I fully agree with the premise of this book which is: scaling down a recipe is not necessarily simple math. In other words, you can’t just divide all the ingredients by 2 or 4 to get the right sized meal for two people. Why? Because...
I love when a dish can be both elegant, special, and yet an absolute snap to make. Gnaw-on-the-bone delicious doesn’t hurt either. This — from the April 2008 issue of Bon Appetit — checked all the boxes. It’s laughably simple: lamb...
As I write this local Chicago weather professionals are going bonkers over a predicted record-setting temperature tomorrow. National weather folks are saying there will be wind chill factors in FLORIDA. And what most experts will tell you is that the best...
I never truly embraced banana bread (or zucchini bread, or carrot cake) and only make it for the very sound reason that I often have black bananas. And having lived through the Great Depression and traveled Route 66 through most of the dust bowl with all my...
So, believe it or not, people get very heated on the topic of food, particularly when it comes to tales of origin and authenticity. And poor hummus, such a humble yet deeply satisfying food, makes people just bonkers in Israel. According to Ottolenghi and Tamimi,...
From the April 2013 issue of Bon Appetit comes this very delicious, very easy Tikka. There are just a couple of things I want to say about it. One, the spices are key so if yours are old, or if you have no idea how old they are, or if they have a paper price sticker...
I know, I know, I poke fun at Martha. A lot. In my defense I’d like to think 1. she’s asking for it and 2. she’s crying all the way to the bank. And 3. she has no earthly idea who I am and never will (unless she’d like to talk about buying out...
I love dishes like this because I never would have thought of this on my own. And yet I love every part of it: turkey meatballs sitting on top of some mashed chickpeas. Deb’s story behind this recipe is that she thought she’d found the elusive something...
I’m so remiss in not sharing this recipe with you earlier and for that you may pelt me with canned artichoke hearts. I deserve it. I have been making this for years and it’s one of my favorite appetizers ever. It will remind you of that classic...
Is Stephanie Izard’s Chicago restaurant Girl and the Goat the hardest reservation in town these days? I don’t know but I do know I have had three separate conversations in recent weeks about strategies for getting in, and that is telling, no? (And...
It’s no secret that I’m a complete fool for Cook’s Illustrated. I learned how to cook from this magazine and it is my single favorite source for reliable recipes. Yes, their meticulous approach often results in recipes that ask you to do things...
Some of you know that my husband, Charles Gerlach, suffered a traumatic brain injury in a bike race on October 1st when he collided with another cyclist (wearing his helmet as he always does). He was rushed to a nearby hospital with an excellent trauma center and went...
You might have thought Kate Cooks the Books was just a clever algorithm and a Heidi Klum-replica robot created by a team of MIT students and run out of an off-shore media lab in the Caspian Sea. Or maybe you thought that behind all of the cooking, blogging,...
I’ve been looking at lots of soon-to-be-released cookbooks and here are the one that are making me hungry (why do I always do this before lunch???): As I may have mentioned one or two or 50 times, Cook’s Illustrated taught me how to cook and this book...
For starters I made some crostini with chopped up artichoke hearts (canned) and parmesan… And guess what? My mom made deviled eggs (yes, that mom. And you said she couldn’t cook, shame on you!). We had a lovely grill-roasted pork roast (from the May/June...
Yep, I will be LIVE, in person, at the Lake Forest Book Store talking about some of my favorite cookbooks and recipes and answering your (not too difficult, please!) questions! (Wouldn’t it be funny if I turned out to be a 10-year-old Icelandic boy and this...
I don’t recall the exact moment I first came under the magical spell of the talented Sandra Lee but I think it might have been around the time (2004?) of what I like to call her fabulous Hannukah Treif Cake: a luscious store-bought angel food cake adorned with...
So when I was in Italy last month (and I never get tired of saying that. Check back here in 2013 when I preface everything with “When I was in Italy 27 months ago…”) one of the highlights of my trip was a visit to Orvieto, a city once populated by...
Do I seem a little salad-obsessed? My daughter would respond with a definitive “YES!” Personally, I don’t think you can eat too much salad. And it’s not like I’m ignoring my friends hamburger, cake and alcohol. So let’s add one more...
This is what comes from reading Bon Appetit right before lunch. Everything looks good. Turns out, this dish really was. This is probably not a weeknight meal as it has a few components, all of which take some time. But well worth it. The first part is an...
So I made the Butter Toffee Popcorn from the Oct. 2010 issue of Cook’s Country and I’m pretty sure I’ve stumbled on the next wildly popular recreational drug. First of all, it’s popcorn; a food that means movies and fairs and just smells like...
This is from the most recent (Jan/Feb 2011) Cook’s Illustrated. With a vegetarian among us I’m always looking for something meat-free that will appeal to all three of us. And quick recipes are never unwelcome. Tonight cooking was hastily wedged between...
Popcorn is one of those foods I cannot resist. If I smell it, I must eat it, regardless of whether I’m hungry or not. I have been known to make a meal out of it but I suspect I’m hardly unique in that regard. In the 1960s when I was little we...
By popular demand (well, three votes to be accurate, but they were enthusiastic) I’ve chosen Baked Explorations: Classic American Desserts Reinvented as my next review book. What looks good? What doesn’t. Double-Chocolate Loaf with Peanut Butter Cream...
One of my co-workers loves carrot cake and in the interest of promoting a collegial work environment and getting my requests expedited at all times, I made him one for his birthday today. I have a good carrot cake recipe but because my plan to win the Nobel Prize in...
Sadly, these all went right out the door, as often happens at my house (it’s a sad place sometimes, what with only a lingering whiff and a sprinkle or two to document the estwhile presence of baked goods). These were sacrificed for a good cause: the Student...
I love my uncle despite the fact that he once gave me away. Ok, it was at my wedding but still, he didn’t even put up a fight! He is a sociology professor at the University of South Carolina and he told me about this new cookbook, written by the wife of the...
So my “little” vegetarian found this recipe in the scholarly journal she reads called Seventeen magazine and wanted to make it for dinner. And, of course, she wanted her efforts documented on Kate Cooks the Books. This was a delicious little dish and she...
This is May. She is 9 years old and she’s as sweet and perfect as a bon bon. I have known her since she was the size of a bon bon too but what I didn’t know is that she’s an accomplished crepe-maker. Apparently, she saw this on Hell’s...
I was making these the other night for my daughter to take to her 8th grade dance and remembered that my friend Kylee had asked for the recipe so thought I’d post it and send it out into the world (or at least to the 76 facebooks “likers” I have)....
Well, well, well, look what you can buy at Williams-Sonoma (chickens not included): Here’s why I really don’t shop there though: This set of “breading pans” (essential to your Ad Hoc at Home fried chicken experience) is $35. Plus tax and...
Just watched them make these on tv. I think I want to try them.