We decide to make a pot roast mainly because our husband spent the vast majority of his childhood summer vacations sharing the backseat of a silver stationwagon with his two brothers, while the family made their way from Philadelphia to Pine Knoll Shores, North Carolina. They were on their way to…

Gazpacho? There’s a scene in the Pedro Almodovar film, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, where gazpacho is offered to the police who come to the apartment of central character, Pepa Marcos. Candela get me a drink. What kind? There’s gazpacho. Right! Gazpacho! Where are you going? For gazpacho? Want some? Were on duty…

Here we are in July. Is it just us, or does July seem to sneak up and take you by surprise? It’s time for summer plans to unfold. Time to escape the heat, or at least dream about it. Time to enjoy all those mainstays of summer: tomatoes, watermelon, swimming,…

What’s on your summer reading list? This week,Chow Bella contributors will answer that question with reviews of the food-related books we’ve read lately. If you have a recommendation for us, please leave it in the comment section. Today’s selection: Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and…

This week’s challenge on Monday Night Martha: Tuna Casserole. We are pre-heating the oven to 400 degrees (when it’s 104 degrees outside) to answer the question: is it possible to make tuna casserole taste fresh and good? The words “tuna casserole”, probably conjure up the memory of a dish comprised of egg…

It’s too hot to bake. No one wants to turn on the oven in this heat. Plus, we feel more thirsty than hungry. What we really want is to feel refreshed. Which is why we sprang into action when we saw a selection of ice tea recipes this week on…

Blueberries were on sale so we picked up a few pints and stuck them in our grocery basket. They looked so summery — plump and blue and delicious. But what should we make to capture this fruit at the peak of freshness? We thought briefly about blueberry muffins, but settled…

It’s funny how certain meals you dreaded as a kid, somehow turn into the ones you kind of really miss. So it is with Salmon Cakes, or salmon patties as they were known around our house. I never much cared for them except that my mom always served them with…

Making raspberry and yogurt Tie Dye Pops is so easy there’s no reason not to try it. The best part – no oven or stovetop required. All you do is take 3 pints of fresh raspberries and puree them in a blender for about a minute. Then pour the puree through…

The swimming pool days are upon us. Does anything cut through the heat like a jump in the pool? It’s time to throw some food on the grill and eat outside in our bathing suits. What’s that? You don’t have a pool, you say? Well then find someone who does, and…

This week it’s officially hot. Summer vacation is right around the corner, and everyone’s calendars seem full. Out come the sundresses, blockbuster movies and our favorite — homemade ice cream. We start the weekend by getting up early Saturday morning to drive to Schnepf Farms in Queen Creek for their annual…

This week was busy. The proof? The kitchen floor needs cleaning and there is a pile of unfolded laundry on the couch. For Mother’s Day Martha was recommending Heart Shaped Egg in the Hole and Chocolate Peppermint Tarts with Currants and Berries. Is this woman for real? We need to make…

Cheba Hut “Toasted Subs” is silly. Cheech and Chong posters on the wall, big paper mache blunts hanging from the ceiling that say “order here,” and a menu that reads like an honor roll of marijuana varietals over the years.  Most of the sandwiches have been named after strains of…

Sorry people – salad again. We’ve always felt like our salad repertoire was just well, sad. So for the sake of personal improvement we’ve decided to work on it. Also – meager little confession – we want to eat more kale. Here’s the thing about kale — It makes us feel…

Driving down Indian school we spot a red sign that says:  Lunch $6.49. It’s waving outside Thai E-San restaurant so we pull over to give it a try. When we first sit down we feel a little silly because the tables are quite substantial and round. But the place is not…

Is it too much to ask to want the relaxed, restored feeling of the weekend to extend into the work week – just a bit? We don’t think so. In fact one of the ways that helps us ease into the week is to make a big pot of something…