I was thankful for the freezing cold weather this week since my covered front porch served as an extra freezer for my baking date. My friend Kathe and I got together, as we usually do at this time of year, to crank out loads and loads of edible sweets -- including peanut brittle, pralines and ...
Kitchen Chronicles
Recipe Memories
Since the mid-1980s (judging from the newspaper and magazine dates), I've been collecting recipes and stories about food. There is the email from my college roommate titled "Artichoke Thing," the recipe for Jackie Kennedy's chocolate souffle copied from one of my mother's cookbooks, and many other ...
Busy Bees
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 ...
Talking With Pam Anderson
We were so fortunate this week to do an interview with Pam Anderson, the well-known chef, food writer and spokesperson for Carnation. We are pleased to share our question and answer session with you! Pam shares our love for cooking with others, and she especially enjoys cooking with her daughter ...
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 ...
Gift-Making With Friends
My friend came over recently for us to plan and plot our homemade edible gifts. Some of our ideas (not that we'll do them all!) included Hot Cocoa Mix, Salsa Mix, Rose Sugar, Infused Oils, and Chocolate Lollipops. We talked about how many gifts we'll need (for friends, teachers, etc.), how we'd like ...
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 ...
Thankful for the Open Kitchen
There are people who love to cook for friends behind closed doors and emerge from the kitchen with beautiful food and drink. I'm not one of them; I prefer to have people not only peering over my shoulder but picking up a whisk to mix, or suggesting an ingredient, or of course pitching in to peel all ...
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, ...