Websites of the Week: Hide the Cheese & Andrea’s Recipes

What do I do when I’m not in front of the computer? I’ve always loved to cook but recently I’ve developed a love of gardening, especially tending to our home garden.

These days happiness is having a fridge full of food from our garden supplemented by our local farmers’ markets. Last year we were constantly frustrated by deer who invaded our yard and munched on flowers and our vegetable garden. This year, with a reinforced deer fence and some serious rototilling of manure and compost into our soil, our hard work has paid off. Broccoli, onions, peas, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, peppers, basil, cilantro, and parsley have flourished, providing a plentiful harvest only steps from our back door.

I have a binder full of favorite recipes but I’m always looking for new things to try that will showcase the food that we have grown, selected from the farmers’ market, or picked at local farms.

Here are two of my favorite cooking sites by fellow DC area moms that I always turn to in order to find recipes that showcase seasonal produce. Their sites feature easy to follow recipes and the gorgeous drool worthy pictures are definitely a bonus!

Hide the Cheese– Hide the Cheese started this spring when Margy, a mom of 3, decided to “honor the spirit of the family table by sharing recipes that help us connect as a family, either because they are recipes that our children enjoy or can help create.” Ever since I got Margy’s e-mail about her first recipes on her site, I’ve loved seeing the many wonderful pictures of her children cooking and enjoying her food and hearing about the progress of their family’s garden at her sister’s winery, Black Ankle Vineyards. I sometimes run into Margy, or husband, Gabe, at our local farmer’s markets and it is fun to see what they make out of their farmers’ market finds. Some of my favorites include Blueberry Birthday Pie and the deliciously hearty Potato Leek Soup Margy’s husband, Gabe, made for us when Captain Computer was hospitalized this winter. Huge congratulations to Margy and sister, Sarah, whose recipe for Grilled Grape Leaves Stuffed with Goat Cheese, Pine Nuts, and Rosemary was selected for Maryland Govenor O’Malley’s Buy Local Cookout.

Andrea’s Recipes– Fellow DC Metro Mom, Andrea, is idol worthy in my book. She has an amazing garden that supplies her with ingredients for her Grow Your Own challenge, regularly participates in the Daring Bakers Challenge, and her website is a fabulous resource. Her impressive archive that makes it easy to find delicious ways to use the produce surplus haunting your garden. Andrea’s recipe for tabbouleh is one of my favorites and I’m in love her delicious Herbed Goat Cheese recipe as an easy way to use my garden’s herbs and tomatoes. I also enjoy reading her fabulous review site, Andrea’s Reviews, for Cook’s Illustrated-like honest reviews of new cookbooks, food stuffs, and kitchen gear. I missed Andrea at BlogHer this year (last year we did an early morning yoga session together!) but I’m looking forward to her report from BlogHer Food in San Francisco and secretly wish she could stuff me in her bag!

Now I have a date with Little Miss Techie and Captain Computer to make a recipe of our neighbor’s Summer Peach Buckle that is just perfect for the bounty of peaches from this weekend’s farmers’ market!

Pictures from top: Captain Computer’s new wheelbarrow finds a new use for our tomato harvest, Captain Computer’s proudly displays a basket of peas, Little Miss Techie shows off her broccoli, our basil plants, and Captain Computer admiring our cucumbers.