How to roast tomatoes, slowly, slowly, slowly. In 2005, I roasted 15 batches of tomatoes, keeping notes as I experimented with oven temperature, time in the oven, how much oil to use, whether fresh or dried herbs worked better. From mid-September through early October, the house was aromatic with a gentle tomato scent from 15 batches of Slow-Roasted Tomatoes. Each batch was a little different. I played with oven temperature, oven time, a little oil and a lot of oil, fresh herbs and dried herbs. I even experimented with Fast-Roasted Tomatoes but quickly returned to these. The inspiration came from StephenCooks , whose site includes the warning, "If you're looking for something quick here, I'm sorry but most of the dishes I cook take far too long to be called quick." His ideas about slow-roasted tomatoes are here .

How to trim and steam fresh broccoli, then dress it in different ways that are “never the same”. ~recipe & photo updated 2014~ ~ more recently updated recipes ~ After the success of Day 154's Tomato Bread Pudding IV inspired by StephenCooks, I decided to try his ever-so-simple steamed broccoli. And as you might expect, it's g-o-o-d . I especially like the technique because: The broccoli stalks are absolutely delicious so do pay attention to the aggressive trimming instructions – they're worth the time, especially for what happens to the stalks. So often, they're chopped off and even discarded in favor of the more tender and flavorful crowns. I love them cold, eaten out of a bowl like vinegar-free pickles. The herb and vinegar and oil combinations (what I call the "Never-the-Same" Possibilities) are nearly limitless, making it easy to complement the rest of the meal. It fits a Six O'Clock Scramble supper schedule OR can be prepped ahead of

What, you don't remember Tomato Bread Puddings I, II and III? That's because up until tonight, the man-who-can-cook-anything over at StephenCooks has been the-man-who-cooks-everything . Impressed with Stephen's kitchen panache, awhile back I made a casual e-mail inquiry about his ideas for a tomato bread pudding, something I've been working on - entirely unsuccessfully - for a couple of summers, including here in A Veggie Venture back on Day 69 . I thought Stephen might write back with an equally casual idea or two. Instead: The next -- NEXT! -- morning, he posted Tomato Bread Pudding . And the next day he posted a Tomato Flan . And then he posted Roasted Tomato Bread Pudding . Oh: isn't Stephen's behind-the-camera artistry inspiring? Tonight, finally, it was time for me to push Stephen back into his living room out there in Maine to elbow my way into the kitchen here in Missouri . I used his Roasted Tomato Bread Pudding as tonight's

Now that the weather's turning, it's time to turn on our ovens! Here's a great start, an easy, half-good-for-ya (Quick) Brown Bread , featured in Kitchen Parade's weekly column.

Boy, this one was HARD work. First I strode barefoot out to the Back Forty where I battled the grasshoppers to search more than a dozen corn rows for ears that had that just-ripe scent and then ... NOT. Yes this is a Gimme. But real life needs regular Gimme's, yes? This Imagine-brand corn soup tastes great -- and because it's from Trader Joe's, it's inexpensive, too -- and a cup is low in calories (100) and Weight Watchers points (2). And for those who attend to such, it's organic and vegan as well. For anyone considering Family Survival Packs since Katrina, this may qualify since its aseptic packaging doesn't require refrigeration. I tasted a cold spoonful: not bad. And the expiration date is six months away so as long as the supply were replenished twice a year, it could work.

Still cleanin' out the frig, yes, so it's the perfect night for a veggie frittata. This one was long on vegetables and short on eggs: that'd been the intent, calorie-wise, but I missed the extra egg, missed the extra creaminess from a bit of cheese. Still, twas quite good. And there's no reason to despair: the next one will be different because the leftovers in the vegetable bin are never the same. LIGHT SUMMER FRITTATA Hands-on time: 20 minutes Time to table: 30 minutes Serves 4 1 tablespoon butter 1/2 a medium zucchini, diced 1/2 a yellow pepper, diced 1 teaspoon garlic 1 large tomato, diced 2 eggs 3 egg whites 1/2 cup fresh ricotta Salt & pepper Heat an oven-proof skillet over MEDIUM HIGH. Add the butter. When it's hot, add the zucchini and pepper and saute for 2 - 3 minutes. Add the garlic and tomato and let simmer until the vegetables are cooked through and the tomato liquid has cooked down. Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs, the wh

~ recipe updated & photo added in 2007 ~ 2005: [No photo, sorry, photographer malfunction.] In old cookbooks, vegetables seem to come creamed or fried, fried or creamed. So it is surprising that in 151 (!) days of cooking veggies in new ways here at A Veggie Venture, neither one's been done. But who'd think to start with creamed radishes??? Someone who's cleaning out the frig, that's who. WOW. Awhile back, the nearby international market had exotic-looking black radishes that ended up tasting like plain-ol' red radishes in a so-so salad. But tonight, cooked and then creamed, they were, my oh my, very good. But it's possible that Creamed Kibbles would have been good too -- so long as pimentón was included. Tonight was my first taste of the smoky Spanish paprika. Wow. 2007: Well, maybe based on their homely washed-out appearance, creamed radishes should remain photo-less. But they sure do taste good! I recommend using them as a base for grilled or roasted mea