cooking
the summertime cheese plate
I know I’ve been skimping on the brunches lately. I have no idea where all my summer Sundays have gone. I was so happy that this week I found the time to get into the farmers’ market groove and spend the day playing with peak of the season produce. The menu included Chef Annette... »
slimming down the neelys: a stuffed pork chop recipe
I have to admit that the recipe I chose to make over this week wasn’t all that bad for you to begin with. Pork is already a lean meat but I thought a pork chop stuffed by a team of Food Network chefs known for their down home cooking would surely be ripe for... »
quick, crunchy summer salad
July might be the best month of the year for the farmers’ market. Summer spills out of stalls everywhere you turn. And the July produce is so perfect, flavorful, sensual, that it would almost be a crime to do much with it. That’s why this week, my farmers’ market recipe is a simple, peak... »
top chef hot potato redo-a recipe for real people
This recipe comes from my chef crush Hubert Keller, (my little hot potato). And although I do believe that Chef Keller’s cuisine is perfection, his French food is a little too heavy on saturated fat for everyday eating. That’s why I took his potato gratin as published on the Top Chef website (from Top... »
slimming down paula deen-a schnitzel recipe
A few days after I posted City Chick Cube Steak, (a figure-friendly version of Pioneer Woman’s cube steak recipe), I read that Fox News was pointing the finger of blame at food-related television for America’s obesity epidemic. What was most interesting to me about the Fox revelation, (besides the fact that Fox produces several... »
duck eggs, morels & cherries
I love spring at the farmers’ market!!! I can spend hours just strolling the aisles, dazzled by the wild rainbow of colors, aromas and textures–exciting ingredients I’ve never before experienced. This week I didn’t exactly reinvent the wheel but for my Sunday brunch I picked up morels(!), komatsuna (a Japanese green similar to spinach... »
succulent strawberry season (with recipes)
Although strawberries are available year-round these days (and in our test kitchen garden, homegrown ruby gems can be had from April-December), I think the best berries hit the market in May. So for my first farmers market brunch in many months, I planned the meal around these plump little gifts of the season. Chile-Rubbed,... »
city chick cube steak inspired by the pioneer (a recipe)
The Pioneer Woman is one of the Internet’s greatest sensations. I totally get the draw with all those hot picks of her husband (The Marlboro Man) strutting in chaps coupled with sassy prose and pretty darn impressive food pics. But the recipes? Yikes! This is food for men who wrestle calves for a living,... »
creme fraiche sorbet (my new favorite recipe)
My culinary inspiration comes from many places: meals at restaurants, farmers’ market ingredients, old cookbooks, cravings, and occasionally, television shows. But I couldn’t ever say I was inspired by a tv cartoon… Until Creme Fraiche. (I can feel a few of you grinning and nodding right now.) Last November, I got the Kitchenaid Ice... »
fancy food 2011, a trade show for the gluttonous
Every January leading taste makers gather for an event called The Fancy Food Show, (insert laughter here). The show brings together gourmet food manufacturers with buyer and media in a 3-day experience that is both tasty and exhausting. But the show is always the greatest forecaster for the upcoming trends in food and wine.... »
