TIP OF THE DAY: Spring Ramps (Wild Leeks)

The prettiest recipe we’ve seen with ramps: a ramp-stuffed torta from chef Catie Baumer Schwalb of PitchforkDiaries.com. Here‘s the recipe.   We were surprised and delighted to see spring ramps in the store yesterday. We thought that the brief ramp season was over. An early spring vegetable, ramps are so delicious—a combination of garlic and…
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Negroni Cocktail Recipe, Negroni History & Negroni Week

[1] A delicious Negroni at Taralucci e Vino in New York City (photo © Taralucci e Vino) [2] An idea from Irvington Restaurant in New York City: bottling a Negroni as a party favor (photo © Irvington Restaurant). [3] The bottled version is a natural infusion of bitter herbs and spices, including rhubarb, gentian, kola…
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RECIPE: Breakfast Fruit Salad

If you haven’t been getting your recommended portions of fruits and vegetables*, how about starting your day with a breakfast salad? You can have one of these fruit-based salads with your regular breakfast foods—cereal, eggs, a bagel—or with a side of cottage cheese, ricotta and/or yogurt. This recipe comes from Lynn’s Paradise Café, Louisville, Kentucky…
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Baked Potato Tots & More Tater Tot Recipes

Tater Tots are so beloved that the term is used generically, although it’s a trademark of Ore-Ida, which invented the little potato bites in 1953. (The story is below.) Everyone else can call them “potato tots.” These days, chefs reaching back to childhood are serving fresh-from-scratch versions. This variation, Baked Potato Tots, comes to us…
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FATHER’S DAY GIFT: Jalapeño Plant

Here’s something fun for chile-loving dads who’d like to try their hand at gardening. You can look for a jalapeño plant at your local nursery, or give Dad the “ingredients” to grow his own. Combine a packet of seeds, a planter and soil, along with some fresh jalapeños to show Dad what’s in store in…
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