Smitty’s Wings
I never met Smitty, but his presence has been in the kitchen since I met my wife. Long before I learned to make Buffalo wings, my wife taught me to make Smitty’s wings. He was her college friend, now long lost, and he used to …
Recent Blogposts
Anyone Can Make a Good Antipasto
Anyone can make a good antipasto. You don’t even have to know how to cook. Just visit a pork store. When I moved to Long Island, I had no idea what a pork store was, pork not being a major part of my diet. But …
Sweet Treats – Sugar Snap Pea and Corn Salad
Mid June brings my favorite garden vegetable – sugar snap peas. They are sweet treats hanging on six-foot tall vines getting more plump with each passing day. As soon as they form I want to pluck and gobble them up, but I know I am …
It’s All About the Horseradish – Shrimp Cocktail
There’s something about shrimp cocktail. When it’s hot outside and the shrimp are ice cold; slightly sweet and saline. Delicious. And then you dunk them into spicy cocktail sauce, even better. And as my wife Marci notes, the cocktail sauce is all about the horseradish. …
Why Everyone Should Always Have Roasted Red Peppers in Their Refrigerator
I love roasted red peppers. They add extra flair to almost any meal. They are perfect when tucked into a gourmet sandwich or as part of an Italian-flavored salad. They add zest to an antipasto platter and are a delicious small bite served on crostini, …
Lobster Rolls – The Perfect Summer Food
I didn’t eat lobster until I met my wife Marci in graduate school. She is from Boston, and was weaned on lobster; she tells tales of eating twin lobsters as a child, because one was never enough. When we were in graduate school on Long …
Do You Know How Much This Would Cost in a Restaurant? – Seared Duck Breast with Fig and Balsamic Reduction
How do you tell someone the meal they just cooked for you was delicious? Do you swoon and say “mmm” and “ah” out loud? Ask for the recipe? Or just say, “That was delicious”? In my family growing up, it was always more subtle. You …
The Great Mushroom Hike of 2003 – Mushrooms in Olive Oil
It has been a rainy spring on Long Island where I live, and the mushrooms are blooming. Every day as I walk our dog I see maybe four or five varieties poking their heads up in abundance through the soil. As impressive as it is, …
Summer Rolls with Peanut Sauce – Fun to Make, Fun to Eat
In 1979 we only had a small black and white television, so I did not watch much as a child. I do remember a commercial for Ortega tacos, in which people debated the best part about having tacos for dinner – making them or eating …
