I have made so many disappointing grilled, glazed pork tenderloins. They look so good and yet they never seem to work for me. I have the same relationship with J Crew clothes. Typically what happens is the glaze gets completely charred and never penetrates beyond...
If you want to serve something to the vegetarians in your life that will make the meat eaters drool, Pin this right now. It’s an absolute star of a meatless entree that is no way an after-thought or an apology. As I was preparing this, and especially when I sat...
Tis a gift to be simple, which, I know from Wikipedia, was written by Madonna. True story. This cake is culinary proof. It’s just eggs, butter, flour, sugar and two kinds of vanilla: extract and bean paste. Cook it all in an 8″ pan and eat and serve...
Of course we all know that a boneless, skinless chicken breasts are an excellent source of low-fat, healthy protein, but the thought of eating one is about as enticing as doing your taxes. It’s very tricky to cook them all the way through without completely...
Do you long to be fancy but only in a fleeting way? Like, you’d like to fancy up some parts of your life but not go overboard and start making your bed everyday or anything crazy like that? Then let me say two word s to you: shrimp cocktail. Make it, eat this...
One of my favorite things in the world are the Lemon Ricotta pancakes at Sarabeth’s Kitchen. Unfortunately the closest Sarabeth’s to me is the one on the Upper West Side and it’s a 12 hour and 45 minute drive. So I have been meaning to try to...
There’s nothing bad about broccoli in a creamy cheese sauce with buttery breadcrumbs on top. Nothing. But it could be better. It’s hard to put my finger on what’s missing. I think I wanted bigger, more hearty pieces of broccoli when what I ended...
This is so good I’m almost able to forgive it for breaking my blender. And it is the absolute perfect food for January. It will warm you and comfort you and fortify you against any arctic blasts you may have to fight this month. And all while making up for...
Sometimes the hardest part of all of this is choosing a worthwhile book to review. Why? Well, frankly there’s a lot of merde out there. From a cursory Amazon search of 7,663 [actual number not a re-enactment] cookbooks published in the last 90 days the vast...
Even though I have a perfectly fine recipe for sugar cookies, I’m always open to try a new one. Because resisting new things makes you old and gives you frown lines and age spots and turkey neck. True story. This one is from the December 2013 issue of Bon...
I made this dish a long time ago and then forgot to tell you about it. Forgive me. It has been one of my favorite summer meals for a long time because it’s got so much going for it. It’s healthy, it’s quick, and it’s a self-contained complete...
This scrumptious looking dish came across my facebook feed one day and, completely out of character, I just decided to make it. My dear friend Anne was coming to town to run ihe Hot Chocolate 5K with me and this seemed like the perfect pre-race dinner. It’s...
You know how I get all excited when a recipe turns out to be way more delicious than the ingredients suggest? That happened. It happend when nothing more than 2 lbs of sweet potatoes, a shallot, a little butter, and water for crying out loud, came together....
If I may quote myself: “never eat doughnuts you didn’t make yourself.” Such inspiring words to live by and I wouild certainly live by them myself if this damn place weren’t two blocks from my office. Oh, and as if that weren’t bad enough...
Originally I made this as written which is in an 8″x8″ glass baking dish. I combined and assembled all ingredients the night before and cooked it the next morning and served it to my book group. And forgot to take a pic. Even as I made it in the bigger pan...
I have baked dozens and dozens of birthday cakes over the years. Because they are at the whim of the celebrant they are varied — carrot cake (not sure why this one is so popular but I come to bake not to judge), strawberry cream, lemon (my own choice....
I would like to say that I invented this salad but I flat out ripped it off. Because when I eat something delicious in a restaurant my first thought isn’t “wow, this is so good I’m just going chew slowly and live in this amazing moment” but...
Insanely good. My daughter said “these taste like sweet potato fries” and she was 100% on the nose. This is one instance where a recipe meant for two was not nearly enough. I could have eaten an entire baking sheet of these. And all it is is carrots and a...
Please wipe that skeptical look off your face when I tell you that these are not that difficult to make. The dough is much easier to work with than pie dough; it shapes easily and doesn’t stick like crazy to the counter. And it doesn’t fall helplessly...
I have made the “super size” version of this so I already knew it would be good. And it was; the sauce tastes authentic (as far as I know) and is sweet without being cloying. Using chicken thighs ensures that you will not dry them out. I can see the...
I make a lot of pizza. Deep dish, grilled, french bread, “grandma,” you name it. But this might be the best yet. The crust, made with bread flour, is a near perfect combination of light with a tiny bit of crunchiness. And although it may sound simple,...
This was so good I had a hard time making it a single serving dish. I allowed myself a couple more chopstickful’s of it while cleaning up
Every now and I then I just have to pat myself on the back. Like today, when I invented this salad. Strawberries are so good right now and I love how they taste with the balsamic vinegar in the dressing. I am also completely infatuated with the crispy shallots. ...
I actually have a “real” job and sometimes it takes me to wonderful places. Recently I was obliged to go to the Arizona Biltmore. Wow. I think it might literally be heaven. I would advise you not to get a room directly above the bar but, other than that, I...
I probably have more recipes for pizza than any other single dish. I am, after all, a Chicagoan. Furthermore, pizza is universally popular, great for vegetarians and omnivores alike, cheap, and always welcome with children and adults. This recipe started with Pam...
Mo and I met at my very first job (I won’t say what year that was but I will give you a hint: we did not have computers and people smoked with abandon right in their offices). We were young and single together and did lots of young, single things. Like go to...
I promise you that when I left work tonight I had no idea what I was going to make for dinner. And that’s not like me. Typically, I plan all our meals for the week and shop on Saturday and from these formidable planning skills seven meals appear effortlessly...
File this under: I have a chicken and some onions and need to have dinner on the table in 38 minutes. I adapted this from an old Gourmet recipe and one of the things I changed was to triple the amount of onions because they are the best part of this dish. Seriously, a...
I don’t know what I was thinking but I scheduled several warm, substantial dinners during a week when the temps were consistently above 80 degrees (I guess I was thinking “It’s October”). Nevertheless, we’re heading into warm,...
I made granola today for two of my favorite kids who are off to college for the first time this year: Jane at University of Vermont and Sam at Purdue. It’s hard to believe they are old enough for this step in their lives, particularly since Jane was the...
Susan has been my friend since high school. We were co-editors of our high school paper (in fact I was tickled to see that she ended this recipe with a “-30-“) and then went to the same college. Since that time our lives have taken us in different...
Just watched them make these on tv. I think I want to try them.