Cooking Articles

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...

Foggier Than Split Pea Soup in the Slow Cooker

Lately, we have been having some really dreary, rainy and foggy weather. In fact, if you have you ever heard the phrase “foggier than split pea soup,” that is indeed what came to mind early yesterday...

Easy Does It On The Drinks

Have you ever stopped to think about one of the main sources of hidden calories in your children’s diet? We all know that we should limit sweet treats like candy and desserts. But many, many sugar...

Bento Boxing

I recently went out to dinner at Buddakan, a hipster Asian fusion restaurant in Philadelphia, with some friends. We enjoyed an absolutely fantastic meal, and I could write a series of articles on each...

Going With the (Whole) Grain

I recently realized that during the summertime, our children’s normally healthy eating habits can fall by the wayside. Regular routines get relaxed along with carefully planned menus. Long afternoons...

Sweet Inspiration

I just returned from a quick jaunt in southern Florida where I enjoyed a few days of sunshine and rest with my sister, Nicole. Nothing relaxes my soul or feeds my senses like a soft sea breeze, the ocean’s...

Summer Comfort

Comfort food is exactly what the name implies: food that by its nature soothes us down to our very soul. This is not the sort of food that we typically think of this time of year; comfort food tends to...

Bread, Bread, and More Bread

As many of you probably know, some of the best times the kids and I have had in the kitchen together are spontaneous. Spur of the moment happenings that could not have been planned in any way, shape or...

How To Make the Perfect Vinaigrette

The salad dressing is just as important to the flavor of a salad as are the other ingredients. The right salad dressing can make basic greens and tomatoes taste seasoned and refreshing. Whether creamy...

On Appreciating Eggplant

If you regularly read this column, then you know that I often talk about how my mom was somewhat of a food adventurer. She was always finding new (sometimes code for 'strange') foods and attempting to...