Snowstorm Survival Kit for You and Your Valentine

If you’re close to home thanks to this season’s latest snowstorm, sweeten the moment with these three things for you and yours this Valentine’s Day: Oreos, Philadelphia Cream Cheese and Baker’s Dipping Chocolate. Follow Shannon’s easy steps to make these truffles.

Falling slowly with pho

It’s easy to fall into a hurried pace, rushing through meals and caving in to the grab-and-go culture of eating on the run which adds up for all of us. I’m doubling up on soup efforts as the season begins to change. This pho recipe (a variation by C.V. along with the powerful story of […]

Stranger from New Delhi shares love of gohbi matar

Contemporary travel comes with all sorts of boundaries, and many of us just want to get on with a flight without bumping passengers near us. The stranger from New Delhi sharing an arm rest with me on a recent trip asked if I liked Indian food. What’s not to like? My seat mate must have […]

In with the roux . . .

It’s Mardi Gras time, and you can still make a raging-good gumbo. Everybody needs a Louisiana mentor when giving gumbo a go. My New Orleans angel in a dirtied apron told me to pitch my first roux out in the back yard. It was that bad. This was precious counsel, and I refused to give […]

Dish up leftover turkey with dumplings

Some hosts find themselves saddled with leftovers after Thanksgiving. Not here. Bird . . . gone. Mashed potatoes . . . never enough. Ginger-laced sweet potatoes . . . begging for more. My challenge is that I’m usually left without leftovers. If you’re lucky enough to come away with leftover turkey, toss it into this […]

Any-time Sugar Cookies

There’s no trick to baking these treats. Big thanks to Ella and Maggie, first and third-grade cookie bakers, for dropping by The Cookery for this sugar cookie post. Bake these sugar cookies any time and decorate with your favorite buttercream frosting. Any-time Sugar Cookies ¾ cup shortening 1 cup sugar 2 eggs 1 tsp. vanilla […]

Urgent coffee break – Serious in Syria

Coffee holds a place of honor in some cultures, and The Cookery appreciates a flavorful cup of Arabic coffee. Make this coffee on the stove top, tune out the day’s noise, and tune in to serious matters. There must be countless ways to brew the perfect cup of coffee, but this is not that cup. […]

Jane’s way: get busy with eggplant

The Cookery welcomes our trusted vegetarian guide Jane Manaster back with this guest post of fresh ideas on eggplant. Thanks, Jane, and help us get busy. Jane: How to cope with 50 pounds of eggplant? Although happily not my problem, the bounty was a goodly portion of our community gardens’ harvest and destined for the […]

Show off kale in chilled soup

Kale Cucumber Soup My transition to Hudson Valley gardening resulted in limited success this summer, as my cucumber crop disappointed (friends came to the rescue to share their bounty), but kale grew easily and tomatoes resulted in beautiful fruit. After gardening in steamy central Texas for the last several summers, here’s hoping I’m back on […]

Tomato Craze

Tomatoes are on their way! Here in the Hudson Valley, it’s been a season of getting reacquainted with gardening in the New York region. I’m on guard in the garden this summer, and looking forward to sweet rewards. Enjoy the tomato craze wherever you are with these easy tomato based recipes. Tomato Toss Gazpacho