Four Ways to Celebrate America’s Love Affair with the Hamburger Beef prices may be climbing faster than Manhattan building heights, but one form of beef remains comfortably within reach for most cooks: ground beef. Fortunately for all of us, that means the hamburger — still…

WHEN CHOCOLATE IS THE REASON (NOT THE OCCASION) Some desserts belong to holidays. This one belongs to moments. The Ultimate Chocolate Cheesecake does not require Valentine’s Day or a heart-shaped box. It belongs to milestone birthdays, lingering dinners with good wine, and weekends when subtlety…

We Missed National Meatball Day! But These 12 Best Meatball Recipes Are Worth the Wait March 9th came and went, and with it, the gods of whoever invents National Fill-in-the-Blank Days crowned the humble yet mighty meatball! We may be a few days late to…

I’m not going to lie to you: Philly Cheesesteaks are not Health Food. We all have them: foods that are somehow irresistible—even if their ingredients are sometimes questionable like the “Cheese” in Cheesesteaks or the quality of the beef that’s used for the steak portion…

“Panchos Argentinos” Dressed-up Hot Dogs with a lemony Salsa. “Panchos Argentinos” are the Argentine equivalent of  New York City’s Sabrett hot dog. This dog is sold on the streets of Buenos Aires. Called a “Pancho”, they may have been named after their first vendor. Or…

The richest, creamiest, cheesiest Mac and Cheese is a snap to make. Mac and Cheese is the ultimate comfort food. With its velvety, luscious sauce and its irresistibly gooey, cheddar-cheesy texture, small wonder it’s been one of America’s favorite, easy-to-make dinners for at least 125…

Shepherd’s  Pie or Cottage Pie…which one is it? Probably no food takes me back to my childhood faster than what we called Shepherd’s Pie. That saucy, flavorful filling of meat and veggies, those creamy mashed potatoes topping it, and its golden cheese crust are some…

THIS INSTANT POT RECIPE IS WORTH THE PRICE OF THE POT Let’s face it. The Instant Pot takes up a lot of geography—especially in our New York City Kitchen with its no-bigger-than-a-bread-box pantry.  But if there’s  one thing that makes an Instant Pot worth buying,…

These are the most tender meatballs I have ever tasted. The meatball is made all over the world. There are literally hundreds of recipes for them. The Italians, however, make what may be the world’s best-loved meatballs. Originally, the meatball was made to be able…

America’s Favorite Ways to Eat Chicken Wings Our friends at RTA Outdoor Living brought it to our attention.  The makers of custom outdoor Kitchens, RTA did a whole study on one of our absolute favorites.  They surveyed over 1000 Americans in the great debate: What…

Loco Moco and Holoholo make a Trip to Hawai’i even more appealing… I don’t need to go into the reasons why. I am sure you too would love to bury your feet in the sand—if not your whole head. So today, we’ll dream of the…

BENGALS OR RAMS, NEXT SUNDAY’S WINNER IS THE CHICKEN WING! Of all food facts, the one that never ceases to amaze is this: On Super Bowl Sunday, 1.42 billion chicken wings will be consumed. That’s the National Chicken Council’s prediction and they ought to know.…

If you like the looks of this Beef  Tamale Pie, you’ll love how easy it is to make. When I first saw this recipe, I was immediately attracted to how it looked.  Rings of Jalapeno peppers sink into its crispy corn and cheese topping. The…

Turn Store-Bought Tortellini into a rich Creamy Soup in no time. As easy as it is, Creamy Tortellini Soup delivers a wonderfully creamy-rich soup packed with cheese tortellini and fresh spinach and carrots. I’d be tempted to call it a stew.  The secret to its…