Let’s just say that previous explorations with said fruitriled up my son to ask for more. And who wouldn’t have superserved her kid’s every food wish before he left for two weeks of sleepaway camp? Like he isn’t eating dinner doused in sprinkles, cup o’syrup for breakfast, and deep-fried almost meat sandwiches at lunch. I’m not kidding myself – he’s in food heaven. It’s summer camp and he’s sleeping away and eating away from parent rule and roost.

Before he left, he wanted mangos in any way. Sliced slippery sweetness right out of the rind is best, but we put thatnew blenderto use and whipped up a few cup o’breakfast smoothies before his departure. read more

..that is, if you’ve already spent a few stolen minutes – perhaps between hosting a play date of Nerf gun-slinging boys and deadheading your almost dead marigolds – whipping up a double batch of homemade, filled with good stuff, blueberry muffins.

For some, including me, homemade baked goods belong more in your fantasy household – you know the one that includes pets that don’t have accidents, kitchen drawers that always open no matter how many utensils are crammed in, and calendars that function down to the last minute (wait that’s only German me and not you?). What’s in your fantasy household? Maybe this not so challenging way to serve homemade baked goods for breakfast…or maybe stairs without creaks…

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More art than cooking, this film dared to limit written instruction and yet spoke volumes about the beauty of preparing food. Perhaps the antithesis of crunchtime, but need it be? The masterful creators,Tiger in a Jar, made this film for giltaste, the food gilt site curated by none other than former Gourmet editor, Ruth Reichl.

If you love what Tiger in a Jar did for beet cake, wait until you see the extraordinary piece they made for ribboned asparagus salad. They’ve managed to slow down the cooking process and speed up the instruction all in one vignette.

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Elizabeth, longtime-crunchtime, texted a photo of a gorgeous bunch of vivid radishes that caught her attention at a farmers market. “What can I do with these?” I believe were her words (although, she is my best friend and I have had to delete our past conversations more often than we care to admit to). I get it, is there anything in nature so striking as a magenta radish and yet so underused? Aside from Ryan Gosling, I cannot think of one. Not being able to offer her an answer her well beyond using radishes for garnishes, pickling, or earrings, I leaned on some brilliant food magicians who put these beauties to use:

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I prepared this shrimp orzo from Ina’sAt Home cookbook a few years back when hosting a cousin girls’ weekend in Los Angeles. The fresh herbs, lemon, and feta cheese make this pasta and shrimp salad explode and because the shrimp is roasted it caramelizes into something sinful. I’ve been making for parties ever since and rarely does a gathering go by when I’m not asked for the recipe. I thought shrimp orzo was so obvious because I’ve been making for years, but it’s so necessary to share at crunchtime.

Here’s why it’s a great go-to.

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