Jacky Hackett: Cooking, eating, reading, riding my bike that goes nowhere — living my best porch life.
Finally! Success growing strawberries. My daughter always picks strawberries to grow and the every year they are a failure. I’ve tried them in the garden and in pots. This year the hanging basket did the trick. Now to get more strawberry plants so we can enjoy a bowlful instead of just a handful. …
Herbs are most flavorful right before they flower and gardeners say you are not actually supposed to let them flower. Eh, I make an exception to this rule with my chives. They come in with a vengeance every year and I can barley keep up during a rainy spring. But mostly I let them flower…
This yogurt caught my eye at the store last week, I just love the labels. I eat yogurt every week day for breakfast. Chobani has been my brand of choice, pineapple and black cherry are my favorite flavors. I mix in granola and fresh fruit. The kids love peanut butter mixed in too. I decided…
Two weeks in a row of traveling has set me back in the kitchen, I have been slacking on making any interesting meals. We have been eating a good number of salads since those are easy enough to throw together and we always have plenty of greens. The past two weeks of CSA boxes have…
Another double whammy for races this month. I signed up for a new race, the Cinco de Miler at the last minute. A Saturday race is always appealing and I like the distance. I figured worst case it would be a good training run for the 10 miler that I had coming up. Besides they…
I am so happy to have gotten reading groove back this month, it helps to have found some great books. I devoured this memoir Spoon Fed: How Eight Cooks Saved My Life by Kim Severson. Severson is a food writer for the NY Times and tells her personal story intertwined with interviews and tidbits with…
I ran across a lot of recipes this week that I want to try. Like these zucchini toasts, shaved asparagus pizza , leek toasts with blue cheese . I sense an outdoor cocktail evening coming on! I love coconut milk and poaching is a great hot weather way to cook fish, check out this recipe….
I am trying to stay positive about the cold and crappy weather. Living in Chicago I am used the freezing cold winter switching to a hot hot summer in a matter of days, spring is just a blip. This fall like weather needs to end for obvious reasons, but most specifically because I pulled the…
Asparagus is one of my favorite vegetables. For the most part I simply roast it with olive oil and salt and pepper. I decided to change it up and make it more exciting. The oranges are a good seasonal match. I made a double batch and ate leftovers in my salads throughout the week. Roasted…
Speaking of sandwiches, here is a delicious hearty dinner sandwich that we loved! It a bit too messy for dinner at the softball field however. Black Bean Baguette adapted from Eating Well 1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained 1 T. pickled jalapeno, diced 1/4 t. cumin 1/2 t. chili powder 1 radish,…