This hearty salad makes an easy, ideal dinner on a hot summer evening. Fire up the grill to cook the steak--we like skirt steak for this recipe--pour some cold drinks, and relax outside. Recipe source:Cooking With Friends KitchenIngredients4 heads romaine lettuce, washed and chopped 1 small red ...
Savoring Summer
With seedlings maturing in the garden, my strawberries turning red, the first CSA pick up complete, and the farmer’s market officially open, the summer season has obviously begun. An abundance of local and fresh produce creates endless culinary opportunities, making summer the ideal time to cook ...
Cooking Away the Rainy Day Blues
It was soggy and rainy for several days in a row and the gloominess was taking over. It was hard for even the most chipper of us to crack a smile. For crying out loud, June was supposed to be sunny and hot, not cloudy and dreary. Everyone was having a hard time shaking the mood. Bus talk chatter ...
Move over Chicken Challenge
My husband has always been one of those guys who could eat just about everything and never worry about gaining an ounce. Friends would watch in awe as he loaded his dinner plate with mounds of food and then eagerly return for seconds and maybe even thirds. He was just one of the lucky guys with a ...
Sometimes You Just Can’t
Last week, my toddler was sick and missed two days of school. Then my older son caught a little something and stayed home too. For most of the week, I was tending to needy and weepy kids and obsessing about the swine flu, a few cases of which have actually come to Montclair. There was no time to ...
Mix My Granola (the way I like it) — Great Gift — Think Father’s Day
Hey there granola lovers! I was recently introduced to a great new granola concept — www.mixmygranola.com. You all know that I am a big fan of making your own granola at home with friends, but I decided to take a look at this innovative new concept and thought it could make a unique ...
Velvety White Bean and Red Pepper Dip
This creamy dip is delicious while still being healthier than many dips prepared with cream cheese or mayonnaise. Bring it to a picnic, a potluck, or serve the red pepper-flecked dip at a backyard party this summer. Serve with our Parmesan Pita Crisps and a veggie tray, and you'll have a crowd ...
Cooking for Cinco de Mayo
While shopping in my local grocery store the morning of May 4th, the neat rows of tomatillos, plum tomatoes, avocadoes and limes were just too much to walk past — a sure testament to in-store merchandising! And, since I’ll grab any opportunity to make dinner a fun event in my house, I loaded my cart ...
Wusthof Classic Panini Knife
You all know I am a big fan of my Chef’s knife and use it for mostly everything. So, being a bit biased, when we were asked to review the Panini Knife by Wusthof, I wasn’t quite sure what I would think of it. Well, I like it. I began using it at first to cut hard crusty breads. The curved shape of ...
A Sink for All Purposes
A few weeks ago, my kids and I visited the Tenement Museum on the lower east side of Manhattan. This fascinating tour took us through several apartments in a virtually intact tenement building, providing a glimpse of the gritty difficulties of newly arrived immigrants. As we walked through these ...