Cooking Articles

Jam-On-It Jambalaya

When I was ten years old I had three passions: drawing, Boy Scouts, and roller skating. I've since traded in drawing for writing, the Boy Scouts for the Freemasons, and roller skating for . . . well,...

The Fun In Shopping For Food

When I first moved to Pennsylvania from New York City, the local grocery shopping scene was fairly uninspiring. Mega supermarkets full of walls of prepackaged goods and an overwhelming variety of boxed...

The Truth About Gefilte Fish

My husband would tell you that he firmly believes you must have been force-fed gefilte fish as a child to enjoy it as an adult. �I might agree if the only gefilte fish on earth were that from a jar. �But...

Vinegar, Vincotto, and Verjus: Part One, Vinegar

When I was growing up, vinegar came in one flavor. Red. My Italian mother always kept a bottle of red wine vinegar on the kitchen counter. That was all she ever needed. Today, she would be overwhelmed...

What a Difference a Spice Makes

While moving out of my beach front apartment to come to San Francisco a lot of hard packing decisions were made. As my will crumbled my boyfriend stepped in to help with the more difficult calls. Really,...

Old School Easter Eggs

In my family, a long-standing Lenten institution is to decorate our eggs in the Lithuanian tradition. The practice of making these boldly colored and intricately designed works of art were a rich addition...

Vampires: Beware the Slow Cooker!

Garlic is a versatile and healthful ingredient that adds flavor to many a dish. It has long been legendary in its curative ability and has recently been touted for all of its health benefits, including...

April's Showers Bring Spring Soups

April showers bring May flowers. April also brings torrential rain storms followed by summer-like heat waves. It brings bathing suit beach weather back-to-back with marine layer fog. April has its days,...

School Lunch, Revisited

Since the close of school is coming in a couple short months, I thought it would be a great time to revisit the topic of school lunch. With a fresh, warm breeze in the air, you and your kids can explore...

Tips For The Everyday Entertainer

The word entertaining sounds so formal, the title “host” or “hostess” so proper, and yet when friends drop by unexpectedly and you end up cooking dinner for them that is what you are doing, entertaining....

Polenta Party!

If you are looking for a new and different cooking idea for your kids, try throwing a polenta party! Polenta is a northern Italian peasant food that became better known in America with the growing popularity...

Hotplate and a Microwave: Cooking in Small Spaces

As much as those spacious kitchens on the Food Network make preparing a meal seem simple and carefree, most of us don’t have the luxury of an immense cooking space. In my years of cooking, my kitchens...

Teens and the Toaster Oven

It all started with a garage sale find—a mini-toaster oven for only 50 cents. Remembering days of late evening snacks of French fries and toasted cheese melts, we bought the item and parked this little...

These New Crockpots Are Hot . . . Literally

Almost ten years ago, my mom’s crockpot was a much-used item in our kitchen. With four kids, a small farm, and my dad’s business, she had very little time to cook. I remember her throwing a whole chicken,...

A Salad For The Season

With warm weather on the horizon, I found myself this past week suddenly craving salad. I’m not talking about a few leafy greens at the beginning of a dinner to fill out my daily vegetable requirement,...

When Your Bowl of Popcorn Needs a Vacation

What does the smell of coconut remind you of? For many people it conjures a beachy scene, both for the scented suntan lotion smell and for remembrances of icy pina coladas. Another reason coconut has a...