I cook because I love to eat. I garden because I love to cook.
We eat based on the weather. While some ingredients are at their peak only in certain seasons – think summer tomatoes – the atmospheric conditions also influence what we crave. In the summer, who wants a rich, heavy stew? Instead, we dine on much lighter …
A weeknight dinner might need to be quick, but that does not mean it needs to be unhealthy, tasteless, or inelegant. This Greek dish, shrimp in a simple, slightly spicy tomato sauce topped with salty feta cheese perfectly fits the bill. As it makes use …
When we were in graduate school my wife Marci and I would take a break from our studies on Friday at ‘happy hour’ with our friends and classmates. At some point, we all inevitably got hungry. We wanted to socialize late into the evening after …
Whether you are at a big fancy party or home having a quiet evening ignoring all of the hoopla, appetizers are a great way to celebrate New Year’s Eve. Here is a list of some of my favorite new appetizers I made in 2022. See …
We moved to St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands in the mid-1990s so Marci, who married me halfway through our time there, could carry out her dissertation research. The restaurant we grew to love most was a Greek place, called Zorba’s, of course. But it …
Let’s start by recognizing that putting a linoleum floor in an updated kitchen is a poor choice, even if it was the 1970s. Besides the fact that aesthetically you can do much better, linoleum melts. But more on that later. We went to the movies …
Thanksgiving can be a stressful day. Cooking for a crowd is never easy, and with so much emphasis on the food, everyone is focused on what comes out of the kitchen. That can be a lot of pressure. Central among the concerns, is the turkey. …
Every year when we host Early Thanksgiving for our friends, Carl carves the turkey. Our old dog Lucy had a love-hate relationship with Carl. When he walked in the door, Lucy would bark incessantly and disruptively; it must have gone on for at least 15 …
Warm, ripe summer tomatoes. Sweet, crisp sugar snap peas in spring. Spicy fall arugula. Crunchy, sweet carrots as winter approaches. Herbs as a garnish to shower over a dish before it’s ready to serve. All from my garden. Fruits, leaves, roots. All delicious. But as …
My children Jacob and Ariana were home last weekend for the holidays, joined by plenty of family. When they departed, they were both weighed down with an abundant bounty. Jacob took containers of leftovers: roast chicken, butter simmered carrots, green beans with shallots, stuffed cabbage, …
