It’s my favorite time of year: roasting season! The one where you turn on the oven and let the heavenly aromas of roasted vegetables permeate your home. Most nights, lately, I’ve been heating up the oven, tossing squash, broccoli, brussels sprouts — you name it — with olive oil and some salt on a sheet pan, and letting the oven work its caramelizing magic. The salt I’ve been using makes ALL the difference, though: sea salt blends from Secret Stash.  A small, Seattle-based artisan producer of flavored salts, Secret Stash makes their uniquely-flavored sea salts in small batches, without preservatives, caking agents, or artificial flavors. Chorizo salt (my favorite) sprinkled over eggs or potatoes is something magical, and makes anything taste like Spain. Truffle salt on popcorn? Or Fries? Or as part of your Thanksgiving marinade? Outrageous. Order them here, where you’ll also find great recipes and other imaginative flavors such as coconut garam masala and Nicoise olive. –Megan B.

Actually, it’s just traditional Irish colcannon — potatoes and cabbage — but it took me two years to get this recipe made. Promise me you won’t wait that long. The mix of buttery cabbage and potatoes is great this time of year. See the recipe from Tyler’s Ultimate, after the jump. — Sarah L. (more…)

Last weekend, in the tradition of the crisp fall season, I visited an orchard to go apple picking. It was all sorts of rosy-cheeked fun and as wholesome as a Doris Day movie complete with tractor rides, tree climbs, freshly baked cinnamon donuts, and cider — oh the cider! I’ve never had a better cider than the apple orchard variety and was craving it hard once I returned to the city. Luckily, after a little trial and error, I stumbled upon the perfect orchard-quality cider recipe. The best part? The prep time is only five minutes — no squeezing apples required! Check out the recipe after the jump. — Katie D. (more…)