Author Archives: rachelocal

KING of the Food Snobs

September 12, 2013 by rachelocal

A while back, I wrote a post about how I was fearful of becoming a food snob. After boring my friends with talk of grass-fed meat, local eggs, and the evils of Taco Bell, I feared the worst – I was a genuine food snob with elitist views about butter, produce, and even oatmeal. To make myself feel better about my snobbery, I regularly visit an intriguing blog authored by my friend, Sean–Skinny Girls and Mayonnaise. In my opinion, Sean […]

Categories: Guest Posts, Random • Tags: food, food snob, humor, life, local, Sean Colgin, Thomas Keller

An Eggsperimental Breakfast

August 29, 2013 by rachelocal

Weekends are for two things: sleeping and big breakfasts. Well, maybe only for big breakfasts if you have kids. I don’t, so I sleep in and then eat a big breakfast. This past weekend I decided to try a little experiment with my breakfast. I chose two eggs–one was free range, pasture fed, hormone and antibiotic free and bought locally from my farmers market. The other egg was the grocery store brand. Here are the eggs in question: I took […]

Categories: Delaware Farms, Farmer's Markets • Tags: bacon, breakfast, eggs, food, labels, local, shopping

Peppermeister Roulette: The Clear Winner and a Spicy Recipe

August 27, 2013 by rachelocal

Remember Peppermeister Roulette 3: Duel to the Death? (If you haven’t watched this fierce, fiery battle, click here and enjoy: PEPPERMEISTER ROULETTE 3.) Before getting down to business with those peppers, Peppermeister and I enjoyed a cocktail while checking out his pepper plants. He grows a wide variety in containers on his patio and deck among the bucolic setting of his backyard. It was all polite exchanges and clever banter outside, but when we took those peppers inside, things got […]

Categories: Fall Recipes, Gardening, Recipes, Spring Recipes, Summer Recipes, Video, Winter Recipes • Tags: food, HOT, local, salsa, vegan, vegetarian

Peppermeister Roulette 3: Duel to the Death

August 14, 2013 by rachelocal

Last year, I played the first round of Peppermeister Roulette when the venerable Peppermeister gave me a bag of his colorful, home-grown, organic hot peppers. In February of this year, I played a second round with another gift from Peppermeister – dried peppers. Each time, I proved my pepper prowess. But there was one more pepper I needed to dominate – PEPPERMEISTER HIMSELF. With fire in my eyes, I challenged him to a Peppermeister Roulette duel. Who will win? YOU […]

Categories: Gardening, Video • Tags: challenge, food, HOT, humor, Peppermeister Roulette, vlog

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A Post for Tyson

August 12, 2013 by rachelocal

In a little while, I’ll head over to Home Grown Cafe to pick up my CSA box filled with organic, locally grown veggies. Usually CSA Day is a happy event, but this morning I received a more-than-sad email from Casey Spacht, the General Manager of my CSA, Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative. In the spirit of community and love, I wanted to share this story with you: Dear Farmers, Staff, CSA Members, and friends, I’m writing to let you all know […]

Categories: Local Farms • Tags: Community Supported Agriculture, CSA, food, hope, life, local

Gone Eatin’

August 2, 2013 by rachelocal

In a perfect world, when I can’t blog due to busyness or vacation, I would have a draft folder full of well-thought-out and well-crafted posts to present to you, my dear readers. The world is not perfect. But I am going on vacation. So I’m hanging up my laptop in exchange for sunscreen, cocktails, and the best food around. I’ll be eating my way across New England and Chicago over the next week, so I won’t be posting much. In […]

Categories: Delaware Farms, Farmer's Markets • Tags: Bayberry Farm, farmer's market, food, Glasgow Park, life, local, vacation

Corn Off the Cob

July 26, 2013 by rachelocal

Every year, when summer rolls around, my husband and I have the same exact conversation: Me: Filasky’s has sweet corn! Mr. Rache: I don’t like it on the cob. Me: I want to eat six ears of corn for dinner tonight. Mr. Rache: I don’t like it on the cob. Me: I’m going to buy three dozen ears, blanch it and freeze it for winter. Mr. Rache: I don’t like it on the cob. Me: The Food and Wine Hedonist […]

Categories: Delaware Farms, Recipes, Summer Recipes • Tags: corn on the cob, food, local, relationships, summer

