"RedPepperSauce" news and stories

I firmly believe that artichokes are one of the most romantic dishes you can serve up. And if your relationship is anything like mine, your sweetheart is a little - or even a lot - afraid of the prickly armored artichoke. There's something that seems magic about peeling it, leaf by leaf, until you expose its delicious heart. And there's unspeakable romance in the slowness of it all. The best things, if you  remember, come to those who wait.

Artichokes are so easy, though, anyone can make them (even if you are the culinary scaredy-cat in your relationship). I chop off the stem about one or 1/2 inch from the base of the choke and then peel off any leaves that are very discolored, teensy, or tough. If you're into the presentation, you can use a big strong serrated knife to cut through the top 1/4 or so of the artichoke, there you go, just slice it all off! Stick several (I like three or four medium-sized artichokes for the two of us - it's no good to be left wanting) in a large pan of boiling water and cook for 15-20 minutes, until you can easily pull a bottom leaf off.

My husband likes the leaves with mayonnaise but I eat them with melted butter and lemon juice (lots of salt) or, for a pink garlicky treat, romesco sauce.

According to Gawker, Organic Style magazine is about to shut its doors. I can't say I was a loyal fan, but I've certainly picked it up a few times, usually in the midst of one of my quarterly Attempts to Streamline All Aspects of Life. They had a great section called Simple Meals, full of tips that'll help you get something in your belly on those "God help me if I have to spend more than 20 minutes in the kitchen" sort of days. I assume it'll eventually disappear as the magazine progressively folds, but as of right now they still have the Simple Meals database online for browsing. I've tried this Roasted Red Pepper Sauce several times: you can throw the garlic in the oven and zone out to E! News Live (or, really, use the pre-diced garlic you already have in the fridge), and then one blender zap later you've got the perfect topping for George Foreman-ed chicken breasts. You can search the database by ingredient: a craving for potatoes turned up this awesome-looking kebab of grilled lamb chunks and Yukon Golds.

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