I cook because I love to eat. I garden because I love to cook.
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. …
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, …
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 …
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 …
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, …
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 …
I’ll eat asparagus any way I can get them, especially now, in late April when the spears are sticking their little heads up from the garden soil. Other than chives and few herbs, they are the first crop to emerge in my spring garden. And …
Think of all the great food one can eat on a trip to Israel – falafel, schwarma, shakshuka, hummus, huge savory Israeli breakfasts with cheeses and vegetables and fish, not to mention the sweet, honeyed desserts. Sad to say, when my grandfather took me on …
We all have a relative or a neighbor who is a little, let’s say, different. Not crazy. Not deranged. Just a little quirky in their own way; a little towards the outside of the norm. Crazy hair and odd clothes. Acts in a way that …
My mother’s summer fruit tart is one of my favorite desserts, as long as you leave out the garlic. Many years ago my wife Marci and I made a pair of fruit tarts, one as a thank you to our landlord’s family for some deed …
