When you leave a cooking date laughing and smiling you know it’s been a good one. After lunching with Lou a few weeks ago and being served some fantastic handmade golden beet ravioli, I had been itching to make a batch myself. Beets in vibrant hues are peaking at the farmers’ markets beckoning ...
Summer Soup
When it’s as sweltering as it’s been this summer, there are many days I simply don’t know what to cook, never mind have the appetite to eat. The sultry weather drains so much of my energy! That’s why I turn to chilled soups which will nourish the body while having a cooling effect. My all-time ...
Berry Fun Jam Making
A bowl of deep black, sugary sweet raspberries picked fresh from my friend Debbie’s country home were the simple stimulus for twenty two jars of three different kinds of jam. We’re in full berry season here in New Jersey and when it’s hot and steamy outside there’s no better time to get out the ...
Summer Cooking is Here
Summer cooking is here and it couldn’t have been clearer than last week at Debbie’s as we made various marinades for our impromptu barbeques. The hum from the window fan and the shrill sound of the mating cicadas provided a surreal backdrop to conversation as Debbie, Jackie and I moved about her ...
Asian Cooking Party
I’m excited to teach a group of women how to make dumplings, Asian salad and fried rice this evening. Cooking parties are the new girl’s night in, where women put on their aprons, gather for wine and learn how to cook something new. It’s a refreshing change from the same old night out in a ...
Cucumber Peach Salsa
Serve this sweet and savory salsa with homemade tortilla chips or as a topping for grilled fish or chicken. Recipe source:Cooking With Friends KitchenIngredients2 cups peaches, peeled and diced small 1 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced small ¼ cup red onion, diced very finely 1 tablespoon ...
Asian Salad
Serve this crunchy salad as a side with lettuce wraps, tacos or even burgers at a BBQ. The sweet and tangy flavor compliments most anything! Recipe source:Cooking With Friends KitchenIngredients6 cups shredded Napa Cabbage 2 cups baby Bok Choy, chopped 1 bunch scallions, sliced and cut into 1 inch ...
I'm a Flexitarian (so it seems)
I’ve lived my entire life eating little to no red meat, an abundance of fruits and vegetables and minimal amounts of processed foods. Even as a kid, while my friends ate bologna and cheese sandwiches with a bag of chips for lunch, my mom would pack me an all-natural peanut butter sandwich -- the ...
Electric Skillet Pizza
Teaching middle school students how to cook in a pre-school classroom furnished with tiny chairs and miniature tables can be tricky at times, especially when all I’ve got is a microwave, toaster oven and a small slop sink to wash the dirty pots and pans. I’ve gotten quite good at cooking on a single ...
Tinkering with the Ordinary
Corn muffin purists would be aghast at my latest muffin concoction. I like to toy with my fares, often messing with the standard to shake things up. So to my corn muffins this morning, I added a combination of blackberries and strawberries, which to me, complimented (and even enhanced¬) the hearty ...