Filed under Home Cooking …

Fast Food

Fast food at my house means something quickly assembled from purchased prepared ingredients.  So the lasagna pictured here was a breeze to make. I always keep Delverde no-boil lasagna noodles on hand (the package says Ondine No. 106, and even includes 2 8-inch square foil pans).  You can find them at the supermarket, and when they … Continue reading →

Barley Risotto

I’ve been meaning to make barley risotto for ages, but just got around to it recently.  It is more or less just like making the rice version (see my post of September 30, 2008), but with barley, the kind with the hull removed.  I used Shiloh Farms hulled barley. I used Mark Bittman’s excellent recipe in … Continue reading →

Cannin’ & Jammin’ in Lancaster County

(and some, er, ruminations on milk pasteurization – pun intended) Question – Why are these ladies so happy?  Answer – They’re proud of the jam they made! A press release that recently arrived in my inbox read: “Have you ever wanted to milk a cow, chat with an Amish farmer over a cup of coffee, … Continue reading →

Risotto Rush

As soon as the weather cools, I rush to make risotto.  I know there are summery versions, but to me it is a fall/winter dish, as my favorite risotto includes the rich flavors of pancetta and porcini mushrooms (and sometimes truffle oil).  The one on the left also includes a scattering of other varieties of … Continue reading →

Smokin’ Scallops

Just look at these beauties! Cooked them myself, and they were spectacular if I do say so.  First, purchase the biggest freshest scallops you can find; I get mine at Whole Foods, or Shore Catch on the alternate Saturdays they’re at the West Windsor Farmers Market.  New Jersey scallops are best! At home, I mixed … Continue reading →

Pissaladière

You’d think a thousand words would be long enough for one of my Princeton Packet “In The Kitchen” recipe columns, but noooo, I regularly run out of space for a recipe or two I wish I could have included, such as the French Pissaladière, below.  If you don’t think that qualifies for the Ethnic/Casual focus … Continue reading →

Catfish!

There seems to be a month for everything, now, and August is National Farmed Catfish Month*.  Farmed catfish, raised properly, is sustainable, so a popular choice with watchdog organizations such as the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  But with feed prices rising and global imports increasing, the farmed fish industry in this country is in the tank … Continue reading →

Chinese New Year in July

When it comes to entertaining at home, my dear friend Angela Chang just can’t stop cooking.  She and her husband Humphrey are energetic hosts, and when they recently had a large group over for a mid-summer picnic, it was like Chinese New Year in July.  I say that because the dinners they throw around the … Continue reading →

Multicultural Quail

Quail is a favorite of mine, and it lends itself to all sorts of ethnic flavors in the kitchen.  But my first experience with the little birds was not auspicious.  It was at a fancy restaurant in Aspen, Colorado, where I lived for many years.  I was out with my boyfriend and his family, and … Continue reading →