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For my friend Krista, if it doesn’t include chocolate — it’s not dessert! I was playing with chocolate cookie recipes for ice cream sandwiches. I loved these Double Chocolate Cookies. But when frozen with ice-cream, they seemed a bit too hard to bite into. My dentist would not approve! They were so good, I decided […]
Growing up, we rarely ate fish. On the few occasions my mom made fish for dinner, the entire house took on a fishy smell. Not very appetizing. I don’t know what kind of fish she cooked because it was always served with a huge glop of heavy mayonnaisey tartar sauce. I figured that the tartar […]
My friend Dano, who volunteers to play bartender, is now a vegetarian. Over the years, during his pre-vegetarian days, we shared many meals. Dano and I worked our way through racks of lamb, short ribs and homemade tequila-cured gravlax. He hated vegetables and little by little I snuck a few on his plate. Surprise! He liked […]
If you’ve never worked with puff pastry, try these immediately! Don’t be afraid, it’s super easy. No matter how many you make, they will all be gone. This recipe makes use of readymade puff pastry. You will find it in the frozen food department of any supermarket. The most readily available brand which I use […]
During a vacation in Italy, a friend I was traveling with ordered prosciutto and melon as an appetizer. I thought of all the delicious choices on the menu, it was the most boring. And then I tasted it. Wow! The contrast between the tissue paper thin, perfectly cured, salty prosciutto and the juicy, ripe, sweet […]
WHAT’S THE STORY ON BALSAMIC VINEGAR? Many years ago, I heard people bragging about how they spent hundreds of dollars on balsamic vinegar. I thought they were nuts. But one day I happened to be in a cooking store when they were having a balsamic vinegar tasting. For the first time, I experienced what everyone […]
I use kosher salt in many recipes. Kosher salt is a variety of edible salt with a much larger grain size than ordinary table salt. Kosher salt is easier to pick up in your fingers and evenly distribute over food. I use it in everything except baking. I use regular table salt in baking because […]
I’ve been making these for many years. My friends can attest to this. I wanted the equivalent of homemade potato chips without all the frying. Recently the New York Times posted a recipe for smashed potatoes that is similar but different. I think mine are better. This is a great recipe to add to your […]
When I was growing up, we only had soup when we were sick. Then, of course, it was chicken soup. Since then, I learned to love simple pureed vegetable based creamy soups. This is one of my all time favorites because it’s simple to make, very versatile and freezes beautifully. Another make-ahead dish. For this […]
I love the idea of taking sweet dessert recipes and making them savory. Creating something unexpected. That’s where the idea of a Savory Goat Cheese Cake came from. Once I made it, I thought why not go further and turn it into a layer cake, and this is the result. Your guests will rave, it’s […]
