed from Ed’s solo project into one of the most compelling and popular bands making music today. The group has legions of very devoted followers who are attracted to the foursome’s moody and seductive music. Grizzly Bear fans had been eagerly anticipating the band’s third studio album, Veckatimest, which was released yesterday. The album does not disappoint, and critics have been heaping well-deserved praise upon the group.

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Before the Miracle Fruit came dinner. My #1 rule for entertaining is that things need to be made in advance. I want to be able to enjoy my friends and spend time with them. I gravitate towards dishes that can be prepared in advance and assembled or cooked when guests arrive. Salad ingredients are washed and chopped, salad dressing is made, a pitcher of ice water is set out and the rest is ready to be popped in the oven and heated and I am ready to relax and enjoy my friends and our time together.

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I have a real affinity for Southern cooking. It first captured my imagination as a child and continues to inspire me as a cook. The South has such a rich food history influenced by so many different cultures which make it both fascinating to explore and immensely satisfying. As a child raised on Midwestern suburban restaurant food and dinners at home that usually consisted of a piece of over-cooked meat, canned vegetables and a microwaved potato, these culinary traditions were enviable. I wanted my grandma to have a cake recipe that had been passed down for generations or a secret method for fried chicken. Although my family put a lot of care into holiday food, outside of those days what we ate was pretty soulless. I began to look outside of my life for inspiration. read more+++

My friend Sophie Buhai is one half of the design genius behind Vena Cava, a women’s fashion line that launched in 2004 and has been rocking the fashion world ever since. The duo (which also includes my pal Lisa Mayock) won runner-up honors in last year’s prestigious CDFA Fund Awards and have garnered countless accolades from the fashion world and their loyal fans. If you’ve read a fashion magazine in the last few years you have undoubtedly heard about Vena Cava. Their clothing is consistently beautiful, relevant and smart and always has a sense of humor. The only problem I see with Vena Cava is that they don’t make men’s clothing—yet. I keep begging and hopefully one day I’ll be spending my paychecks on VC menswear. read more+++

Oh, carrots. They are such a reliable and safe vegetable, like the sedan of the vegetable world. They make their way into the brown paper lunch bags of countless school children across the country. Onto crudités platters at corporate meetings and dinner parties. They get glazed with some sweetness for holiday meals. If they’re really lucky they get turned into a carrot cake to celebrate a special day. And in every incarnation they are consistently good. read more+++