Sick Room Pantry

Dear Reader, my bedside table looks like a drugstore, with an arsenal of cough and cold products lined up.  To one side, my Vicks vaporizer puffs out clouds of mentholated steam.  How could I get so sick in the middle of a heat wave?  Indeed, so seldom am I this sick that it took a … Continue reading →

Senior Enjoyment Chinese Style

A friend who just returned from visiting family in China and other destinations in Asia brought me the sweets pictured at left.  This is part of a playful ongoing debate I have with my Chinese friends about Asian desserts and sweets in general. Either they are way too sweet (and full of refined sugar and … Continue reading →

Thai at the Y

This may be Princeton’s best kept casual dining secret.  There has been a small café at the YM/WCA for some years now, and since last November it’s been run by Jirada (Da) De Toro.  In addition to fare such as sandwiches, burgers, quesadillas, and even some pasta, Da’s Café & Catering also serves up the … Continue reading →

Sweet Sorrow

Saying “goodbye” can be hard to do.  This past week, at Princeton University where I work, we said goodbye to several recent graduates who had stayed on after commencement to finish up laboratory research.  This amazing group of students was the first class to go through a new (and very rigorous) Integrated Science curriculum, and … 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 →

Colonial Cooking

Kudos to the many organizations and volunteers (and sponsors!) responsible for this weekend’s many Revolutionary Era activities and encampments in and around Princeton.  The events mark the 225th anniversary of the Contintental Congress sitting in Princeton, which took place June – November of 1783. While I only managed to stop at the Thomas Clarke House at … Continue reading →

Home Grown Wine

Okay, it’s not ethnic and it’s not casual, but it is local.  Arcadia Publishing, the folks who put out the Images of America series with historic photos and tidbits about “your town USA,” has just published “New Jersey Wineries.”  The author is Jennifer Papale Rignani, who used to work with the Garden State Wine Growers … Continue reading →

BBQ Excursion

It’s Sunday afternoon and I’m finally heading south on Route 206 to Hammonton with a friend in search of (see Pie Mania post of June 18) and barbecue. First stop is for said pies and a spot of brunch in the Red Barn Farm Market and Cafe.  The place is hopping!  We say hi and ‘bye to owner … Continue reading →

Cool Treat

Once I realized that a branch of Viva Gelato had opened near me in Skillman, I couldn’t resist.  A friend had been raving about the gelato she’d been enjoying at their Pennington location, and this was much closer to both of us.   So we buzzed over there early one evening this week, and had dessert … Continue reading →

Cultural Exchange

Last time I was at the Great Wall Supermarket in Franklin Park I decided to bring a whole fish back to my father, who at 86 is still an adventurous cook. (I know, apple-tree!)  While picking out a nice red snapper for him, I noticed the Chinese woman next to me purchasing two small silver … Continue reading →