Gold Mine

I always say that leftovers are like money in the bank. But my leftovers are usually intentional, destined for office lunches or worknight dinners. That was the case with this butternut squash soup, which I made during a cooking binge on a recent Sunday afternoon. As I prepared to portion it out for single servings, … Continue reading →

Noosa Yogurt

If you spot Noosa Yogurt in your market (Acme carries it), give it a try. It meets my minimum standard for dairy products by using milk that is rBGH free.  Originally from the Noosa region in Australian, but now made in Colorado (with a touch of Colorado honey), it is delicious, and I love the … Continue reading →

Seitenbacher Müsli #3

This is delicious! And it was so pretty, like sunshine in a bowl!  I am not usually a cold cereal person, but I couldn’t resist trying this. I noticed Seitenbacher Müsli # 3 at McCaffrey’s market. Sure, there were other numbers, but 3 beckoned to me.  “Pick me,” it whispered, “I am for active people and have … Continue reading →

Meant to be

It would seem there was always a restaurant critic locked inside me, waiting to come out. I had to laugh when I recently came across my handwritten notes from a dinner I enjoyed, back in 1993, at Luchento’s Ristorante, on Route 33 in Milllstone. The place (under different ownership now), was legendary for its huge portions … Continue reading →

Annual plum fest

I do this every fall. I start checking the local markets for Italian prune plums so I can make one of my favorite desserts, the Plum Pie (Zwetschgenkuchen) from Joan Nathan’s Jewish Cooking in America. The most reliable source for these plums is ShopRite, other markets may or may not have them. Regular plums don’t … Continue reading →

Tasting menus taken to task

Don’t miss Pete Well’s great piece about the proliferation of tasting menus menus in today’s New York Times. It’s an interesting subject to someone like myself, who has usually ordered à la carte, but is noticing more and more tasting menus with grand ambitions, including locally – the Peacock Inn has pretty much totally moved to that, as … Continue reading →

Frutopia

My friend Angela Chang called me recently wanting to share some exotic fruits she had. I’m not sure where she got it all, although I gather they may have gotten the Asian pears from a local orchard (maybe Evergreen Farm in Hamilton?). The next day when I got home from work, her husband had hung … Continue reading →

Ravioli Roundup

I had to admit this asparagus/gruyere ravioli from Whole Foods was pretty good.  I served it with a little butter and olive oil, and a dusting of Parmesan, and had salad on the side. It really is amazing what good ravioli one can find now (even Trader Joe’s has some decent ones), and the quality, and … Continue reading →

Le Virtù in Abruzzo

This is my September 21 In the Kitchen column from the Lifestlye page of the Packet. Since it is not yet online, I reproduce my original text here, so I can be sure to share this with online readers. Food and Traditions of Abruzzo I was all set to write about kale -very trendy! – for … Continue reading →

Sausages & Grapes

I did get a little ahead of the cool weather when I made this dish a couple weeks ago. But I’d been to Mallery’s Grazin’ Meats and brought home both sweet and hot Italian Sausage. And I had these amazingly flavorful Thomcord grapes from Trader Joe’s. It’s been years since I’ve enjoyed seedless grapes, as … Continue reading →