RFC Recommends

Shannon: Olivista extra virgin olive oil- Grown in California, given five stars by the 2010 Rosengarten Report, lovely, fruity, fresh flavor and reasonably priced. The unfiltered and unrefined oil is available at the Carytown Kroger deli section. Somehow the oil is bottled/ re-bottled and has hand written fill dates on the label that are only days old. We love the flavor of this oil for dipping bread or for light salad dressings. Check out the included link for more information.

Erin: Pomi Tomatoes- If you can't can them yourself, Pomi is the way to go. Pomi is available at most large groceries- I keep a box or two on hand to make marinara sauce or soups. Italian tomatoes are the only ingredient in these boxes, there is no BPA, no citric acid as a preservative, nothing but tomatoes. You can taste the difference!

Casey: Ok, thinking about this theme made me think vinegar... which made me think of Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar from Trader Joe's. One of those simple delicious (inexpensive) things we use all of the time in our kitchen. Always reach for it when I make vinaigrette, mix with two parts olive oil one part vinegar add salt, pepper, maybe shallots and a hint of dijon mustard, perfection!

Rachel: We took our first trip to Camden's Dogtown Market this weekend. You'll remember the location as the former Ejay Rin space. Well, Andy Howell has re-opened it as a market/deli and we love it. My husband and I became Howell-groupies when we first moved to RVA in 2003... he owned Avenue 805 and we could walk there. Since then we've been faithfully following him around RVA. Go there, you'll love it. You can enjoy a great sandwich and a beer or (!) pick your own bottle of wine to enjoy from the market, small corkage fee does apply. Check out the deli case for yummies to enjoy at home. He has great selection of both meats and cheese. And, the best part is, he has house made products for you to enjoy...bacon, smoked salmon, and prosciutto (oh, my!). Maybe you'll make a beautiful sandwich with other offerings mentioned in this post?? Have fun and enjoy!

RFC Recommends

With so many great things coming our way we quite often miss out on passing them along in any detail. So we've decided to start regularly sharing some quick links from each of us in one little post. Hope you find something here that just right for you too!

Some stuff just makes us happy*

Shannon loves.. L.O.V.E.S. the new Food52 cookbook, and the Lemon, Leak, and Feta Quiche recipe sealed the deal.

Erin recommends any book from Alice Waters, but especially The Art of Simple Food. Seasonal and lovely, this is a great staple for your cookbook collection. Alice also provides a fantastic pantry list in this book- items to keep handy for quick suppers any day of the week.

Casey just read The Dirty Life: A Memoir of Farming, Food, and Love . Appealing to my farm fantasies, it's a well written tale of a city turned country girl who fell in love and got a farm in the deal. A great winter read while we cosy next to the fire dreaming of spring.

* Vanessa Rees Photography