Cooking Articles

A Crock of a Luau

Are you trying to come up with a festive and unusual party theme this summer? Why not go tropical and throw a Polynesian style luau? In Hawaii, luaus are a customary way to celebrate special occasions...

An Ordinary Man

The proudest day of his life was the day he became an American citizen. He'd come to America from Poland after the war. He knew some English, a skill which he believed kept him alive in the concentration...

Got Wind? Grind Wheat.

Flour. Isn’t it one of those kitchen staples that we tend to take for granted? Oh, sure the bin on the counter needs refilling once in a while, but it’s something that’s always there—ready and...

"Manning" the Grill

With Father's Day being this weekend, I will be making the hike upstate to visit my folks. My parents' house, which is on a lake, is more like a resort of sorts, with people coming in and out all day...

Berries For Sale

Strawberry season is here. And it hit suddenly. It just so happened that my daughter and I were out to accomplish some everyday errands when we saw the sight that turned our day around: red, ripe berries...

Getting Fishy in Greater Bachelordom

Single men and fish do not go together. I mean, it would be very strange to make out with a Mackerel. Just joshing, of course. More seriously, it does seem the case that when you think of a single guy,...

Three Chefs and a Box of Crackers

Technically the situation in the above title involved three chefs, a food writer, and a box of crackers. But like any good narrator I am merely part of this story as an observer… with maybe the smallest...

You Say 'Chow-dah,' I Say Chowder

When my parents offered to fly me and my husband to San Luis Obispo, California, we eagerly agreed. A weekend getaway to the Central Coast of California was the perfect break from work and Memphis. When...

The Beauty of Compound Butter

Today, I’d like to talk a bit about butter. Specifically compound butter. Now before you run away in fear, compound butter is far more interesting and far easier to make than its mathematical name...

Pesto Perfect

I have a fantastic occasional-roommate/neighbor at the moment. �He is the sort of person that one probably would never expect to become friends with, is difficult to describe, and is impossible to forget....

Nutrition Spotlight: What's Your Carb IQ?

Have you counted carbs … do you count carbs … or have you just ignored the whole carb-cutting media blitz? Do your kids even know what carbs are? Go ahead and ask ‘em—see if they have a good...

Not The Same Old Chicken Salad

One of the easiest and tastiest summer suppers around is chicken salad. It’s so simple to mix some cooked chicken together with dressing and a few add ins, all without heating up your kitchen. The leftovers...

Edible Art: Food For Play

Just the other day we were surveying the ingredients we needed for making sushi, and the dark-green, shiny sheets of nori caught my daughter’s attention. “Mommy, this would be fun to cut! I could...

Honey In The Kitchen

With varieties like the delicate, subtle tea-like notes of fireweed to the dark, full bodied punch of buckwheat, honey offers plenty of options for bringing a little sweetness to your recipes. Honey comes...

More Peas, Please

Peas do not have the best reputation. The idea of “eating ones peas” can evoke bad childhood trauma of shriveling green peas served as the ubiquitous side dish to the average American suburban meal....

Set Your Vegetables Free

Vegetables. Ahh, yes. Those things that kids push to the side of their plate and that parents beg them to eat. Some grown-ups still despise them. And many fancy restaurants serve them in microscopic...