Whew, my (and your) search for the best plant-based cake (burger) is over! You may never have given lentil cakes a thought until now, but I am pretty sure these will become part of your routine once you try them. Maybe you are a solid…

Are you among the statistics of cooks who prefer to spend an average of 27 minutes to get dinner on the table? True confessions, I count myself in that group, at least several nights a week. My personal challenge is to produce something that tastes…

Don’t miss out on cooking with lemon grass because you don’t know what to do with it. I’ll admit it can be an intimidating ingredient. The long, woody stalks don’t look like something worthy of eating and their citrusy scent isn’t unleashed until you cut…

 Many people shy away from buying pears because of the frustration of not knowing when they are ripe to eat. I did the same thing until I learned the secret to knowing just when they are ready. It’s just a gently push on the stem…

I look forward to September if only for the structure it provides for returning to cooking dinner on a more regular basis. But how to get motivated after the warm and dreamy days of summer where throwing dinner together at the last minute and dining…

I have a little story to tell about the power of a good recipe, friendship and six degrees of separation. Having been distracted these past few months with projects that have taken my creative energy away from my blog, I’d been feeling a fair amount…

Many nights, about 45 minutes seems to be the amount of time I prefer to take to cook a weekday dinner. I guess I am a bit more patient than the average person who spends about 27 minutes according to Michael Pollan in his book…

I love fall cooking. As much as I hang onto summer until the very last second, when I do finally let go, I’m excited about the changes it brings for cooking dinner in the cooler weather. In fact, I sort of liken it to changing…

I’m not sure when I veered off the path of making my own roast whole chicken and instead fell into the habit of picking one up at the grocery store. It must have happened gradually while in the blur of raising kids but it was…

In the days following Thanksgiving what’s needed is a bit of redemption from overeating and ideas for what to do with leftover turkey. Here you have both. And most of the ingredients might be on hand in the pantry and refrigerator – leftover remnants from doing…

I’m not exactly sure when in my adult life that Thanksgiving overtook the other holidays as my favorite, but I do know I love it because it gives way more than it expects from us. Being the least commercialized holiday it really only requires an…

Here is a soup when you want something simple and filling and with variations to keep it interesting – pureed and with the addition of Italian chicken sausage. White beans, soaked overnight, are simmered with browned sliced fennel and onions, garlic and fresh thyme leaves…

Let’s just say I came into a lot of apples last week. My friend’s trees were loaded with both red and green and I was at the right place at the right time. It goes without saying I loved getting them, but I was also…

It’s not often I hear someone say they don’t like meatballs. I think it’s because they are just fun to eat. Each bite has many flavors and they’re tender from mixing additional ingredients to the ground meat. True, they do take a bit more time…

I’m devoting my first posts this month to giving you main dish ideas for holiday entertaining. I’m not sure how your thinking goes about what to make for your significant gatherings but I go back and forth between doing a more formal sit down or…

In the spirit of Thanksgiving I’m straying from posting a main dish recipe just long enough to give you a cocktail and appetizer recipe to serve before the big meal. For the Old Fashioned, I went back to my recipe files from the newspaper column…

It baffles me that archeologists can estimate when a food originated from so long ago. I know it’s based on a multitude of things but I still have to wonder with a bit of awe and question how do they really know? Like with lentils…

My good friend Carol has a special place where she hunts for chanterelle mushrooms. She’s graciously invited me to follow along with her a few times but much to my loss our schedules haven’t lined up for me to be the fortunate beneficiary. So like…

My son has been using A Year At The Table recipes to cook dinner. Having graduated from college he is living in an apartment and facing the often-daunting task of what to cook for dinner. He’s frustrated though with the cooking process. Doing the shopping, organizing the right equipment and doing the actual cooking can be overwhelming, he says. Can’t there be a simpler way?

