Cooking Articles

Yom Kippur: Before and After the Fast

Yom Kippur, The Day of Atonement, is considered to be the single holiest day of the Jewish year, aside from the weekly Sabbath observance. As an act of repentance, Jews fast from sundown on the eve of...

Dispelling the Greatest Culinary Urban Myth

It is perhaps the greatest culinary urban myth of our time. You’ve heard it stated repeatedly on cooking shows. The chef adds a cup of wine to a delicious looking dish simmering away on the stove,...

Too Cool For Carrots? Think Again.

I have been thinking a lot about baby carrots. I have been thinking a lot about carrots in general, as well as broccoli, butter lettuce, beets, and heirloom tomatoes. In fact, I have been thinking about...

Introducing Your Kids to the Joys of Pesto

Today marks another national holiday, Columbus Day. Whether your kids are off from school or not, you can celebrate this “minor holiday” with an easy pasta dinner tonight, featuring homemade pesto....

Slow Cooking With Fall Flavors: Crock'toberfest

On a recent trip to Chicago I was reminded that one of the largest fall festivals in the world--Oktoberfest--happens at this time of year. In the Midwestern town that my dad calls home, Oktoberfest is...

Roasting Tough Fall Veggies For A Sweet Outcome

We all know someone who even as an adult refuses to eat certain vegetables because of some childhood trauma. By trauma I mean perhaps they suffered through years of Popeye tasting spinach or carrots cooked...

The High Fructose Corn Syrup Purge

A friend of mine recently announced on her Facebook page that she is doing the high fructose corn syrup purge. I am not sure if the concept came about as a specific part of a healthy eating program or...

Fresh Frozen Dinner, Meals on the Go

With the air not quite so warm and the sun not shining quite so bright, the nice thing about fall is that you get a lot more done on the weekends. Good or bad, it is somehow a relief to wake up to a cool...

Kids In The Kitchen

Children can get so much out of learning how to cook and being involved in cooking projects. Not only will they gain a new appreciation for what’s on their plate, the process of cooking teaches so many...

The Power of Love--Love of Lasagna!

Lasagna is one of those dishes that everyone in our family loves—but doesn’t love to make. Why is it that lasagna just seems to take forever to finish! Boiling the noodles, browning the beef, layering...

Winter Squash, From Decoration to Dinner

Unlike their sister vegetable the summer squash, which is harvested and consumed while the skin is thin, winter squash such as pumpkins are left to mature on the vine. The name “winter squash” has...

Getting to Know Leif Ericson

My siblings and I had what you might call a non-traditional education. We were home-schooled, which isn’t code for weird-bookworm-non-socialized people. On the contrary, we all turned out fairly normal...

Be Your Own Butcher

About a week ago I was at the market, puzzled over the chicken case. Before me were many options. Thighs, breasts, wings, drumsticks. Boneless-skinless, and parts still attached. There were split breasts...

A Different Toast, To Your Everyday Meal

A couple of years ago, a rather tired version of me decided to persevere through the fatigue to meet a friend for dinner at a New York steakhouse. I may have been falling asleep at the table, but I was...

Kid-Friendly Vegan Fare

Thank you, dear readers, for your kind and encouraging comments. I read them all and appreciate the time you take to write and send them to me. In answer to some requests I’ve had for vegan recipe...

Real Bachelors Eat Veal

For the first time in over a decade, I recently had a couple of dates with a non-vegetarian. Now, let me be clear: I love me some vegetarians. Some of my best friends are vegetarians (you know I couldn't...