Farmers Market Vegetable Soup

The problem with going to the farmers market is that it is all too easy to yield to temptation and grab up way too many fresh vegetables than you can possibly eat in a week. What better way to take advantage of all that bounty than to make a huge pot of soup? You can [...]

Making Muffins

Banana-sunflower seed muffins.
It is so hard when you go into a Starbuck’s or the coffee bar in the bookstore, and you just want a little something, to find anything that’s reasonably healthy. All those gigantic portions of cake, cookies as big as your head, oozing cinnamon buns, danishes and croissants look good, but they’re usually [...]

Classic Macaroni and Cheese

IMG_8846.JPG, originally uploaded by tantek. Full disclosure: This photo is not of my mac and cheese. But it’s a better photo than the one I took.
One thing I hate is other people telling me what or what not to eat. The American culture seems obsessed with what you should or shouldn’t eat to be the [...]

My Husband Cooks Too: Cheesy Pasta Bake

My husband does cook, although not nearly as often as I do. He is a very different cook than I am. He maintains a small repertoire of dishes that he makes over and over again, improving each time, and I have hardly ever seen him consult a recipe. Rather, he cooks solely by memory and [...]

Eat Your Vegetables! Prepping, Blanching and Revitalizing Vegetables

colors in the market, originally uploaded by Zé Eduardo
Sometimes it seems like a lot of work to sneak in those 5 servings of vegetables per day. When I’m trying to throw together a quick weeknight supper, I often don’t want to spend time making side dishes. And I’m not going to eat fresh vegetables for [...]

Compound Butters

When you’re trying to put together a weeknight dinner, seasoning can seem like too much of a hassle. You have to mince garlic or herbs, measure out spices and figure out what flavor combinations work well together. When serving plainly cooked fish, chicken or vegetables, it often seems easier just to let a dash of [...]

Indian-style Summer Squash Stew

This growing season has been challenging me to find new ways to serve up summer squash. Sure, it tastes good sauteed or roasted, but there are only so many meals when you can get away with serving squash as a side dish. Sometimes it needs to be part of something more substantial.
Searching for just such [...]

Bruschetta

Bruschetta (pronounced “broo-sketta” ) and its relation, crostini, is one of my favorite snacks, especially now that summer is here and there is such a plethora of likely toppings. When most people think of bruschetta, they think of the classic starter of toasted bread served with a topping of chopped tomato and basil. Actually, bruschetta [...]

French Onion Soup (Bistro Cooking)

Patricia Wells is my new best friend. I have had her cookbook, Bistro Cooking, for a while but only recently began cooking out of it. The recipes are simple but hearty French bistro fare that rely on the best ingredients for flavor, and each one I have attempted has been delicious. Her Marinated Goat Cheese, [...]

Bean Cakes, a Versatile Classic

Bean cakes — or croquettes, if you want to get all French about it — are a wonderfully versatile dish. They work equally well as a side at breakfast, as an appetizer with a dipping sauce, on a sandwich or in a tortilla. Use any kind of beans you like, and vary the flavorings to [...]