Our evenings are cooler, our mornings are kissed by the dew and harvested pumpkins adorn our homes. As autumn breezes caress their way through crimson, gold and burlap crisp leaves creating nature’s carpeting…our desire for heartier meals intensifies.
Growing up in coastal New England, I developed a keen love of fresh seafood, especially shrimp. After living in Southeast Ohio for more than 20 years, though, I’ve learned to reset my taste buds for our landlocked local specialties such as farm-raised pork, ramps and pawpaw.
Now I can add freshwater prawns to that list. Hocking College’s Fish Management and Aquaculture program has been raising them for a decade now, but I had my first chance to try this local shrimp last fall during their annual harvest.
Ok, I must confess. For years I came home at 6 p.m. flung the freezer door open to search for something – anything - that I could cook for dinner. It resulted in a lot of staring mindlessly into the freezer looking for something that would take minimal time that the family would love.
For breakfast, lunch or dinner garden fresh vegetables certainly offer an explosion of flavor and color to our meals.
Even though we have experienced a lack of rainfall in our tri-state area this summer my family’s tiny tomato patch has been bountiful. I take advantage of using our gas grill all year long and a hand-me-down cast iron griddle from my mom has added to my savory experiments. However, when those lightning rods chase me back inside the griddle fits nicely on the stove top. Let me share my top four veggie indulgences from this season.
Julia Child was a legendary presence on PBS for many years. August 15 would have been her 100th birthday and PBS is celebrating with a special "Remix." Child died in 2004.
Happy 100th Birthday Julia Child!
