Fridge Foraging – Miso Soup

Fridge Foraging – Miso Soup

On a Saturday night, if my wife Marci and I have no other plans, we may hang around the kitchen with a glass of wine while I cook up a tasty meal. Sometimes I know exactly what to cook; I’ve thought about it and I’ve …

Steamers – For My Wife

Steamers – For My Wife

Last weekend I stopped in the fish store to buy a piece of fish for dinner. Sitting there on ice was a pile of live soft-shell clams with their siphons sticking out from between their paired shells. I know my wife Marci loves steamers, and …

Cooking with My Son – Pesto Ravioli with Pesto Parmesan Cream Sauce

Cooking with My Son – Pesto Ravioli with Pesto Parmesan Cream Sauce

My children have always loved pesto; since they were little, pesto on spaghetti has been one of their favorite meals. Before they got wise and refused to help, I tortured them annually with the Great Basil Harvest. We sat outside for what seemed like hours …

Emilio’s Salad Dressing – Creamy Balsamic Vinaigrette

Emilio’s Salad Dressing – Creamy Balsamic Vinaigrette

I try to eat salads for lunch at least four times a week. It’s tough. No, literally, tough; it’s a lot of chewing. I sometimes feel like a cow chewing its cud and I can get sick of them pretty quickly. The only way to …

Bert’s Baba – Baba Ganoush

Bert’s Baba – Baba Ganoush

I learned to cook mainly from my father, Bert, who was the primary cook in my family growing up. I cooked all kinds of dishes with him. I learned to make spanakopita (Greek spinach pie) and baklava, both with thin, buttery layers of phyllo dough. …

Toast Cups

Toast Cups

I’m always looking for innovative, edible vessels in which to serve appetizers. I’ve bought pre-made phyllo cups at the supermarket, and I’ve seen packaged cup-shaped crackers. For years I’ve covered crostini with fresh tomato bruschetta and other toppings. The healthiest version is to stuff endive …

Kitchen Trends – Roasted Veggie Grain Bowl with Tahini Dressing

Kitchen Trends – Roasted Veggie Grain Bowl with Tahini Dressing

I tend to avoid trends in the kitchen. Even though I read a lot of cooking magazines, I’m always a little late to the party; I’m not one for change. I don’t own an Instant Pot. My second or third unopened tub of miso is …

Pesto Pizza

Pesto Pizza

I first started making dinner for my family when I was about twelve or thirteen years old. One of the first meals I made was pizza. Every Wednesday, I made two pizzas. I would come home from school, dissolve some yeast in warm water and …

Clothes Make the Man, But Croutons Make the Salad – Crispy, Crunchy Croutons

Clothes Make the Man, But Croutons Make the Salad – Crispy, Crunchy Croutons

While clothes may make the man, croutons make the salad…or soup…or pasta. They are little nuggets of crispness that finish a dish, and no, they should not be relegated just to salads. They can be a little oasis in a creamy soup and will add …

Soup People – Tortilla Soup

Soup People – Tortilla Soup

Some people are soup people. Take my grandfather, for example. He ate soup as a first course at dinner every day, even in the middle of the summer. That’s a soup person. My father-in-law also loved soup. He would eat soup as a full meal …