This was the happy kind of hospital visit. As we raced across town, the car trunk full of our friends’ belongings, all I could think about was what food to make for them.
The summer sun beat down as we brought the suitcases and diaper bag across the shimmering parking lot. This was not the right time for casseroles or cake. My mind twirled. A new baby had just been born. His parents would need fuel.
Read More“Are we going to have something chocolate, too?” my friend Samantha asked me.
It was Thanksgiving morning. I considered the pecan dessert another friend was bringing, the pumpkin chiffon pie in the refrigerator, the Greek cheese pie in the oven, and Sam’s own Parker House rolls still in progress. Plus the rest of the meal I’d be co-hosting. Then I responded “yes.”
Time for a wacky cake.
Read More“What is the difference between British scones and American buttermilk biscuits?” We must have asked this question at least half a dozen times in the past couple weeks. Eggs? Butter? Amount of flour? Folding? Shape? Rising agents?
Ultimately the answer didn’t matter as we gobbled Guillaume’s high-altitude buttermilk biscuits shaped like mini scones and my assortment of tiny crustless tea sandwiches. Our spread included Marcona almonds, a bowl of fresh strawberries, fresh blueberries, and Pim’s orange cookies.
We’d waited long enough. Not just to eat, but to see Meghan and Harry get married. Although the latter was really just an excuse to make all this food.
Read MoreGina and I sat at Blue Smoke’s bar on East 27th Street in New York City, studying the drink list, wondering which cocktails to splurge on.
This was about a decade ago, and it wasn’t our first visit to the barbecue restaurant from Danny Meyer’s group. I don’t remember much about the previous meal we’d had — the deviled eggs stood out as being yummy — but it was bourbon time.
Read More“What will you make for me?” “I mekka l’il pasta ’ncasciata.” He managed to control himself —otherwise he would have hugged her, kissed her, and danced a waltz with her.
Andrea Camilleri’s latest mystery novel “A Nest of Vipers” wasn’t the first time I wondered about pasta ’ncasciata, a dish prepared for my favorite fictitious Sicilian inspector, Salvo Montalbano, by his devoted housekeeper Adelina.
I had to get to the bottom of this hearty baked eggplant pasta dish once and for all.
Mom sent me on a mission as a kid. I was to watch Yiayia as she made spanakopita and find out how she did it. I’d like to say that I took detailed notes that afternoon and the experience launched my journalism career. That was not the case.
Yiayia worked deftly. The whole thing was a blur.
Read MoreYou know the feeling from traveling of being tired, smelly, and so hungry that you’re not sure what to do about any of it? That was the situation my dear friend Laurel and I found ourselves in after driving across the country from east to west back in the day.
Her Grampa Phil welcomed us in Moraga, California, and helped us decide by offering lunch right away. He fed us bread and homemade asparagus soup that was so creamy and lemony, I couldn’t believe it had so few ingredients when he shared the recipe.
Read MoreIn the post-holiday season, we started seeking out more vegetable main dishes. They didn’t have to be low-calorie or anything, we’d just eaten a lot of meat and it was time for a break.
While searching for vegetable stew recipes, I suddenly remembered that my mom used to make a veggie stew with couscous when I was a kid. Dad emailed a scan of the cookbook recipe with a note that said, “North African Stew — a vegetarian dish that looks as if it has meat in it but doesn’t!” Mom warned that it made a lot.
Read MoreConfession time: I love hotdogs. Oh, you mean just the best, right? No, I love all kinds of hotdogs — the ones that win taste tests and the ones few would recognize. The plump franks grilled in the summer, the free hotdogs given out for a customer appreciation day, even tofu dogs.
Hotdogs held a special place in my heart as a kid and they’re still a treat, which is why they’re figuring into this grown-up SpaghettiOs business.
Read MoreThe savory scallion pancake rabbit hole online is one I’m so glad to have stumbled down. It has just about everything: big flavors, public park ingredient foraging, derring do, and sparkly hats, all against a backdrop of Olympic glory. Best of all, these pancakes are incredibly forgiving.
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