Now that fall’s here, I’m settling into my new home on a small barrier island near Charleston, SC. And after a long summer hiatus, my cookbook writing and testing has begun in earnest — an exploration of the relationship between Southern (U.S.), and Southeast Asian food and cooking. More on that later.

Meanwhile, I started the workweek off today with a hearty breakfast combining good old oatmeal with ingredients prominent in Southeast Asian cooking — coconut (milk), bananas and cashews.

First, I combined a handful of steel cut oats, twice as much water, and a pinch of salt in a large microwave-safe glass bowl, covered the bowl in plastic wrap and cooked the oats at 80% power for six minutes. Then I moved the partially-cooked oats to a saucepan, barely covered them with coconut milk, and stirred in a tablespoon each of butter and brown sugar.

I simmered the oats, stirring often, until they were soft — another five minutes. Then I topped them with a sliced banana, a handful of cashews I had crushed in a mortar and pestle, and a drizzle of honey.

Things that grow together definitely did go together here: the coconut milk, bananas and cashews were a great match, especially anchored by the underlying warm nuttiness of the oats.

Long before commercial production of Herbes de Provence began in the 1970s, this versatile aromatic mix was popular with Provençal grandmothers, who crushed it between their fingers before using it to add complex herbal flavor to roast chicken, marinated meats, soups and vegetable dishes. You can now find Herbes de Provence in supermarkets and farmer’s markets throughout the world. But you may have all the ingredients needed to make Herbes de Provence yourself right in your very own cupboard.

Recipe: Goat Cheese With Pastis And Herbes De Provence (Cookthink)

In my constant quest to make use of parsley stems, parmesan rinds and other remnants that often get snubbed and tossed, I found myself wondering about those green leaves at the end of a pile of rhubarb stalks I picked up at the farmers market yesterday afternoon. Were they off-limits or had I just been ignoring them all my rhubarb-eating years? So I did a little research to find out if rhubarb leaves were edible. Here’s what I found out.

One of spring’s most compatible couples, strawberry and rhubarb are a match made in culinary heaven. Strawberry-rhubarb pies and tarts are classics. A simple rhubarb compote made by cooking down the fruit with some sugar and adding a pinch of cinnamon or a handful of crystallized ginger can also be eaten warm on its own, spooned over yogurt or cheesecake or served with some chilled strawberries for a simple but exciting spring dessert. If you’re feeling a bit more ambitious, this strawberry-rhubarb mousse cake includes coconut and white chocolate.

Recipe: Chilled Strawberries With Warm Rhubarb Compote (Cookthink)
Recipe: Rhubarb Ginger Compote (Washington Post)
Recipe: Coconut, Strawberry, White Chocolate And Rhubarb Mousse Cake (Canelle et Vanille)

Italians began sun-drying ripe tomatoes on hot roofs in order to keep tomatoes on the table in winter. But today they are dried out using industrial dehydrators and ovens until they become shrunken and deep red. Drying tomatoes drains them of water but doesn’t rob them of any nutrients and only deepens their tomato flavor.

It takes about 20 pounds of fresh tomatoes to make a pound of sundried tomatoes, which may be why they are so expensive. Here’s how to make them at home.

Considered Mexican snack food, tortilla chips were actually popularized in Los Angeles in the middle of the 20th century and first conceived as a solution to a problem.

You know it when you see it, but what exactly is ham?

And if you’re planning to make ham for Easter Sunday, why not try it baked with Bourbon or an apricot glaze?

This week, Minced Words is considering foods with confused geographical identities.

Like couscous, so-called Israeli couscous are small, round, pasta-like granules made from semolina and wheat flour. But it turns out that what we call Israeli couscous is just a marketing term invented in the 1950s for a product that already existed in North Africa and Palestine.

Named after the 11th century term for England’s Stilton village, Stichelton is a “new” classic blue cheese made with traditional methods.

The word Indians use to refer to dozens of varieties of pulses, dal is also the name of an everyday Indian dish.