Cooking Articles

The Salad Days of Summer

Well, it finally happened. The weather turned hot enough here to make me want salad for dinner. I know, I know, people in many other parts of the country have been sweltering for months now. But for...

Not Your Everyday Mushroom

Last summer, in Switzerland, I nearly drove my boyfriend off the road. Something had caught my eye as we wended up the hairpin turns leading to the slopes of Verbier in the Swiss Alps. I couldn’t help...

From My Mother's Kitchen Garden

With four rambunctious children under tow, my mother may have been something of a Super Mom during my childhood. As a working mother, her efforts to run us kids between baseball and ballet practice while...

Bunny Cakes & Buttercream Roses

Buttercream roses. It has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? And it’s a phrase that sure grabbed my daughter’s attention. Buttercream roses entered our life with the book Bunny Cakes by Rosemary...

Kitchen Putties

There's something I've always wondered: if you walk into any Asian market or restaurant, you'll likely see a white ceramic or porcelain kitty-cat on a shelf or hanging on a wall. The kitty is smiling...

Blue Ribbon Food

We just returned from a fun night at the local country fair. It’s just a small annual event to support the resident fire company but still features lots of good eatin’ treats. When taking another look...

It's the Pizza Hour

Pizza. It’s a rare kid—or adult—who doesn’t like it. USA Today recently reported that 94 percent of Americans eat pizza. Whether you order out, go for frozen or decide to make your own, pizza...

Farmers' Market Shopping Tips

Every Saturday morning, I visit a different Farmers’ Market in Indiana. I love shopping at them. And apparently so do lots of Americans. Since 1994, farmers’ markets have more than doubled to nearly...

Street Food Made Simple, Part II

Eating street food in Asia it is easy to wonder how so much good food can be made so quickly. Not all street foods are easy to make at home. Some equipment like super hot gas flames or open charcoal...

Angel Food Hell

A few years ago I worked for a small boutique wholesale bakery. It was a great job. Not only was I the only baker there, but I learned so much from my boss, Bethñ-from fabulous recipes and techniques...

Minimalist Slow Cooking

One of the key benefits of the slow cooker is that it allows you to maximize flavors with a minimal expenditure of time. The design of the slow cooker allows you to throw a couple (or a dozen) ingredients...

Casting About For Dinner

Ever since Huck Finn first cast a line into the waters of Mark Twain’s novel, summer fishing has seemed to be the birthright of every American boy. Pants rolled up, fishing line attached to the end...

The Nibbly Meal

Part of what is wrong with the way society looks at food nowadays is that people have come to believe that food must make you feel full, that you must clean your plate, that dinner is the biggest meal...

Summer Spritzers

I thought I would share some of my favorite summer drink recipes with you this week. I'm not much of a fan of the super-alcohol style drinks (read single malt scotch and the like). My self-designed mixed...

Under the Tuscan Slow Cooker

My husband and I recently took an incredible vacation to Italy. We had a great time renting a car and driving from place to place, taking in the beautiful countryside and delicious local food. One of...

Bring New Life to Barbecue Leftovers

I don’t know what it is about a summer barbecue, but it just gets me excited. Maybe a little too excited. It usually starts at the grocery store where I am lured in by the latest deal. Ten pounds...