barley and celery

this is my anti-holiday food post. as 2011 narrows toward the winter solstice, my revolt against holiday hype and excesses is best expresse...

Cauliflower Soup with Chive Oil and Crostini

i spent some time over the weekend testing recipes for thanksgiving. this one not only made it to the menu, it rocketed to the top and will ...

mushrooms, onions, and fresh thyme pizza

jim lahey's recipe for pizza funghi was inspired by a risotto stewed with the same ingredients– a mario batali creation. just three to...

vegetarian french onion soup

a bowl of french onion soup  defined a new food absolute for me. in possession of my first passport and barely of driving age, i remember no...

white asparagus with red bell pepper coulis

serve something a little different that's still appetizing, not odd. i am not a fan of aspic or mushroom foam. sure, unusual ingredients...

mango, orange and rum punch

bewitching jim and i fell under the spell of fruit and rum drinks on a vacation in puerto rico where we rented a little beach place wi...

spaghetti tossed with ground almonds, anchovies, and capers

tired of the same few pasta sauces: red/ pesto/ alfredo ? i know i am. so, when asked to make pasta for a cookout recently, i went looking...

pass the wine, some thugs just broke in . . .

if you write a blog about cooking and food,  then what do you do when you suddenly find  yourself without an appetite? when something seriou...

chicken stuffed with pistachios and rice, served with a shiitake mushroom reduction

you have your favorite recipes and cookbooks, and so do i.  the ones we use to make the dishes that taste so good, and make the people we ar...

caesar salad pizza

as far as salads go, caesar seems like it should be a pizza.   those colossal croutons that go ricocheting off the plate if you try to cut o...

bourbon and honey grilled pork skewers

jim, "pork" . me, "ok, you wore me down" . for decades i've been cooking up a big fret over jim's cholesterol, h...

red lentil dal

------- un-clutter. simplify. exhale. relax with a bowl of nourishing lentil dal. ------- i am going through a stage.   it's a purge-my...

country bread

crackling country sister loaves when these two batards crackled out of my oven they reminded me of my sister, marilyn, and me standing sid...