The Recipe: A simple, summery fruit salad arranged in a pretty and symmetrical pattern around a mound of cottage cheese. So simple and surprisingly tasty – and yes, we know, more of a suggestion than a "recipe" even if it's a great illustration of how we're using common Mexican ingredients and serving them in untraditional but Mexican-ish ways. ~ Skip Straight to the Recipe ~

Come along as we dive deep into Mexican food for a month-long cooking and eating adventure. We're calling it "Deep Mexico," a concentrated effort to combine three food shopping, meal planning and meal prep techniques into good eats and good fun. It's a whole new way to shop and cook. This page is a brand-new addition to my popular series, How to Save Money on Groceries . A Month-Long Experiment, A Deep Dive into Mexican and Mexican-Style Meals with a Focus on Pantry Shopping, Cooking with What We Have on Hand and Meal Prep.

The Recipe: An asparagus tart that's simple to make but impressive in appearance. Perfect for spring brunches and light suppers. ~ Skip Straight to the Recipe ~ BEST RECIPES! Asparagus Custard Tart Made the List! Best Recipes of 2006 Hoot Hoot! We Have New Neighbors! A great horned owl has taken up a perch on the next block. He’s big: two feet tall and wings aspan, four feet wide. And loud: since the mating season commenced in February, neighbors have asked, "Did you hear The Owl last night? He woke me out of a dead sleep!" Two years ago, a pair of owls took up nest in a tree hollow a block the other direction. Soon there were little owls, owlets they’re called, all fluff and famish. Good neighbors, these owls, if a tad noisy. Family folk too, it’s nice to have little ones around. Welcome to the neighborhood! Finally, Spring! And Spring Asparagus! Spring arrived late this year. But it's here in full force and bloom now, that means...

The Recipe: A mustard sauce that's a tiny-bit spicy and a tiny-bit sweet and totally addictive. The investment is just a handful of pantry ingredients but the return is big, a Carolina BBQ mustard sauce that we turn to again and again. ~ Skip Straight to the Recipe ~