It’s the dog days of summer as I stare woefully at my beautiful but unused Viking range. The thought of cooking seems quite unappealing but I need to eat and take-out won’t do. Here is my mother’s fantastic gazpacho–no need to use the stove and what a wonderful dish on a hot summer day! Rub [...]
The hamburger, it’s an all American staple from road trip stops for fast food to the backyard barbeque, Americans cannot get enough burgers. Well with beef prices soaring that once cheap ground chuck just doesn’t go as far as it used to. No fear, I have a plan to make that meat stretch. Tip: buy [...]
Ah, moules. What better way to enjoy them on a hot summer night with a delicious Belgian tripel? Unless, that is, you enjoy them on a hot summer afternoon with a glass of white wine … whatever time of day or choice of beverage, moules make a delicious summertime meal. My parents happen to live [...]
I have a number of friends that refuse to eat leftovers. ( you know who you are!) I tell them they’re not very creative and limiting the opportunity to cut time in the kitchen the next few evenings. Leftovers provide a great starting point for the next dish. It can be as simple as rice [...]
I don’t know how the rest of the country is doing, but here in Massachusetts the temperatures have been soaring for days, and with the price of food on the rise eating-out has become a less than economical option for days on end. Cooking at home sends the temperature into levels beyond tolerance and the [...]
Not only did I grow up in one of the last nuclear families in the US, but I was raised in a household where only one parent worked outside the home. My Mother was a full-time homemaker. She was also a great cook (and still is). With very few exceptions, the food for our meals [...]
Okay, so you’ve taken my earlier advice about wanting to bring your child(ren) into the kitchen but your not sure where to start. What do we do to get them interested in food? We get them to help make it! You’d be surprised at how much more willing they are to try new foods this [...]
I am an avid fan of one of the most hilarious quick cooking shows around and it’s totally free and accessible online. I am talking about www.AverageBetty.com -a great place for entertainment and more. The site hosts a variety of quick and easy recipes for any occasion, and even better the recipes are accompanied by [...]
Okay, Polenta is good. But I’ve been fortunate to discover that it is only one incarnation of this type of dish. For example I learned of Panisse in the book “Artisinal Cooking.” Panisse is similar to Polenta, but is made with chickpea flour rather than cornmeal, and cut into thin rounds before frying in olive [...]