Cooking Articles

Knee-High By The Fourth of July

On the east coast, every year about this time we start to see fresh corn at the local farmstand. Corn is one of those foods that really shows how much better local and in season produce can be. Buy it...

Eggspert Advice, Part I

Eggs are so essential to the art of cooking and baking that without them we might as well all throw in our whisks and give up. So often eggs are used to thicken, bind, and coat, but they are equally multi-purposeful...

Preserving Tomatoes

Right now, I am having a love/hate relationship with my tomato plants. For weeks, I could hardly wait for the first one to ripen. Now, at the peak of their harvest, as I lug boxes and boxes of them from...

Instead of Chicken, Instead of Turkey

Keeping chickens is not something I ever thought we would do. Ever. Isn’t life funny like that sometimes—especially when you have kids. We end up doing, saying and getting involved in things that...

Summer's Encore Performance: Peaches

It’s one bite that is the quintessential taste of summer: the chin-dripping, ripe goodness that is also my favorite fruit. Peaches. Whether eaten fresh out-of-hand, in a crisp, cobber, pie—or even...

Superchili!

As I've written before, every time I move to a new state I attempt to master the local cuisine. I grew up on Georgia soul food, so I have the collards and deep-fried this-and-that down. When I moved...

What Do I Do If . . . ?

Have you ever had an accident in the kitchen? Of course you have. You’re only human. We all have been there. There are so many things that can happen, whether they are your fault or not. Lids from...

Some Thorny Advice In An Easier Package To Swallow

You may not know it, but sometimes I am a bit of a philosopher. This particular trait of mine manifests itself on occasion, especially at parties and/or after consuming a bottle of champagne plus some...

Poppy Seed, Poppy Do!

I recently went on a long road trip, by myself. I don’t mind traveling solo. In fact, there is something therapeutic about facing the world and the road totally on your own, with only your thoughts and...

Off the Cob and Onto the Plate

Corn is no better than it is right now. White or yellow, it doesn’t matter. In the husk, on the cob, fresh off the grill, with butter or without, salt and pepper dusted or Plain Jane, there is nothing...

Relief For The Pressure Cooker

I am a human pressure cooker. I mean literally, when I am under pressure or stress, what do I do? I cook. Some people do yoga, others golf, I cook. I do other forms of stress relief, for sure: run,...

Back to School With an A+ Breakfast

Can it be that backpacks and school supplies season is here already? Not only is back to school season right around the corner, but back to breakfast is the best way to send your kids back to school....

Dorm Sustenance: Hot Plates and Other Fire Hazards

Recently I found myself in Bedknobs, Broomsticks and Beyond and was overcome by the piles of cheap, particleboard junk and low-thread count bedding that stores like this tend to heave up near the check-out...

Feeling Crabby?

With our long awaited summer vacation just a week away, I am thinking one thing: How soon can we get our hands on some hard shelled crabs? We spend a beach week at the Delaware shore and, in that area...

The Rules for Real Meals

When I informed my friends and family that I would be writing a column on 30 Minute Meals, I felt compelled to preface the announcement with a "Just don't call me You-Know-Who." Not that there is anything...

New Food of the Month: Coconut Milk

With food trends turning global, the kids and I have been spending more time exploring the international aisle of the market. This month we tried coconut milk. Sure, we’ve tried drilling, cracking...