I promised him I would develop a recipe “template” that he can use over and over, reminding him that like anything, the more you cook the same recipe the better you get at it…

Fresh rosemary, fennel seeds and orange zest form a savory herb rub for this pork loin roast and slivers of garlic randomly poked into the meat before it is roasted guarantee each slice is savory and flavorful. I like pork loin roast because it’s an…

My quest for the all in one dinner continues… this time with pasta and roasted brussels sprouts. What I love is not using a separate pan to cook the pasta and instead do it all together with the other ingredients. One less pan to clean…

This year I’m throwing out the traditional way to use Thanksgiving leftover turkey. My recipe slips cooked, shredded turkey into the beloved Thai Tom Kha Gai soup (coconut chicken soup). It’s a different way to use your turkey and will only take about 30 minutes…

In my humble experience as a Mom, I have found there are windows of opportunity for introducing new foods to kids. When they’re very young most kids want plain foods that don’t touch on the plate. Gradually as they get older you can introduce them…

Many years ago I came across a recipe for Chicken Breasts with Mustard Sauce by Pierre Franey, the “60-Minute Gourmet” from the New York Times food section. I was drawn to the recipe because of the ingredients, as well as the fact that it went…

Soup for dinner is a favorite to transition into the seasonal weather change. It’s dinner in one pot with an easy addition of bread. Smoky bacon drippings and fragrant rosemary and thyme simmered together with a variety of chopped vegetables give the soup a rich…

Things are getting challenging in my kitchen. Gone are the days when all four of us would eat most kinds of food. Instead I hear things like “I won’t eat that kind of meat” or “no dairy for me”. My kids are typical Gen Y…

Four of the loveliest words to hear when you’re trying to get dinner on the table in a hurry are “thirty minutes or less.” Crispy Cod with Basil Cream Dipping Sauce delivers that promise. This is one of my dependable recipes when I want something…

My daughter’s boyfriend is a huge fan of turkey meatballs. Particularly the ones pre-made at Trader Joe’s because as a college student athlete who does a lot of his own cooking – easy, healthy and good tasting food is a priority. So when he was…

Few cuts of beef have the ability to inspire anxiety for the cook like beef tenderloin. It begins the moment you take out a small mortgage paying for it at the grocery store. All the way home you wonder if it is worth what you…

Butternut squash may not be the first ingredient that comes to mind when you think of pasta, but it works really well in this vegetarian pasta recipe. Especially when it’s roasted first and all you have to do is toss it with the pasta. If…

As much as I feel strongly about keeping my Thanksgiving menu traditional, I like to change it up for Christmas and New Year’s. A recipe that can be partly or fully made ahead is my only requirement so I can enjoy myself too. So this recipe…

  Sometimes after Thanksgiving I need a complete departure from traditional American cooking and from the hours spent in the kitchen. You’ll get just that with this simple and quick recipe for Mongolian Beef. Typically this is ordered in restaurants and not made at home,…

I’ve chosen thin cut top loin pork chops for this recipe because they cook quickly, but if you prefer a thicker chop or one with the bone  you can substitute them and increase the cooking time. Why dredge the pork chop in flour? Because it…

Chicken and white beans refresh the more traditional style of chili with this recipe. And all simmered together with beer gives it a subtle but distinct flavor. For a change I suggest serving the chili over rice. A friend taught me this a few years…

There are very few of us who would turn down the chance to have breakfast for dinner, especially the cook because preparation is easy and expectations are low. No one is expecting traditional dinner food. Don’t balk at the fact that all the ingredients are…

Nothing short of amazing is how your house will smell while this pot roast is slowly simmering away in your oven and the aroma of beef, vegetables and herbs fill the the air. The cooking smells might just rival the actual eating of the finished…

When my Mother in law sadly passed away from cancer at too young an age, I was the fortunate recipient of her small index card sized recipe box. Early in my marriage she frequently asked us to Sunday dinner at their house. I always knew…

Okay, I know that last Thursday was the final day of summer but I just couldn’t resist posting this salad recipe in hopes that we’ll have a few more warm days in the coming weeks and you still may want something lighter to eat. Not…

You can literally make and serve this recipe within an hour from start to finish. The preparation is made easy with “oven-ready” lasagna noodles that do not require boiling. This is definitely one of my family’s favorite recipes for the taste and mine for the…