From Scratch

Most people enjoy barbecued ribs but there are potential deterrents: not everyone can cook outdoors and ribs can become a project, what with starting them indoors in the oven or a pressure cooker and moving them outdoors to the grill. Marinate them before cooking and we’re looking at a meal that makes us wait most […]

The lighter side of presidential politics. When it comes to fashion, there’s no doubt which potential first lady gets Tim Gunn’s vote. Project Runway’s divine style maven-in-chief tells Time magazine online:
Michelle Obama. Absolutely. From a fashion viewpoint, Michelle Obama looks so comfortable and relaxed in her style, in her fashion, and she exudes that. She […]

No word from Bravo about the next season of Top Chef, but The New York Observer says contestants have been quietly coming and going in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. The paper says they’re living in a $1 million+ condo — a duplexed penthouse on Bayard Street — and have been filming at a nearby […]

Humor me here, or trust me. This is a great way to serve grapes. Just as roasting intensifies the flavors of vegetables, it brings out the sweetness of grapes. So does the touch of salt, which always makes sweet things sweeter. Roasted red grapes taste much like grape juice, but without added sugar. With a dip […]

By suburban standards, Manhattan supermarkets are tiny so I always assumed if they sold something, larger stores everywhere did. Not so. Even though many recipes call for it, crème fraîche is not a staple in every dairy aisle is America, as I learned when I moved to New England. Of five markets I use, only […]

The Jerusalem Post runs a good cartoon strip by Yaakov Kirschen called Dry Bones, which usually takes on issues in Israeli politics. But one strip this past week was prompted by Barack Obama’s visit.

Sphere: Related Content

Now that tomatoes have been greenlighted by the Food and Drug Administration in the recent salmonella outbreak — after 1,251 people got sick and two died — federal health officials today announced finding a jalapeno pepper with the same strain. Takeaway: we should not eat fresh jalapenos but processed or pickled peppers are safe.
NBC’s crackerjack […]

For some reason, we Americans tend to think of scrambled eggs as a breakfast or brunch dish, not a main course for lunch or a light dinner. Many people in other countries have them for any meal of the day and they can be a perfect choice.
Since I’ve been trying to follow the Big Breakfast […]

I tried hard during my time off to avoid reading about things I write about and for the most part, I succeeded. But some issues attract global attention and can’t be ignored. I’m talking about the now-infamous “satirical” New Yorker cover of Barack and Michelle Obama fist-bumping, with him portrayed in Muslim garb. Brazil’s Simanca […]

Just a shortie to say I won’t be posting for the next two weeks or so. Aside from needing a real get-away vacation, I’m also perilously close to blogger burnout after nearly 500 posts — about 200 of them recipes — in 15 months. So I’ll see you back here in a couple weeks!

Sphere: Related […]

One consequence of higher gas prices doesn’t bother me at all. In fact, I welcome it, although I’m sorry it’s been necessary for all of us to dig deeper at the pump to bring this about. JD Crowe of the Mobile Register ilustrated it in a cartoon on Thursday.

Sphere: Related Content

                                                                  Celebrate freedom.

We usually think of this type of dish as French bistro fare and it is, but this one’s Italian, from Lombardy — its proper name is pollo all’ aceto — so the often-used shallots and thyme are not present. It’s every bit as delicious as its French counterpart and just as simple, now that I’ve streamlined […]

Chef Emeril Lagasse moves next week from the Food Network to its sister channel, the Fine Living Network, which has provided preview videos. The July 7 debut focuses on seafood — he has a new seafood restaurant – but I’m interested in the July 11 show. He’ll create dishes on the fly with locally-grown “mystery” foods from New York’s […]

The first time I saw a smoothie maker for sale I had an “only in America” moment. It looked just like a blender with a different name. To this day I don’t know the difference between the two. I also don’t know any people who have a blender and a smoothie maker, but I’m willing […]