Ten years ago, I got a call from a friend named Ethel, who, at the last minute, couldn’t use her tickets to a big bash given by The Film Society of Lincoln Center.  My work partner, Cathy, and I promptly called our respective spouses…

        Who doesn’t need a weeknight supper they can get on the table in under 30 minutes?  This dish from Fine Cooking is a keeper.  It really was on the table in no time.  It’s got a lot of flavor and crunch.  It gives you…

Carrot Orzo–what a discovery!         This is one of those times when the photograph of the dish simply doesn’t do justice to the incredible taste of this easy-to-prepare meal.  But here it’s not just the presence of the prosciutto that packs the wallop, or the…

        Out on Long Island, the apples are coming into play as we head into Fall and go back to wanting to eat something more substantial than summer fare.  Right near us, there’s a tremendous Pick-Your-Own Orchard run by the Halsey Family on Mecox Road…

        For some bizarre reason, we have not one but two almost completely full bottles of Pernod in our liquor cabinet.  Pernod is that close cousin of Pastis, that liquid licorice that you drink quantities of whenever you’re in Provence and then never drink again…

        This is an amazingly long recipe title for something that’s relatively easy to make.  And even in the heat, it’s a perfect dinner for this time of year. It takes advantage of the last of the local asparagus.  And what a way to end…

         I first wrote this post way back in 2010 when the blog was still quite new.  This year, Memorial Day put a crimp in my writing as we were up to our ears in gardening and celebrating the start of our…

        If we lived in a more progressive country, Lauren Ready would be my sister-in-law.  Alas, we don’t and given that Lauren lives in the great state of Texas, where hell will freeze over before that happens, we never will have those comforting titles to…

        For one of the easiest dishes on this entire website, this one certainly has the longest name.  It is simplicity itself and I go to this dish every time I’m really pressed for time.  It’s amazingly flexible. If you’re not a fan of capers,…

        This recipe will add to your Chicken repertoire with an easy weeknight preparation that packs a lot of flavor into any BLSL* chicken breast you come across. It’s from the most recent issue of Bon Appetit (May 2010).  But the really wonderful discovery for…

Here we are, two days away from Cinco de Mayo and if you’re looking for a way to celebrate, dig into Jorge’s Carne Asada Tacos and feel positively sanctimonious about it.      Jorge Cruise is the author of 11 books, almost all of which promise stupendous…

        There’s no one dish supper quite on the level of a great paella.  It combines protein–sometimes several of them–with carbohydrates and then, for good measure, adds some vegetables. The one big drawback to paella is the interminable time a good one takes to make.…

               I love shopping in Chinatown.  Just coming out of the subway at Grand Street is like being transported to Hong Kong.   Except that the parts of Hong Kong I’m familiar with have a lot more Westerners than New York’s…

When I lived in Rome as a student, I ate this rich cream-sauced dish at least once a week.   It was my introduction to pancetta and a Roman specialty that, at the time, was rarely found on this side of the water.  A wonderful little…