Chicken Tortellini Soup
A comforting bowl of soup you can get on the table in under 30 minutes Isn’t it time for you to take a break? If you’re like millions of us, you never cooked so many meals in your life. And it’s breakfast, lunch, and dinner.…
A comforting bowl of soup you can get on the table in under 30 minutes Isn’t it time for you to take a break? If you’re like millions of us, you never cooked so many meals in your life. And it’s breakfast, lunch, and dinner.…
The lamb chops at Costco represent great savings compared to almost anywhere else. These lovely trimmed chops are irresistible at Costco prices. But darned if I could cook them correctly. I tried all kinds of methods. Stovetop or oven-roasted, mine were inevitably inconsistently cooked. They…
All that pasta you just bought put to very good use indeed. In New York City where I live, the supermarkets have been stripped bare of many items. But I have to say the complete absence of pasta is quite stunning. That may well be…
Make these glorious Pork Chops and surprising salad once…and it won’t be the last time. Guaranteed. What a wonderful surprise this recipe is! Gorgeous, big, bone-in Pork Chops are butter-basted and emerge from a cast-iron skillet looking like Porterhouse steaks. They’re accompanied by a crisp…
# 1 Candidate for Dinner any night this week This recipe is amazingly easy to put together and quick to cook. That makes it a candidate for any weeknight dinner you have this week. And I even found a hack that made it even easier.…
Our dear friend Don was celebrating his birthday. And who wouldn’t want to make him the best Birthday Cake you could imagine? And wouldn’t you know who volunteered to bake it. Why Andrew, of course. This was before he heard that Don was inviting 18…
ONE OF SPAIN’S MOST FAMOUS TAPAS, PAN CON TOMATE IS EASY TO MAKE After our ten-day trip through Portugal in July, it seemed a shame to be just an hour and a half by air from Barcelona and not go there—especially since Andrew had only…
We were serving lunch outdoors this weekend. I was looking for something simple to do. We’d planned a weekend of several different dishes in the “chicken or fish” categories. Cruising through August’s Bon Appetit, I saw a stunning salad. Beautiful cherry tomatoes, thin slices of…
For all their most recent history as a summer resort for the rich and famous, the East End of Long Island has been farmland from the arrival of the first English settlers in 1640. The land and the climate here are extraordinarily good for growing. …
Main Visual: Photo Courtesy Bon Appetit. Strawberry season has arrived and this year’s Hampton’s crop reminds us all why we wait for these heart-shaped, bright red, sweet and juicy berries all year. The question is what to do with them and the answer is right…
I consider Pizza a perfect food. In one slice, you combine dairy, vegetables, carbohydrates and protein. And you pick it up with one hand to eat it—no utensils necessary. All right, I use a fork which is contrary to New York pizza etiquette but not…
I’ve been writing about Budapest ever since I came back from there in August. I was completely captivated by the place. Of course, staying in the #1 Hotel in the World (Trip Advisor 2017) was a great deal of the reason why. And it was…
Meatless Mondays have been missing from our house. It was not intentional but I had trouble finding recipes that appealed to the palate and to the eyes. But on one of the daily e-mailings from Healthy-ish, Bon Appetit’s latest venture, I spied this recipe. It…
An old favorite takes on new flavors in just about 60 minutes Out here in the Hamptons, the day after Labor Day is called “Tumbleweed Tuesday”. It is the day when the place completely clears out as everyone heads back to school and work. It…
PRODUCT NEWS YOU CAN USE

Did you know that New York State is the second largest apple producer in the whole country? Only Washington State tops us. Trust a resourceful friend of ours, Wendy Brovetto, native New Yorker and grandchild of an Upstate New York Farm family, to create truly incredible Rustic Apple Jams in 4 extraordinary flavors. When she did, Croton Trading Co. was born.

Wendy explains ”We created our apple jam after one of those overzealous days of apple picking yielded a larger-than-usual haul. With more apples than any family could consume, the experimenting began and gave way to what we think is the perfect blend of apples and cinnamon.”
“We source our apples from local NY Orchards -- Thompson's Orchard in Westchester Co andl Richters Orchard on Long Island. I have a special fondness for these family-owned farms. Richters Orchard was a big part of my childhood, as my sisters and I would go on weekly outings with my dad to stock up on apples and cider"

"We carefully blend different apples to create our flavor profile and find inspiration from seasonal spices to create our Apple Jam”. Wendy proudly states.

Now Croton Trading Company is up to 4 flavors: Fall Harvest Blend, Ginger Pear Fusion, Chai, and Brown Sugar. You can see the whole range here:

Needless to say, we couldn’t wait to put Croton Trading Company’s Apple Jam to work making our Skillet Apple Pork Chops. This one-pot recipe is perfect for weeknights but so good you may want to serve to company. The chops finish cooking in Croton Trading’s Apple Jam and we always serve it on the side to give even more great apple taste to the dish. Here’s the recipe:
1 ½ tablespoons olive oil, divided
4 (6-oz.) bone-in pork chops
¾ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
½ cup unsalted chicken stock (such as Swanson)
1 cup Croton Trading Rustic Apple Jam (we used Ginger Pear)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
1 ½ teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 small red onion, thinly vertically sliced
Chopped Parsley for garnish.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons oil to pan; swirl to coat. Sprinkle pork chops evenly with 3/8 teaspoon salt and 3/8 teaspoon pepper. Add pork chops to pan; cook 5 minutes on each side or until pork chops beautifully browned. Remove from pan. Set aside pan and drippings.
In a small bowl, combine stock and Croton Trading Apple Jam, stirring with a whisk. Set aside. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to pan with drippings, swirl. Add remaining 3/8 teaspoon salt, remaining 3/8 teaspoon pepper, sage, rosemary, and onion to pan; cook 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in stock mixture. Return pork chops to pan; cook 3 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half. Plate each chop individually. Top with chopped parsley as a garnish. Serve with plenty of Croton Trading Apple Jam on the side.
CULINARY CRUISING: RIVERSIDE RAVEL IN THE SOUTH OF FRANCE