The White House Kitchen Garden is a perfect example of how easy it is to grow your own fresh fruits and vegetables. It costs less than $200 to plant the garden and in the past few months it has already yielded over 1,000 pounds of produce. We use this fresh produce in meals for the First Family, in dinners for foreign leaders and we donate a good portion of it to Miriam’s Kitchen, a nearby soup kitchen.  The garden is a constant reminder for me that fresh fruits and vegetables really do taste better!

Source: Of Iron Chefs and Healthy Eating — Cristeta Comerford, 1/6/2010

Now that we’re squarely in 2010, we can look back on 2009 and the hundreds of recipes published in the Food section and call it the year of meltingly delicious caramelized onions, or the year we fell in love with quinoa all over again, or the year we discovered we could make fantastic, crisp-crusted pizza at home. Let’s just say it was another banner year in The Times’ Test Kitchen.

Source: The Times’ top 10 recipes of 2009 — Los Angeles Times, 1/6/2010

Hoppin’ John

Collard Greens

Cornbread Muffins

Food superstars Comerford, Mario Batali, Bobby Flay and Emeril Lagasse meet in Washington for a trip to the White House. The first lady, whose domestic agenda includes promoting healthy eating, shows up in a theme-appropriate orange dress reminiscent of a crisp vegetable. She informs the chefs that the secret (and required) ingredient for the food competition — in which three judges decide whose dishes are most delicious — is anything in the White House garden.

Read more at: Michelle Obama appears on ‘Iron Chef America’ — Washington Post

The mix is smooth and flavorful and, most importantly, simple to make.

Follow the directions for one cup of mix and add half a cup of blueberries — fresh if in season, frozen if not.

Drop roughly half a cup onto a griddle at 350 degrees for roughly 90 seconds per side.

Pour copious amounts of maple syrup on top.

Of course, you can make pancakes from scratch — one day I’m sure I’ll post a recipe — but for those who want a quick, easy and delicious alternative I highly recommend this option!