I’ve been cooking (and baking) up a storm with most of my friends during the last several weeks. We’ve been baking for upcoming cookie exchanges, making latkes for Hanukah, making biscotti, scones, empanadas . . . you name it! And it’s all happening in between shopping excursions, holiday social ...
Putting on the Spritz
It was an early dismissal day last Thursday when Kathe called and invited my kids and I over to play. And since it’s never a “should we cook?” but always a “what should we cook?” Kathe mentioned that she needed to make Christmas cookies for her church. Though I wouldn’t ordinarily think to bake ...
Holiday Cranberry Bread
These tart cranberry loaves are a delicious accent to your holiday meals. We make them ahead of time with friends, freeze several and then give them as gifts. We also keep some to enjoy with our own families, for breakfast and with dinner. Recipe source:Cooking With Friends KitchenIngredients½ stick ...
A Thanksgiving Tradition
My Thanksgiving was a deliciously simple day. And thanks to cooking with my friends and family, it was a hearty, no effort holiday! There were only seven of us this year -- my parents, husband and three kids. A 16 pound Murray's turkey would ensure that we’d have leftovers for soup, pot pies, and a ...
Girl Scouts Give
Thirteen girl scouts (and their moms) have been cooking with friends for those in need. It’s the kind of behind the scenes work that makes all the difference in our communities; passive giving that will help make someone else’s holiday a bit better . We’re extremely fortunate in Montclair NJ that ...
So Sweet Potato Fries
The other day, a friend and I indulged in a platter of well salted Vegan sweet potato fries at a local restaurant. While licking our fingers and swooning over each bite, we wondered why the fries were so deliciously crispy despite being baked rather than fried. We devoured the plate in slow motion, ...
Cooking With Friends for the Grieving
Last week I received an e-mail from Jo, a loyal CWF member, who shared a sad piece of local news about a devoted mother of three young children who unexpectedly passed away. This unthinkable tragedy left the family in disarray, as the husband must pick up the pieces while working to support his ...
Root Soup
Diced vegetables were already sizzling in olive oil as I walked into Debbie’s. I peered in and saw onions, carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes and squash filling about a third of the pot. Pretty much the same ingredients were inside the bag I was about to unload. I had a ton of squash from my CSA ...
The Need to Knead
My friend Jackie called me the other morning to tell me about the dough she had made for some “No Knead” bread. She couldn’t contain her excitement! As her cooking friend, I was one of the first people she shared her culinary pleasure with, the one who got to hear how easy it was to stir together ...
A First Cooking Date
Setting: Two new friends in a small, bright kitchen cooking for the first time together. In the half hour before she was supposed to arrive, I ran around like a crazy person hoping to get things in tip top shape for my cooking date. The kitchen had to be cleaner than it usually is, since I ...