Hummus: Simple and Easy

Hummus and other Middle Eastern/Mediterranean foods have become very popular lately, and with good reason. They are not only delicious, but usually chock full of things that are good for you, while low in fat. But I have to say that grocery stores and Mediterranean delis have a good scam going selling prepared hummus. If [...]

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 [...]

Homemade Tomato Soup Just Like Mom Used to Make (With a Can Opener)

This is a very simple but very satisfying recipe for tomato soup that reminded me a lot of the Campbell’s tomato soup I used to eat as a kid — only better! A batch keeps for about a week in the fridge (I don’t recommend freezing), so this is a good soup to make on [...]

Quick and Easy but Elegant Party Food

Yes, the party season is winding down, but here’s a dilemma that can come up at any time: What do you do if you want to be social and have people over, but you don’t want to spend a lot of time cooking beforehand? I know that as I have gotten more and more pregnant, [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

A Big Batch o’ Gazpacho

There’s no denying it. Despite the hotter-than-Hades August that seemed like it would never end, fall has arrived. The cool, crisp days with no humidity almost make you forget that we’re still in the midst of a record drought. Who needs rain when you have glorious blue sky and it’s 72 degrees out?
So why am [...]

Spice Pastes For Grilling Season

Now that grilling season is upon us, I have been making a lot of spice pastes. I like spice pastes better than marinades for grilling or roasting bone-in chicken pieces with the skin on, because the spices adhere to the skin, produce a nicely browned crust and provide a more powerful flavor wallop. Spice pastes [...]

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 [...]