Amy Powell

Specialty: 30 Minute Meals
Education:French Culinary Institute, Cornell University
Lives: Manhattan

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A Chocolate Candygram of a Meal for Valentine's Day
When I was in elementary school, I was--how do I put this?--awkward. An unfortunate pixie haircut (before it was cool), braces (before there was Invisiline) and the general dorkiness associated with the...


Super Bowl Super Sub--Goes Well With Beer
While planning a menu for this year's Super Bowl party, I was at a bit of a loss. Years of potlucks and parties have left me with a feeling that I have done and eaten it all, more than a few times over....


Now Appearing: The Winter White Vegetable
In the world of under-appreciated vegetables, the lowly cauliflower must be somewhere near the top of the list (or would it be 'the bottom?'). In all honesty, its poor ranking can hardly be avoided. ...


Petit Pasta for Little Ones
I recently was handed down a dense and somewhat ancient book on the cooking of Tuscany. A lovely but largely unusable book, the recipes and accompanying pictures outlined feasts for every occasion. But...


Recipe for a Happy New Year
New Year's morning: a day full of promise, begun with resolutions and expectations of a better year to come. My first resolution on New Year's morning is generally some variation of swearing off alcohol...


Classic Cocktail Party, Redux
December 31, 1955. Any Town, USA. A beaming housewife in satin and pearls opens the door to greet her guests for her New Year's gathering. She takes coats and makes introductions, air kissing the husbands...


A Brunch of Christmas Presents
Christmas is most certainly my favorite holiday of the year. More than the presents, turkey dinner, or Christmas Eve feast, I think it is Christmas morning that I most look forward to. It is the time...


An Early Present on the Plate
Merry Christmas, Hanukah and Kwanzaa, dear readers. To thank you for reading this column, regardless of whether you are a dedicated weekly reader or a this is your first time, I have a very special recipe...


Visions of Sugar Plums Dance in the East
‘Twas the night before your dinner party, and in front of your stove, you brainstormed a menu, but nothing arose. You had duck and potatoes, peas and some plums, yet you needed an idea to make this...


From Plymouth to Bombay in Under a Day
After we partake in the annual deluge of carbs and Americana-style side dishes that is a customary part of Thanksgiving, it is fair to say that our whole bodies are spent. The next day you inevitably...


Relax. . . It's Only Thanksgiving
I have mixed feelings about the American tradition of Thanksgiving. Admittedly, most of my reservations are purely selfish. First, my birthday falls around the holiday and occasionally on the day itself....


Save Time, Expend Odds-n-Ends
In the world of kitchen frugality, there are peanut butter scrapers and jar wasters. Allow me to explain. When that jar of peanut butter gets low but there is still some sticking to the sides, do you: a)...


Put Yourself in a Pizza Fix
We all eat pizza. It's good at all hours of the day (people who reach for the cold slice in the morning, you know who you are!), all days of the week. Olives and mushrooms, pepperoni and sausage, cheese...


Southern Comfort
It could be the change of weather. Goodbye Indian summer, hello oncoming brutal winter. It could be the unusual number of natural disasters in the last year: tsunamis, hurricanes, mudslides, and earthquakes....


Pumpkin, Non-Pie
How do I know that fall has officially arrived? When bright orange, gnarled orbs, otherwise known as pumpkins, started popping up everywhere I look. Where there once were flowers, now gourds in all shapes...


Strip Party!
Now that I have your attention. . . get your minds out of the gutter, dirty readers! Allow me to clarify, this article is all about having a Strip Steak Party. Yes, the sexy strip steak is worthy of...