Summer Gimlet
My brother and I were at Grendel’s Lair, a club off South Street in Philadelphia, to see a local band. We sidled up to the bar and took a seat. We ordered and waited for the bartender to mix our drinks…two Shirley Temples. It was …
Recent Blogposts
Crab Chaos – Crabcakes with Chipotle Aioli
I must have been about 7 years old when my father brought home a big bag of blue crabs from the Italian Market. A trip to the open-air fruit and vegetable stands, cheese and spice stores, fish mongers, butchers, and live animal stalls lining 9th …
For the Love of Cheese – Vegetable Flatbread with Asiago and Gruyère
Growing up, every Tuesday and Thursday we ate Bert’s Beans for dinner. Refried beans that my father actually re-fried in a skillet with probably too much oil, we would wrap them in homemade tortillas and slather on hot sauce. As the refrying process neared its …
Cabbage Education – Red Curry Cabbage with Toasted Coconut and Thai Basil
Gardening can be incredibly rewarding, but also unbelievably frustrating. Some crops are reliable, always a success from year to year. Green beans, for example, are one of the easiest vegetables to grow. I get a large harvest every summer, often more than I can use. …
It’s Been a Year – Turkey Meatloaf with Mushroom Gravy
It’s been two years since I retired from teaching and one year since I started my personal chef business. I am happy to say this second career has exceeded my expectations. I didn’t know what to expect when I opened my figurative doors last June. …
A Trip to Portugal – Clams with Garlic and Cilantro (Amêijoas á Bulhão Pato)
My wife Marci and I just returned from a lovely trip to Portugal. The weather was beautiful. We saw lots of churches, met interesting people, walked up and down miles of hills through narrow streets, had astonishing views, listened to amazing music, saw beautiful tile …
Why Do People Eat Bad Pizza? – Green Pizza
There are lots of things I never understood about the high school students I taught for 30 years. Chief among them was why they ate the pizza served in the school cafeteria. Long Island, where I live, is the land of excellent pizza. Virtually every …
Waffle Fries and Biology – Fried Calamari with Broccoli Rabe, Cherry Peppers, and Gorgonzola
Over my 30-year career as a teacher I’ve used many diverse techniques to help my students. But I was always at my best when I could relate a topic to something a typical teenager could understand. Often it was food. There were several themes that …
Our Family Seder – Passover Fruit Kugel
Growing up, my family did not invest vast effort in celebrating holidays. We didn’t have a barbeque on the 4th of July and my father was usually asleep by 9:00 p.m. on New Year’s Eve. We weren’t pious by any stretch, so holidays having to …
A Day In Flushing
If I have a free day – no appointments, chores, or obligations – I’ll probably spend it eating my way through Flushing. In north-central Queens, Flushing is the largest of New York City’s nine Chinatowns. It is bustling, crowded, and chaotic, a dazzling thrill. And …
