Plum Cobbler Cake

I just love Elizabeth Alston’s Best Baking (Harper Perennial, 2000).  I bought it as a bargain book, and it is packed full of great recipes for angel food, chiffon, coffee and pound cakes, and all sorts of tea breads and fruited desserts. Ms. Alston is the executive food editor at Woman’s Day, and she also … Continue reading →

Donna Toscana @ Whole Foods

 Donna Toscana chocolate fans take note!  You may now buy Diane Pinder’s packaged Donna Toscana gourmet bars and chocolates, and her CocoaBee Honey Caramels at the Princeton Whole Foods Market (store does not carry individual chocolates).  This is good news indeed! This makes her third Whole Foods Market launch in New Jersey.  I am running … Continue reading →

Jersey Fresh Mozzarella?

Who knew?  Imagine my surprise when I picked up a ball of smoked mozzarella at Wegmans recently and saw a Jersey Fresh Milk label on it.  That is great to see! I was buying the ingredients to make a pizza recipe I was using in my Packet In The Kitchen column for today (10/22), featuring butternut … Continue reading →

What’s cooking at MCCC

Whether for yourself, you and a few friends, or for a gift, how about signing up for some cooking classes at Mercer County Community College’s Center of Continuing Studies?  They have a wonderful professional kitchen; I loved the cheesemaking class I took last fall with Frank Campione.  The fall classes listed below currently have spaces available. … Continue reading →

Foodie Fun

That Esther Psarakis, owner of Taste of Crete, is busy, busy busy!  Register for some of her classes, like “Eating Chocolate is Healthy!” on October 28 ($20) and “Making Your Own Dolmas” ($30) on November 4, and visit her lovely store in Hillsborough.  (And you never know, she may have room at her two Oct. 21 events, A Taste of … Continue reading →

Roast Chicken

It felt like fall outside and I wanted roast chicken.  I picked out a big organic chicken in Wegmans and asked the butcher to cut it up – a first for me, but I just didn’t want to struggle with it at home.  A small luxury, and much appreciated! At home I already had those … Continue reading →

Sushi Day at the Cafe

At last!  Sushi comes to the Genomics Cafe where I work, and they kicked it off with a tasting event that had eager folks lined up. We’ve had it occasionally before, usually from a restaurant in town, but this is a program from the folks that run our Cafe, Restaurant Associates, which should provide more consistency … Continue reading →

Griggstown Farm Soup

It’s surprising how much grocery shopping one can do at the Griggstown Quail Farm and Market.  Poultry-check. Produce-check. Farm fresh eggs-check. Pot pies-check.  And  don’t forget the great pies, sausages, myriad frozen products, and big bags of mixed dried wild mushrooms for risottos and making your own soup.  They also have various condiments and many, many … Continue reading →

Canal House Cooking at Carter & Cavero

Can you say that fast three times? Meet the authors of this wonderful series of cookbooks on Saturday, October 16, Noon-3:00pm at Carter & Cavero on Palmer Square.  Melissa Hamilton and Christopher Hirsheimer will be there for a demonstration/tasting and to sign copies of the latest issue of Canal House Cooking – Volume No. 5, “The Good … Continue reading →