Put it on Toast. 25 ways to start Thanksgiving.

Help!   Thanksgiving is 72 hours away and while you have been dog-earing cookbooks for weeks, shopped the weekend before, and even managed to avoid the elbow to your shoulder by the feisty octogenarian who was going to in NO WAY let you have the store’s last quart of whipping cream (this actually happened to me… Continue reading Put it on Toast. 25 ways to start Thanksgiving.

Zucchini, Carrot and Scallion Fritters

  These fritters are an homage to the perfect little hometown restaurant we had in our shoreline Connecticut town growing up in the 80s.  A place where everybody knew our name, where you could pop in casually for a wholesome lunch, or count on it for a suitably festive and elegant special occasion dinner. I’ve… Continue reading Zucchini, Carrot and Scallion Fritters

Garlic Scape and Herb Pancake

  Move over scallions.  I may have to cheat on you. My love affair with dim sum scallion pancakes is no secret.  There are few times I can think of when they don’t appeal to me.  (or make me start to go all Pavlovian as I even type the words.)  Though green and doing very… Continue reading Garlic Scape and Herb Pancake

Olive Oil Everything Crackers

Here is another cracker recipe with which to send you off into the weekend! This recipe and the Cornmeal and Chive Cracker recipe from earlier this week contrast each other nicely, and would make a sublime little cracker basket assortment.  This cracker is a little more subtle in flavor and more tender in texture than… Continue reading Olive Oil Everything Crackers

Cornmeal and Chive Crackers

In my ongoing quest to eliminate store-bought processed foods from our kitchen and life, this week I tackled crackers.  There is a long and growing list food items that I no longer even think of not making myself, and yet almost weekly I think nothing of tossing (overpriced) box after box of these crisp vices… Continue reading Cornmeal and Chive Crackers

Scallion Pancakes

Scallion pancakes.  Oh how I love thee. These remarkable, little chewy, salty, scallion-y, layered disks of oily crunchy heaven completely stole my heart when I first had them my first year living in the city a decade and a half ago.  Often I would grab a late night snack of scallion pancakes and dumplings on… Continue reading Scallion Pancakes

Ode to The Minimalist

It was announced yesterday that Mark Bittman’s weekly column in the New York Times will end its thirteen year delicious, informative, enthusiastic, and encouraging run. I have learned many lessons from Mr. Bittman’s column.  Starting in 1997, a year after I graduated from college, I cooked recipe after recipe from his writing and suggestions and… Continue reading Ode to The Minimalist

Flavored Salt

In honor of last week’s National Popcorn Day, I’ve done some tinkering in the kitchen with flavorings.  My favorite project was coming up with different flavored salts.  It is outrageous that I haven’t done this sooner, and even more outrageous the number of super costly little precious jars of flavored finishing salts that I have sitting… Continue reading Flavored Salt

Popcorn

This Wednesday was National Popcorn Day.  Yes, I seemed to miss the parade too. We ate gallons of air popped popcorn growing up.  And later in the 80s, I quite willingly made the transition to the ballooning bags in the microwave.  Then on August 14, 2003 my popcorn life was changed forever.  That day was the massive… Continue reading Popcorn