Cooking Articles

Knives 101: What to Have and How to Keep Them

If there were room in the world for only one kitchen tool it undoubtedly would be the knife. Conceptually, knives have been around for at least two million years, dating back to a time when a sharp-edged...

Sauerkraut--Sweet Memories

When you meet a man in his early 40s, he usually comes with baggage. By then, we all have some. But when I met Robert, he didn't have any baggage. Instead, he had crocks. Huge gray crocks. My husband...

For Lovers of Encased Meats: Sausage in a Flash

‘Tis the season of encased meats. Nothing indicates the arrival of summer more than the smell of kielbasa cooking on a stand outside of Costco or the sizzle of hot dogs grilling at a neighborhood cookout....

Disarming Potatoes

Poof! With just one quick poke of my cooking fork, a mini explosion erupted from the golden baked brown Idaho to release shards of fresh and tender potato all over the bottom of my recently cleaned oven....

Italian Night

Who doesn’t love Italian food? It is certainly one of the most favored cuisines worldwide, with Italian restaurants and pizza shops in every city. And we all know those classic Italian foods: tomatoes,...

Feed a (Spring) Fever

Spring has sprung and I smell the blooming perennials just around the corner. The cup of rainforest blend I just enjoyed may have helped to awaken such keen senses.  With that in mind, I feel it’s time...

The Kitchen Remodel Reality Check

As I write this, our kitchen is being re-modeled. In other words: the house is a mess. The kitchen is ripped apart. And we’re eating off paper plates with no kitchen sink. Yeah, I knew it was coming....

What They Serve In Hell

There is a game my boyfriend and I like to play at dinner parties. It is called: What They Serve in Hell. The concept is pretty simple. During a break in conversation, preferably while people are scanning...

New Food of the Month: Avocados

Just the other day, while grocery shopping in the produce department, an avocado caught my daughter's eye: "What is that? What does it taste like?" When I suggested we buy one and try it, her eyes lit...

Slow Food/Fast Food

The other night, as I was eating my dinner that consisted of a can of soup and a beer, I had the thought that I had lost touch with real food. I eat food every day, but real food? It’s not often that...

Cup O' Joe In The Crockpot

One of my latest food related obsessions has been a good cup of coffee. It’s gotten to the point where I can’t start my morning without one (or three depending on my level of sleep deprivation). ...

A Wine-Worthy Picnic

They say that the best way to learn about wine is to drink it. If that is the case I must be well on my way to Master Sommelier certification. Okay, so I am far from a real sommelier, but I do drink...

Er, What's the Name of That Veggie?

On a quick trip to the grocery store recently—I was actually picking up some veggies for some recipe development assignments—one of those 4-digit codes on the red beets was missing. The young checkout...

A Duo of All American Strawberry Desserts

One of the highlights of the late spring season is the perfectly ripe strawberry. If you are lucky enough to find these beautiful gems at the local farmers market or berry patch, don’t pass them up!...

Making Recipes Your Own

Last month I was treated to a rare and thrilling evening: someone else cooked for me! My dear friend, Limor, made the most delicious lasagna I have ever tasted. The other elements of the meal--roasted...

My Secret For a Perfect Fruit Crumble

Around this time of the year, I start to clean out the two freezers in my garage. I usually have a moratorium on buying things at the grocery store as I try to use up all the produce I have from last year’s...