Kitchen Scoop Blog

There's just something about Snickerdoodles that make you smile. And there’s nothing like a classic cookie recipe to round out a picnic, potluck or any July Fourth celebration. They sound fun and festive, and kids -- and kids at heart -- are sure to love them.

Snickerdoodles are sometimes called Snipdoodles or Cinnamon Sugar Cookies, and have been around since the late 1800s. They probably originated in New England and are either of German or Dutch descent.

Unfortunately we couldn't find any clues as to how they got such a peculiar name, and it doesn't seem to serve any purpose other than fun.

Fun for the Fourth? We're there!

Here's an all-American side dish for July 4th! Potato salad isn’t cheap to buy from the deli, and after you taste this version, you’ll never even think of purchasing it again – at any price! When I tasted this potato salad for the first time nearly two decades ago, I thought it was perhaps the best on the planet.

When my husband first took a bite, this is what he said: “Usually when you eat potato salad, well, you’re just eating potato salad. This elevates potato salad to a whole new dimension.”

The recipe comes from a seriously fine Southern cook, Janice McDaniel of Fayetteville, N.C. (That's me with Mrs. McDaniel in her kitchen a couple of summers ago.) She uses watermelon rind pickles when she has them, so feel free to chop some up if you have them!

Pat Hoffmeister of Coppell, Texas, had a problem with her manicotti. “Do you know an easy way to stuff manicotti?” she asked. “I’m always splitting them when I try.”

To try and help Pat we posted her question here on The Scoop and also in our newspaper column, Desperation Dinners. Lots of readers responded with some wonderful ideas, and here they are!

Elise Legaspi of Oxnard, Calif., came swooping in with a terrific answer.

“I put the filling in a gallon-size, zip-top plastic bag,” Elise said. “I snip off one of the corners and squeeze away.”

We love these funky posters made from vegetable collages by our friend and colleague Lee Svitak Dean. When Lee isn’t busy designing her posters, which are targeted primarily to preteens and teens to promote healthy eating, she’s Editor of the Taste section of the Star Tribune in Minneapolis.

“These are part of my Eat Smart series of posters,” Lee says. “Each has the phrase "Eat Smart" at the bottom, along with a kind of game -- "Find the Produce," with a listing of all the items in the picture. I try to reflect in the posters that food can -- and should be -- fun.”

All eight posters in the series will be featured through July 30 at Corazon Gallery, 1026 Washington Ave. S., Minneapolis.  If you can’t make it to Minneapolis, you can view the posters on Lee’s website (click here).

Making such intricate designs from fresh food is challenging to say the least.

Here’s what I do whenever I have too many ripe tomatoes and I don’t want to waste a single one: I make the easiest tomato sauce in the world.

This is more like a tomato fresca, in that the flavors are bright and fresh -- perfect for coating pasta or a pizza crust on a muggy summer day. It’s a thin sauce due to the moisture in the very ripe tomatoes. If you want a thicker sauce, either simmer it forever or use only Roma tomatoes.

For getting in and out of the kitchen fast, the very best part of this recipe is that you don’t have to peel the tomatoes. Everything just gets tossed into a food processor and it’s ready for a nice long simmer.

The inspiration for this recipe came from Janet Grennes of Raleigh, N.C., a friend, food stylist and former cooking teacher. Here’s what you do:

I used to say that I'd never met a tomato I didn't like. Now I have to qualify that by adding "sun-ripened." Even the Roma Tomatoes have lost their flavor if they are not sun-ripened. There's just something magical about the flavor the bright rays of the sun instill in the humble tomato. Beverly has been raving about the organic, heirloom tomatoes that have been showing up in her CSA box each week. Now that her growing season in Miami is over, the North Carolina tomatoes are just starting to come in. All I can say is it's about time!!

Here are some tips on maximizing the flavor when your tomato harvest arrives:

What are your favorite quiche flavors? We like broccoli because it’s so easy to use a bag of frozen florets -- makes for the perfect Desperation Dinner, too!

You could really use just about anything in a quiche. We hate to admit it, but we often use quiche as a vehicle to clean out the refrigerator produce bin!

If you haven't noticed yet, I'm a strawberry fanatic! And local, hand picked strawberries are the absolute best in my book. Depending on where you live, you may or may not have the pleasure of having strawberry fields just down the road, but here in NC, I do. Going out on a dewy Saturday morning to pick a bucket or two is a June tradition. Since I always end up with more than I meant to pick, the strawberry recipes keep me busy for a week or two.                                              

This year I created this Magical Strawberry Muffin recipe that will surely become a favorite for next year as well. Try it out and let me know what you think. Any fresh strawberry, no matter where it is from, will work just fine. But if you have local available - go for it! 

When your kids get older and need to sleep late, it’s time to transfer the Father’s Day meal over from breakfast to a late lunch or even dinner. Barbecued Pork Tenderloin with Seared Vegetables is the perfect compromise for everyone – including the cook.

This recipe is so easy to do that your teen can take over as chef. (Moms, you’ve gotta love that!) This tenderloin offers up the barbecue smokiness Dads crave when you just don't feel like the hassles of firing up a grill.

It’s a fitting feast for the holiday, and everyone is happy. Sounds like a plan!

From Guest Blogger Umit Celebi, who also took these photos:

It’s been almost 30 years since I moved to New York City and I often ask myself, “What keeps me here?” Certainly, it’s the eight Vermeers at the Met and the Frick; it’s that first glimpse of the gloriously green field at Yankee Stadium when you emerge from the shadow world under the seats; it’s those two early evenings in the middle of each year when the sun sets precisely in line with the city’s grid casting a miraculous light directly down every street in Manhattan (click here); it’s the pan-fried chive dumplings in the dim sum parlors of Elizabeth Street.

But what really keeps me here are the overheard conversations. I can’t tell you how much I have gleaned over the years from simply being within earshot of just a handful of the hundreds of millions of verbal transactions that take place here every day. The very thing that sometimes most frustrates me about living in New York, (the throngs of people), also provides me with the thing I love the most – aural access to the thoughts and emotions of my 8 million neighbors. And since the food here is a very close second, something that combines both of these is a rare treat indeed. And that’s where Di Palo’s Fine Foods comes in.