I love a slaw. Not the traditional coleslaw, laden with weepy, white cream-based dressings, but a slaw nouveau is what I’m talking about. A bit of cabbage, some acid– be it astringent vinegar, or tangy citrus juice, you can’t forget the olive oil, and some other stuff: nuts, herbs, thinly sliced onion, other vegetables, fruit […]

This is what we had on New Year’s day at my house: And it was perfect! The holiday season is over, and as much as I heartily welcome it each year; I am always ready to bid it farewell in January. Having the holidays fall on a a Tuesday this year really messed with my […]

I know that it’s almost Thanksgiving. (Gobble gobble, to all of those omnivores out there!) Most of you already are busy planning and cooking your meal. You will have the much-loved side dishes to be paired with the turkey: stuffing is a definite, most likely you’ll have mashed potatoes, maybe you’ll indulge in some creamed […]

It’s November, and Thanksgiving is early this year. If you’re anything like me, you’re already making mental checklists of everything you want/need (really, is there any difference?) to cook and bake for this holiday that beats all other holidays, culinarily speaking. I’ll be baking a pie this week on local television. (For those of you […]

There is something about potato leek soup that is humbling. It’s cold outside and you pour yourself a cup. You slurp it down while wearing fingerless gloves. Maybe you’re in a barn. It is dusk. Dark clouds are rolling in. It is all very Dickensian. Humor me. That might be the potato leek soup that […]

I must admit, it was the name of this casserole that got me at the start. It reminds me of nursery rhymes. As I glanced through the list of ingredients, trying to determine how the recipe got its moniker, I realized that the “little red” was in reference to the light tomato sauce that’s made […]

Soup or side dish. That’s a difficult one. Cream corn straddles those two food groups. So let’s just call it a soupy side dish. Cream corn is good, some might even say great. It is soothing, comforting; it screams summer. (For those of you that haven’t ever had fresh cream corn, it may scream, “I […]

Let’s take a moment and think about pie. I actually took way more than a moment to think about, bake, and research, this outstanding, American culinary tradition. I took about a year. Maybe you guys have noticed the image on the right-hand side of your computer screen. I put the picture of a book cover […]

This “compote” is just like baby food. If babies liked harissa. And if pediatricians regularly recommended raw garlic as a part of an infant’s healthy diet. Or freshly ground caraway– babies probably don’t love that. And coriander seeds– those are probably a bit strong too. Let me amend that last statement. This “compote” looks just […]

Remember the pathetic growing season I had last year? When I couldn’t get my tomato plants into the ground and had to “grow” them in pots? Then it rained practically all June long, leaving me with a few measly, watery tomatoes. This, my friends, is what I call a serious dearth. Well, this year we […]