Cooking Articles

Nix the Picky Eaters

As you may know by now, one of the delightful things that I did on a recent press trip to the Holland, Michigan area was to visit a cooking school: the Artisan Cooking School in Grand Haven. Having generously...

Lunch on the Rocks

So many of the top chefs are going back to basics by bypassing the fusion route and stressing simple, fresh ingredients done to perfection so that natural flavors shine through. I am in complete agreement...

Mini Pies Are Just More Fun

Now that summer’s in full swing, the kids are busy—and that means that depending upon what they’re engaged in, I don’t regularly have a kitchen helper. These warm sunny days find them out and...

Food Styling For The Home Cook

Food served in restaurants seems to taste better. There is nothing like the liberal use of salt and fat to elevate any ingredient. Freshly made stocks also make all the difference in the world, especially...

Not Living By Bread Alone

My husband and I are non-bread people. It’s not that we don’t like it. We just never buy it. We buy tortillas, pita bread, and corn chips. My husband makes submarine sandwiches, so he will buy a package...

When Your Cooking Needs a Vacation

As you read this, I’ll be in the beautiful Outer Banks on the coast of North Carolina, enjoying the sun, sand, and surf. But at the moment, as I write this article, I am lost in a sea of errands and...

Baking In The Sweet Scent Of Summer

I don’t bake much these days. This poses a problem at times like these where a whiff of a ripe Georgia peach at the market is enough to send my head spinning in nostalgic longing for a crusty biscuit...

Muffin Mixes: Quick, Easy and Fun

When something in the grocery store catches my daughter’s eye, I usually try to stop and listen. That’s when I catch a glimpse of what life looks like through her eyes, what appeals to her 8-year-old...

Recipes, Baking and Creativity

One recipe: A list of common amounts and ingredients, yet it can hold many a memory—simple combinations that can bring forth hopes and dreams, from generations of family traditions to improved health...

Summertime Melons

There are plenty of choices for summer meal desserts. Ice creams, sorbets, and sherbets seem to be popular as home cooks try to beat the heat with a cool treat. But yummy as those options are, they are...

Camping, Gourmet Style

Like millions of Americans, I spent many a childhood summer holed up in a pup tent in the great outdoors along with my family, temporarily escaping reality for a chance to commune with nature. There were...

Recipes: Share 'em if You Got 'em

There are a few times in life when you stumble across a recipe that makes a lasting impression on you. It's when you can then take that recipe and share it with someone else that the circle is complete....

Just a Little Bit of Red

Over the past few weeks, The Monkey has gotten numerous requests for Red Velvet Cake.   This chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting seems to have lots of fans on both sides of the Mason-Dixon Line....

Brown Butter, How Come You Taste So Good?

One wouldn't think that purposefully burning butter could be one of the tastiest things imaginable. Beurre noisette literally means 'hazelnut butter' but this is actually a misnomer. Also called brown...

Garden Fresh and Good For You

As a novice green thumb, I have become more and more interested in gardening as the years go by. I planted a couple of different kinds of tomatoes in pots this year, and lots of fresh herbs. And through...

Healthy Homemade Popsicles

Do you remember the pure joy you felt as a kid when taking the first lick of an ice pop? I'm remembering that feeling as I watch my son eat popsicles this year, and re-living that joy vicariously each...