I came across a gnocchi recipe in an old Food & Wine recently, and decided to make a version of it using whole wheat gnocchi I’d bought in a shelf-stable package a few months ago. Even though it was made with (mostly) whole wheat, they still cooked up light enough to suit my case (I … Continue reading →

As usual, my colleague Pat Tanner got it right when she raved about Fortune Cookies, the little Hunan restaurant in Bridgewater Township, in her New Jersey Monthly review. Fortunately for me, Angela and Humphrey Chang were along for that, and since I also count them among my friends, they took me there recently to experience … Continue reading →

I so enjoyed the Restaurant Supported Agriculture dinner at Tre Piani on Friday night, part of a summer long series of locally sourced dinners.  (If you’re eyeing that lobster, see the bottom for details on that!) I bought a set of 5 Passports (i.e. 5 dinners), which brought the already reasonable $35 per down to … Continue reading →

These bacon-wrapped scallops, from Trader Joe’s, were surprisingly good.  I don’t usually buy appetizer-ish things like this, if I need a little something before I can get dinner ready, cheese or hummus on toasted bread crisps or pita chips does the trick. But I gave this indulgence a try, and what with the nitrite free … Continue reading →

I am in love with Crop organic cucumber vodka.  And I’m not even a vodka drinker!  I noticed it at Glendale Liquor in Kendall Park a year or so ago, and couldn’t resist trying it. Remember how terribly hot last summer was?  Frankly, on the hottest days, I don’t want anything but water at dinner, … Continue reading →

It took me far too long to make my way to Kingston to try Osteria Procaccini’s artisan pizza.  They opened during the winter and serve gourmet pizza with natural (and often organic) ingredients.  I’ll make up for my delay on return visits! I drove up directly from the office, and at 5:30pm on a weeknight, … Continue reading →

This taco al pastor is from “A Taste of Mexico” in the Princeton Shopping Center. Do you know the story of Cinco de Mayo? From a Packet In The Kitchen article I wrote a couple years ago: The day is often erroneously referred to as Mexican Independence Day, although Mexico had declared its independence years … Continue reading →

It tasted better than it looks.  Had a jar of Trader Joe’s Thai green curry sauce I’d been meaning to try.  A bag of frozen Japanese vegetables in the freezer, begging to be used – a poignant reminder of pre-nuclear meltdown days!  And good ol’ boneless, skinless chicken thighs. While the sauce did not taste … Continue reading →

I was desperate for a taste of summer. So I bought the reddest tomato I could find in whatever market I was in that day, and let it ripen an extra day at home. Then I cut it up, sprinkled it with feta and olive oil and ate the whole thing.  I almost fooled myself, … Continue reading →

I meant to do this after Trader Joe’s had been open a year, but time slipped by, and I have only now hauled out a bag of empty Trader Joe’s boxes, saved from items I’ve bought there.  This doesn’t include things that come in bags or tubs, just those in boxes or cardboard sleeves! This … Continue reading →