Cooking Articles

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...

Pumpkin, Non-Pie

How do I know that fall has officially arrived? When bright orange, gnarled orbs, otherwise known as pumpkins, started popping up everywhere I look. Where there once were flowers, now gourds in all shapes...

Take a Bite Out of History

Hard to believe now, but history was my least favorite subject in school. At that time, history was textbooks: boring chapters filled with names and dates to memorize. It wasn’t until I was an adult...

Discovering Kamut

Now that the weather has turned a bit cooler, my appetite for heartier foods has increased. I find myself craving soups, stews, chili, and hearty grain dishes. One of the grains I reach for most often...

Balancing Healthy Food and Happy Families

An old college friend of mine is a young mother of four children, all below the age of seven. It goes without saying that, among our group of friends from the old days, we hardly see her. Such is the...

Sukkot: A Jewish Harvest

Like virtually all Jewish holidays, the festival of Sukkot is marked by special dishes that are eaten in its celebration. The holiday itself is symbolized by plants and food, such as the etrog (citrus...

A Passion For Peppers

Like most passions, it started out innocently enough. We thought we would try “just one.” One led to two, two quickly became three, and after that there was no limit. Before we knew it, we were...

Tools of the Vegetable Trade

A typical walk down any supermarket aisle is quick to reveal how averse we are as Americans to doing work in the kitchen. Everything from onions to carrots comes pre-diced and ready for the pot. Stir-fry...

How to Eat Like a Rainbow

You hear it all the time from the nutrition advocates: for the most healthful diet, eat a rainbow of naturally colorful foods. The foods that contain the deepest hues also happen to have the most nutritional...

Vanilla: The Most Underrated Flavor

Ahhh, vanilla. My absolute favorite. I love anything vanilla flavored, scented or otherwise. I even wear vanilla perfume. I'm addicted to the stuff, I admit. It's got a soft, yet complex, not too-sweet...

Slow Cooking With Fall Flavors: The Halloween Crockpot

With Halloween just around the corner, it's time to start thinking about candy, costumes, and cooking! Halloween is the perfect holiday to rev up your culinary creativity and there is a multitude of ideas...

Pumpkin Seeds Make For Some Un-Scary Treats

About this time of year families around the country pack their kids in the car for a trip to the pumpkin patch. Amongst the misshapen orbs, over-sized behemoths, and miniature decorative types, the kids...