Fresh and Floral
With a hint of its natural aroma, lavender brings a fragrant goodness to foods and drinks. The dreamy ingredient in many varieties shows off a purplish flower with greenish-gray foliage and, in even the smallest quantities, stretches a long way in the kitchen. The versatile plant adds a unique flavor to everything from hot herbal […]
Summer’s top cucumber dish: cold soup
From a medley of berries to creamy cucumber, chilled soups can be made with just about any of summer’s fruits and vegetables. And when temperatures rise, warm weather conditions call for a kitchen break and cool options. Seasonal cooking — with minimal time spent at the stove or grill — should reflect that break from […]
The Classic Cuban Chip
A new day may be arriving for Cuban cuisine, and the unassuming plantain carries enough prestige as a simple snack and sweet side dish to emerge as a cultural symbol of edible sorts. Without wading into the Cuban government, its legacy or the U.S. embargo, one doesn’t have to look far to see the effects […]
Please pass the pork butt
Firing up the grill for graduation season and summer suppers takes me back to my youth and brings on a yearning for grilled pork. Dinners growing up along the Mississippi River centered on preparing food influenced by early European settlers, but the most memorable meals in warm weather were often anchored with St. Louis barbecued […]
Why we crave salted caramel brownies
The Hudson Valley’s Kristin Nelson creates handmade salted caramel sauce that will make anyone’s brownies irresistible. Make salted caramel brownies and try to resist.
Tortillas and guac any day in May
Tortillas on the Griddle Back in her homeland of Mexico, Eva Rojas grew up on corn tortillas made with fresh masa. She learned to love the textured tradition of the family diet, and ate tortillas dressed with everything from avocados to tomatoes. She still savors warm tortillas, and prepares them at home in her Cold […]
Cook On: spruce up the kitchen with modest utensils
Tool Stash We may think we know our neighbors, closest confidants and even ourselves, but a more complete picture may be stashed on kitchen shelves and counters. It’s not the pantry — blushing with expired preserves or neglected boxes of dated pasta — that gives us away, but a cabinet or tool drawer, where we […]
Wild about maple
Wild about maple? Let maple syrup be the perfect springtime transition on your table. Check out my latest Cook On food column and break out the syrup with me.
Humbled and Crumbled
From love to money, any number of agitators can disrupt life, and occasionally, life bubbles over in the kitchen. Some households claim a member who consistently burns the toast or shirks doing dishes. It wasn’t dirty dishes that rattled our harmony, but herbs and spices. Sugar and spice have long conjured images of everything nice, […]
Make these crab cakes and thank SpongeBob
Icing on the Crab Cake by Mary Ann Ebner