Category recipes and ideas

Full Table…Full Heart
Not to sound repetitive but Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and the more at the feast, the merrier. There are some family members and friends who can’t make it this year and will be terribly missed. The celebration will be smaller with little ones gathering as well so I will be downsizing the meal (don’t […]

Time Sure Flies…
Today marks the fifth anniversary of my blog, Ali’s Epicurean Gems. I have attempted to post monthly over the years but we all know how the best laid plans can change when you least expect it. As I look back at how ‘simple’ my first post “Summer’s Finest Fruit” was, I realize how far that […]

The Common Fig ~ An Ancient Fruit
The fluctuation in the temperatures this past winter and spring wreaked havoc on my perennial beds. However, for the first year since I have moved to the shore, my ‘Kadota’ fig tree is producing prolifically. Never have I harvested so many figs ~ the deer and birds usually beat me to the punch. The common […]

Pesto, Pesto…
One of my favorite lines in a movie is from ‘When Harry Met Sally’; Carrie Fisher’s character Marie unknowingly quotes from Jess’ (Bruno Kirby) book by casually saying in a dinner conversation that “Pesto is the quiche of the 80’s”. Marie and Jess instantly form a bond ~ it is adorable and goes to show how something […]

A Nearly Infallible Root
Sadly, I just harvested the last of my spring radishes. Radishes have a fancy name, Raphanus sativus, but should be on every beginning gardener’s list of easy-to-grow vegetables. They are a cool season vegetable for spring as well as fall that are frost resistant. As soon as the soil can be worked in the spring, […]