From Scratch

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 […]

Since I do practice what I advocate — cuisine d’opportunité – I have another, but very different, raspberry recipe on the heels of raspberry fool. I found gorgeous berries at a great price a few days ago and bought several containers; the savings with this raspberry vinaigrette recipe alone pays for them all.
I don’t know what bothers […]

I’ve made this recipe for more than a decade. It’s another one that’s super-easy with a handful of ingredients that deliver a lot of flavor. Better still, it’s high in protein, low in calories, fat and carbs and is easy on the budget. 
It’s from Mitzi Perdue’s chicken cookbook. She’s an expert on poultry and ways to […]

I can’t help but love a recipe that’s quick and versatile, although in this case the versatility was accidental.
The original was in Self magazine and it’s a delicious, simple version of chicken breasts simmered in an herby, lemony sauce. I had leftover sauce which I used the next day on pasta and, hey presto, I had a […]

Everything has a price. Too often, the price of convenience is steep, both in dollars and good health, and it’s a steeper price than I’m willing to pay.
Take taco seasoning. Those handy envelopes of not quite three tablespoons sell for about a dollar and contain way more than a day’s worth of sodium. Depending on the brand, each […]

It wasn’t too long ago that the appearance of asparagus at the market, in time for Easter dinner, heralded the arrival of spring. Now, like so many fruits and vegetables, it has become virtually seasonless, nearly always available, although the more tender white variety can be harder to find. Despite that, it’s still a labor-intensive vegetable and therefore […]

The first time I had turkey chili, back when the idea was a novelty, it was so bland it was almost tasteless. Turkey is hardly full of flavor. A friend who made turkey chili would try to compensate for that by loading up on the hot stuff, giving everyone at the table a runny nose and […]

While I’ve been eating a lot of rabbit food, Mr. Knife Skills has been wondering when there might be something sweet in the house again, meaning something homemade and not the donuts he thinks I don’t know about. As much as I’d love cheesecake — any time — that’s just too fattening right now. I went […]

It’s not just the absense of ham hocks or other meat that makes this lentil soup a little different, it’s also the inclusion of lemon, adding another dimension to the broth. The end result is a colorful lentil soup that’s lighter than most and I welcome that right now.
I’ve been eating sparingly since the holidays; indulging […]

This is big-flavor delicious. In addition to the ingredients here, a little white wine and chicken broth round out the picture. The bonus is it’s simple enough that anyone, including novices, can put a lean, impressive main course on the table.
Beautiful blood oranges are in season and I had a couple in the fridge when this […]

This is a perfect accompaniment to the chicken tikka masala or any spicy dish for that matter. Dip a bit of naan into it to cool things down or simply eat it on the side. It will help use up leftover yogurt from the chicken dish, assuming you buy one large economical container, and because I […]

From grunts to galettes and turnovers to tartlettes, the good folks at Fine Cooking have put together a special feature called Summer Berry Desserts, with a dozen seasonal recipes to enjoy. They had people like me in mind when they wrote, “It’s a truism that berries at the height of their season are best served […]

This is a summer favorite. It’s chilled, it’s lemony-refreshing, it’s pasta and it’s a snap to make. Technically it’s a side dish, but I’ve also eaten it as a main course, adding veggies or protein to it or having it with greens or fruit salad.
When this recipe ran in The New York Times — I believe it […]

This lightened version of chicken Dijon came to me on a recipe mailing list six or seven years ago. It’s from a cookbook called Crazy Plates: Low-Fat Food So Good, You’ll Swear It’s Bad for You! by Janet and Greta Podleski. They’re sisters and, like Celine Dion, they’re Canadian. They’re also fond of puns — […]

I love this quote from Julia Child, in Julia’s Kitchen Wisdom:
The perfect vinaigrette is so easy to make that I see no reason whatsoever for bottled dressing.
Neither do I. Not only does home-made vinaigrette taste so much better, it eliminates the chemicals and high fructose corn syrup in most bottled dressings. (Corn syrup is so […]