Why Local Always Wins

July 23, 2013 by rachelocal

If you’ve been following this blog from the beginning, you know I post a lot of recipes, but my true passion is local food. Every day I’m cooking and eating local, seasonal foods. Right now, eating locally is easy, because my favorite things are in season – watermelon, tomatoes, sweet corn, blueberries and countless green vegetables. But sometimes it’s not so easy, especially in the middle of January when nothing’s fresh in my neck of the woods. So why do […]

Categories: Guest Posts • Tags: blogging, clown on fire, food, guest blog, local, opinion, the outlier collective

I’m In Love With A Zucchini

July 17, 2013 by rachelocal

At this very moment, as I sit at my kitchen table and type this, I am eating a giant bowl of zucchini. Sounds enticing, doesn’t it? But this is no ordinary zucchini. This zucchini is curvy, voluptuous, bright, and complex. Her name is Costata Romanesco and I am in love. It wasn’t love at first sight, though. When I took her out of my CSA box and placed her on the counter, I was confused. She looked like a cross […]

Categories: Gardening, Recipes, Summer Recipes • Tags: CSA, food, local, love, vegetarian, zucchini

Fourth Finale

July 3, 2013 by rachelocal

Tomorrow is July 4th, the Fourth of July, and Independence Day (at least in America). That’s cause for celebration! Last year at this time I was soaking up the sun at my childhood vacation spot – Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Revisiting old haunts always makes me happy and content, especially when new spots are discovered along the way. One night after a seafood dinner, I happened upon one such place. A short walk away from our hotel sat an ocean-side, open-air […]

Categories: Recipes, Summer Recipes • Tags: Cape Cod, dessert, fireworks, food, July 4th, life, local, summer

Firsts and Lasts in Maine

July 1, 2013 by rachelocal

The first time I traveled to Maine I was a wide-eyed 8-year-old in love with summer and wild blueberries. The next time I traveled to Maine I was a four-eyed 12-year-old with a fear of snowmobiles and moose meat. The last time I traveled to Maine I talked to the Maineiac (I like to call her “D”) and after dazzling her with my personality and complimenting her hair, she chose me as July’s featured blogger on She’s A Maineiac! Before […]

Categories: Random • Tags: Firsts and Lasts, frienship, humor, interview, She's A Maineiac, wordpress

I Scream, You Scream

June 28, 2013 by rachelocal

“I want to go to there!!” That’s what I’m screaming right now. Last year over 15,000 visitors enjoyed Delaware’s largest “family picnic” at the Old Fashioned Ice Cream Festival at Wilmington’s Rockwood Museum and Park. This year the event is new and improved with two whole days of summer fun – Saturday and Sunday (June 29-30). While I won’t be able to attend (I’ll be rockin’ it out 90’s style to Counting Crows and The Wallflowers in Atlantic City), I’ll […]

Categories: Local Farms, Summer Recipes • Tags: counting crows, Delaware, family, festivals, food, ice cream, local, summer

Food Snobs Anonymous

June 26, 2013 by rachelocal

I have a problem. The other day a friend asked me about a recipe I posted here on the blog. She wondered where she could score the same cut of meat I used. My eyes twinkled, my pulse quickened as I explained in detail where she could not only get this choice meat, but also how to cut it and which knife she should buy to do the cutting. I may have even uttered the words, “You need to find […]

Categories: Local Farms, Random, Video • Tags: Charlie Brown, food, food club, life, local, locavore

We Go Together Like Garlic Scapes and Bacon

June 21, 2013 by rachelocal

Certain foods just go together. Foods like… Peanut butter and chocolate Tacos and margaritas Zinfandel and grilled steak Mashed potatoes and gravy Pizza and beer Chips and guacamole Coffee and donuts Today I present another combination: garlic scapes and bacon. This is not so much a recipe as two things combining to create magic. Speaking of two things combining to create magic, yesterday was my four-year wedding anniversary to Mr. Rache. Over the course of these years, we’ve laughed a […]

Categories: Recipes, Spring Recipes, Summer Recipes • Tags: bacon, cooking, CSA, food, life, marriage

Thank You, Pinterest (Even If You Are Crazy)

June 18, 2013 by rachelocal

In a recent conversation with the venerable Peppermeister, he mentioned this thing called Pinterest. “You should put your recipes on there,” he said casually. With a bit of free time on my hands, I checked it out. I pinned a few extra-special Rachel’s Table recipes to a board called “Food, My First Love.” A few days later, I noticed a spike in blog views, thanks to Pinterest. Taking a closer look at what seemed like all the pins on all […]

Categories: Recipes, Summer Recipes • Tags: food, grilling, humor, peppers, pinterest, summer