In with the Fresh Herbs!

Fresh herbs can make or break a dish. In the past, we have often used dried herbs as a substitute for fresh herbs. We turned to the fresh variety when we felt it would truly enhance the taste, but we often substituted dried herbs because of the convenience factor, and because we could never use up the entire bunch of fresh herbs before it went bad. But now, after consistently cooking with fresh herbs for a few weeks, we may never turn back.  Needless to say we thoroughly enjoy the fact that our refrigerator is constantly stocked with an assortment of fresh herbs, whether it be dill, parsley, cilantro, or thyme.

Taking on the Grill

Grilling has been a cooking method that we have sorely missed since moving out of our homes, especially during the D.C. Spring and Summer months.  There have been numerous times when we have said “this dish would have been perfect if we had a grill,” or “we could have grilled this with X ingredient.”  Well, thanks to Marnina’s co-worker, the proprietor of Grilling with Rich, a well-known grilling blog , we have finally caught on to the grilling madness.  We recently purchased an indoor grill faux equivalent to the outdoor grill – a George Foreman electric grill.  While the George Foreman does not offer the smoky flavor, the food still sits on grates that leave nice grill marks, and it provides some charred pieces of food that Marnina loves to nosh on.