I cook because I love to eat. I garden because I love to cook.
I read a lot of cooking magazines, so I see the waxing and waning of trends and fads in restaurants and kitchens. Mostly I ignore them. In one ear, out the other, although maybe they leave a tiny impression in a far off corner of …
My very favorite food in the whole wide world is shell-on, salt baked shrimp from the Chinese restaurant Lee How Fook in Philadelphia, where my family has been dining for decades. It is light, crisp, crunchy, and salty, with a slight peppery tang, perfect with …
Tomatoes and arugula are a match made in heaven; the juicy sweetness of tomatoes and the spicy bite of arugula. The problem is, the peak of tomato season in the garden does not coincide with maximum arugula production. Tomatoes are best before nights get too …
There are lots of factors that influence and inspire me when I cook and develop a recipe, but it’s rarely a name. Maybe I enjoyed a dish in a restaurant that I want to re-create at home. Or perhaps I saw a picture in a …
There are coleslaw lovers in this world, and coleslaw haters. It seems there are very few people in between. The lovers don’t understand why, when served as a supplement to your sandwich, you get only a tiny portion. Three or four forkfuls. A tease. It’s …
Kids are not easy, even when they’re no longer kids. My children, currently 19 and 21, are home from college because of the coronavirus pandemic. At times they have reverted to their former selves circa ages 6 and 8. They bicker and fight with each …
In the heat of the summer, it’s always good to keep the kitchen cool by heading outdoors to use the grill. Burgers and hot dogs are fine, but kebabs are really where it’s at; bite-size chunks, seared to crisp perfection on the outside, while still …
In the early 1990s, when my wife and I first moved in together, we rented the second floor of a big, old Victorian house painted white with brown trim, with creaky steps and uneven floors. Our landlord, Carmine, lived next door and our kitchen window …
I was cooking dinner for my family the other day and just before serving it, I knew the dish needed something. I ran to the garden to snip a handful of perfectly fresh herbs to sprinkle on top and complete the meal. One of my …
My wife and I are very compatible in general. Things that other couples fight about are not usually issues for us. For example, we share the same political point of view, which removes a tension found in many relationships. We have a similar sense of …
