Good Things by David

Summer is a great time to entertain.  Everyone likes to have company over at least once or twice during the season, so that one can share good food, lots of laughs and the best of the best.  I'm all for going to the farmers market every single week to pick up the most colorful, juiciest and flavorful fruits & vegetables for us to feast on here at home, but if I happen to be harvesting summer berries or other fruits from the property, even better.  Should I have company over for an afternoon luncheon or dinner, then I make an extra effort to bake a pie or a cake and pick the most flavorful meat for burgers or perhaps some Maryland blue crab for savory crab cakes, if I'm in the mood for them (this is most often the case during summertime).  After I choose a main course and at least one dessert, then everything else falls into place.  The dinnerware, flatware and glassware can be dressed up or down depending on the ambience I want to create. Here ...

Julie Marr's blog, Kitchen Culinaire , is a gastronomic tour de force when it comes to sharing, styling, and photographing the season's best.  I first came across her beautiful photography through instagram, and quickly became a follower and fan of her work.  For me, good food blogging has always been about style, context and composition.  Kitchen Culinaire exhibits these so effortlessly, and what's more, Julie's website is organized with a good layout. A well-organized blog is something I truly appreciate, because it's what compels me to come back time and time again for inspiration. When you go through the singular, inimitable style that is Julie's, you too will connect with what she is teaching us at any given moment and be inspired to create your own plat du jour in the kitchen.  Whether she is throwing a dinner party or is teaching a cooking class at home in Vancouver, Canada, for chef Julie, it's all about making the connection between what is on...

Everyone who likes to eat fresh salads at home, and I hope all of you do, should have a good vinaigrette recipe that is flavorful & easy to make.  I enjoy all sorts of vinaigrettes for my daily salads made with sherry, balsamic, white wine, red wine or champagne vinegars.  Normally we tend to stick with a basic balsamic vinaigrette for everyday eating, but for those days when I want a bit more depth, a bit more flavor and some extra zip, I make a red wine version that I fell in love with at a local eatery.   My Favorite Vinaigrette I asked the chef to share the recipe with me, but instead of giving me the actual proportions, he simply gave me the breakdown of ingredients.  Not one to be daunted by something as simple as salad dressing, I went home and began to experiment with ratios.   This recipe is so easy and so delicious, that I highly recommend you try it at home soon.  Perfect for those weekday dinners in which salads should play a...

Going through my archives of recipes, photographs and thoughts every single month gives me a chance to pause and take note of what I managed to capture and what I didn't.  It helps put things into perspective for me.  I like to outline on paper ahead of time the subjects I want to cover for a particular month, all the while taking notes, adding things or removing them.  It's how I blog.  The items I don't get to cover always get pushed back for a later date & I make sure not to forget what it is I wanted to say, capture or express; everything gets jotted down.  The subject of Good Things is boundless in my opinion, which is why I initially thought of using those words for my blog title.  The month was certainly filled with my favorite things, but it seemed to have been overtaken by The Good Egg .  I started with the idea of eggs, Araucana eggs to be exact, because I love using them in my kitchen for baking & cookin...