Confined Confection

For the past few weeks, it feels as if I’ve been camping out in my own kitchen. To acclimate a four-legged family member to our home, we gated off and puppy-proofed that room. We may come to regret the kitchen location, but it seems to make sense for the baby who needs easy access when […]

Invade your own kitchen and make these dumplings

Warm up at home with a comfort meal. You’ll master a no-fail dish and find yourself with plenty of cash left in the food budget to splurge dining out. Try this variation on chicken and dumplings, an old family favorite that I love to prepare with my mom’s beat up old roaster pan.

She likes bread but it doesn’t like her — GF for Sadie

sweet bread

By Jane Manaster I always thought gluten free was a fad or a demand for attention. Now that we find our 6 ½ -year-old granddaughter is a celiac, the issue takes on a personal and more serious relevance. We know wheat, rye, and barley are to be avoided, rice and corn are OK so it’s […]

Watching your back with a look at 2012

How did life present itself to you in 2012? Watch your back . . . and recount memorable meals shared with friends and family. The Cookery marks five years at WordPress this weekend, and though I found myself limited in posting time (graduate studies finally completed), I was lucky to read favorites around the Web […]

Living and giving with the gift of soup

If I haven’t said enough good things about our frequent guest, Jane Manaster, let me sing praises here. Thank you, Jane, for all the good you share with The Cookery. Here’s another guest post about living and giving from Jane that places the focus on others less fortunate. Soup Preparation At a Sukkah party at […]

Another year of keepin’ it alive and real

It seems as if there’s a constant parade through The Cookery, which keeps the place lively, but the parade to top all was the march of these little penguins. Under the direction of our sweet cousin, Kathie, the kids made these edible marchers (with inspiration from allrecipes.com) out of olives, cream cheese, carrots, and peppers. […]

New Year Gumbo from My New Orleans

New Year Gumbo If you’re looking for real cooking from a solid chef, you’ll appreciate the recipes in My New Orleans from Chef John Besh. The colossal cook book landed on our new doorstep in October and flashed a familiar return address – our former residence in Austin that we left behind in 2011. The […]

93-year-old grandma cooks up happy holiday gram

We won’t mention any names, lest we spoil the surprise of those who may find one of these recipe grams in their Christmas stockings this year. The Cookery likes this gift idea created by a 93-year-old grandmother who boasts dozens of grandchildren and great-grands. She’s sure to bring out the spirit of giving with this personal gift. […]

Never let gifts of food be returned to sender

Have you moved during the past year? Friends and family may be trying to send greetings in the way of festive food packages. I encourage you to update your address for their benefit and yours. We’re a little remiss in updating ours, but we’re rejoicing this week as our favorite gift of food found us. […]

Packin’ up the chuck box

Welcome to The Cookery, a space to digest life, explore food and keep it real, to read, and to write. I’m writing from another new kitchen, and our family has made the way from Texas to New York. After packing up May 31, we bounced around the country and lived out of suitcases for four […]