Chives.
Chives. Chives make me smile. They’re so happy and perky – the little sprite of the garden. Chives, a thinner a milder version of green onions and scallions, not only add flavor to many a dish but texture and color to the garden.
What I’ve noticed, though, is that, other than an occasional topping for a salad or potatoes, I tend to overlook the chives, while the cilantro, basil and thyme and others get all the attention. Doesn’t seem quite fair does it? And chives are so dependable and easy going.
And did you know that they have insect repelling properties? Yep. Planted next to roses will help prevent aphids. (Although someone forgot to tell these guys.)
Chives you rock.
Again, chives are a dependable perennial, hardy and both winter and drought tolerant. They can grow in pretty much any garden soil type, so it’s easy to have your own supply handy in your garden or planter.
Chives do tend to lose their flavor when cooked for long periods of time, that’s why they’re usually used as a garnish, but not just for potatoes or soup. What about scrambled eggs or quiche? Or a salsa? Vinaigrette? Chicken salad? Compound butter?
I’m thankful for the chives. Chives I promise not to overlook you anymore. I promise to appreciate how you adorn the herb garden. And I might just plant some more of your friends to spread your joy all over the garden.
Do you have any suggestions for using chives? Can’t wait to hear all about it.
Is there another herb you’ve planted or want to plant this year?
For more gardening tips and inspiration stop by goodLife{eats} and check out Katie’s series, GrowCookEat, where you’ll find wonderful photos and links to other gardening posts.
Some of my new peeps.
They say Napa is all about the food and wine. And, no doubt, I enjoyed some food last weekend that was out of this world.
But, for me, Napa was more about the people.
Thanks to the gracious people from Bush’s Beans, I had the privilege to travel to Napa to cook at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA for short) for a day with three other bloggers. Sandy from Reluctant Entertainer, Tina from Mommy’s Kitchen, and Aggie from Aggie’s Kitchen were my cohorts in the culinary adventure. They’re wonderful, beautiful ladies, inside and out. We had great fun in the kitchen.
I’m so tickled for the chance to get to know each lady – hope to see them again soon!
We cooked, ate and shared creative ways to use beans. It was a blast. (Be on the lookout for new recipes that I’ll be posting soon adding to my Bodacious Bean recipe file.)
Ken, Katie, and Christina, all representing Bush’s Beans, were our hosts along with Connie Guttersen.
Their genuineness and relaxed demeanor was passed on to all of us. You feed off of people like that. I have to admit that I left home a little concerned about not measuring up or feeling uncomfortable, but they certainly set me at ease immediately. Their companies hired well.
Under the direction of Connie Guttersen, R.D., Ph.D., author of The Sonoma Diet, and Andy Wild from the CIA, we managed not to lose any digits and succeeded in cooking up some tasty eats.
Connie Guttersen is as refreshing and positive about what she does as anyone I’ve ever met.
She knows her stuff and was a wealth of information in the kitchen. She’s an encourager – a cheerleader. Connie will be starting her own personal blog soon and I can’t wait to share it with you as soon as it premiers.
Andy Wild from the CIA was our instructor in the kitchen for the day.
I’m not sure what he thought about all of us taking pictures of every single thing he said and did, but I was thankful that he was chosen to be our go-to man.
He taught us the basics in knife skills as well as other tips.
I was sad to say goodbye to the CIA Friday afternoon. It truly was a day I’ll not forget.
Later that night my husband (yep, Randy was able to go with me and I’m so glad he did) and I met Michelle from What’s Cooking and her husband, Glenn at Ad Hoc for dinner.
Once again the food was fabulous but the company was even better. We laughed and talked for hours, practically closing the place.
Look how cute and tan she is? And I’m so, so…pink.
How is it that you can meet people for the first time in real life and feel like you’ve known them forever? It’s amazing to me. Michelle is a forever kind of a friend. Be sure to check out her site – especially if you’re interested in cooking with kids.
I know this sounds like a bunch of hiney kissing, but honestly, everywhere we visited over the weekend we met super people. Whether a cab driver, wait staff, door man, or a stranger on the street, at every turn there was a smiling face, a helpful hand – definitely noteworthy hospitality. And I’m from the South where we’re known for hospitality.
Truly the people made our experience a real treat and I’m very thankful for that.
(While Bush’s Beans covered much of the cost of our trip, no one paid me to say these nice things. There are nice people in this world – real nice people – everywhere. No bull. Nice people. Nice.)
Read MoreNational Food Bloggers Bake Sale
Do you know where your next meal is coming from? If you’re like me you may already be thinking about meals many days down the road.
As you know, many children across the U.S. are not so blessed.
Share Our Strength has been working diligently to fight childhood hunger across America through many programs to raise awareness, educate and raise funds. This spring I’m honored to join many other food bloggers from all over the U.S. in the 1st Annual Food Bloggers Bake Sale as part of the Share Our Strength’s Great American Bake Sale.
The bake sale will be held on April 17 nationwide. You can participate too. Sign up to host a bake sale in your area, or join another one already in the works. Gaby from What’s Gaby Cooking has a list of food bloggers (by state) to contact for more information on how to get involved in your area.
Or if you’re in South Carolina and would like to join me for a local bake sale in the upstate or organize your own in your town, please leave a comment here or contact me. We’ll need a public venue (with permission/permits), helping hands to work during the sale, baked goodies and of course people to spread the word about the bake sale. Again, leave a comment here or contact me through my “Contact” page if you’re interested.
It will be a fun time to come together, bake some yummy goodies to share, while spreading the word about how we can end childhood hunger in the U.S.
For more information about Share Our Strength visit http://www.strength.org/.
Can’t wait to hear from you. Don’t forget to spread the word too!
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