You do know how much better homemade burgers taste if you wrap them in squares of waxed paper and let them sit for a few minutes before serving, right? Cook the seasoned beef (I like ground bison) patties in a skillet filmed with vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Turn to brown both sides. Cover with…
Category: Tips and Techniques
Two-fer: Fig Bruschetta & Fig Bites
Until he gave them up for good a few years ago, my husband loved Fig Newtons with an intensity people usually reserve for their favorite sports teams. I would buy five or six packages at a time and store them on a certain shelf in the pantry, so he’d always have a ready supply. He…
Snapshot: Watermelon Plugs
Did you catch the video making social media rounds recently showing another new way to cut and serve a watermelon? It’s simple and works great. Pictured above is a mini-melon, the perfect size for my small household. Slice it in half on a cutting board. Place one of the halves cut side down. Slice it…
Dinner on the Deck (Pimm’s Cup, Roasted Grape Tomatoes, Honey-Walnut Goat Cheese, Raspberry-Ricotta Cake)
I like people who are adventurous eaters, who don’t mind being guinea pigs for new recipes, and who don’t question a cook who asks them to bring a half pound of roast beef to dinner (sliced on the one, in deli speak). That makes S and J some of my favorite diners on the planet,…
Snapshot: Grapefruit Spoon
Breakfast today. I love having the right tool for the job.
I tried it, so you don’t have to: Mayo on the outside of a grilled sandwich
Dementia runs much too close for comfort in my family, so when First born saw me spread mayonnaise on the OUTSIDE of my lunchtime sandwich yesterday, she could be forgiven for her moment of concern — and the laugh she quickly squelched. I was trying a new way of making my favorite sandwich, an idea…
Roasted Red Snapper
A seafood counter clerk had already packaged my salmon filets by the time I noticed the snappers. My eyes swiveled like a flounder’s spying prey. These fish had heads and tails, unusual in my suburban grocery store, several hundred miles from the nearest U.S. coast. And they were fresh, their silvery skins glinting bits of…
Cooking with Red and Green
I like to cook with color any time of year, but especially during Christmas holidays. Red and green food is festive and delicious. Have a Christmas cookie! Christmas Shortbread To the shortbread and linzer cookie dough I write about elsewhere in this book, add 3/4 cup (3.5 ounces) finely chopped pistachios and 3/4 cup (4.25…
Raves and Faves 23
A Cuban sandwich pairs exceptionally well with Apple Cider Sangria. If you’re lucky enough to have a friend of Cuban extraction providing the Cuban sandwich, then life just doesn’t get any better. This inventive Apple Cider Sangria was a lovely way to welcome friends and fall recently. Get the recipe by clicking here. The link…
Magic Chocolate Frosting
It was a week of unintended consequences. I loaned my daughter my car, and her sweet cat peed and pooped in it. I made cookies jammed with expensive ingredients (gluten-free flour, dried cherries, chunks of good-quality bittersweet chocolate, large coconut flakes), but the pepitas also called for turned out to be tough and stale and…
Cookbook Wall 