I cook because I love to eat. I garden because I love to cook.
I didn’t grow up eating much ham. It’s not that my family refrained from eating pork, we just didn’t cook ham. We had deli ham occasionally, along with salami and the other meats that are found in a Philadelphia hoagie. I have always loved the …
In the cold of winter I miss my garden. While I may be able to pick a little hardy kale if the temperature is not too low and I haven’t used it all, the garden is mostly barren this time of year. And even though …
I love New Year’s Eve. I always have. I love the celebration and revelry, the noise and the glitter. Everyone is happy. It’s a joyous holiday, full of pomp and excess. And I love my tradition of feasting on a wide variety of small bites …
After noting that I often serve empanadas with a bowl of chimichurri on the side, several readers asked for the recipe for this fresh, uncooked, herb-based sauce. It also goes beautifully as a marinade or finishing sauce on grilled steak, chicken, or fish. I love …
I love all things dumpling, and every culture has their own; Italian ravioli, Jewish knishes and kreplach, Indian samosas, Tibetan or Nepalese momos, Polish pierogies, British pasty, Chinese wontons. The list goes on and on, and I love them all. As a teenager, I discovered …
My wife Marci’s grandmother was French Canadian. When Marci was young, her family often had Sunday dinner at her grandmother’s house, and to hear her tell it, it was a grand affair. Fresh vegetables from her grandfather’s garden, a fresh made apple pie, and never …
There are times when adding a salad to the menu of finger foods is a great offering when having a party. But salads are messy – partygoers need a plate and a fork and two hands, making it difficult to hold a drink, all while …
My daughter doesn’t like Thanksgiving – neither the holiday nor the food. Never has. It’s not because of the people or the family gathering, but rather it’s because of her birthday, which is always during the same week as Thanksgiving. Some years, including this year, …
It is always better when food looks good, in addition to tasting good. In upscale restaurants chefs have to be artists on two fronts; each course is a meticulously prepared work of art, not just in terms of flavor combinations, but also as a fleeting, …
When I was in high school, my friend Dave and I would drive miles to 12th and Shunk, deep in the heart of South Philadelphia, just to get water ice at Italiano’s. It was the best water ice we could find. A plethora of flavors …
