When moving away from the staples in my limited repertoir, I am usually trying to replicate something I’ve had somewhere, something I’ve seen that I’ve not had but would like to try, or just a technique I’d like to perfect. These backstories will be here, with the hope that you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing and sharing them.
Vanilla Cheesecake with Caramel and Salted Pecans. Let’s do this!!!
Inspiration is where you find it! While waiting to board a recent flight at Dallas Love Field, destiny had me sitting, waiting, and reading across the way from the Paciugo Gelato store. It was mid-day,, and I’d had only a very light breakfast so – duh! – why not? The flavor that got my attention…
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Incredible. Edible. Egg.
Experience tells me that of all my favorite foods, eggs have had one of the longest and roughest rides on the good-for-you/bad-for-you roller coaster. Just in time for the recent/current shortages, eggs seem to be back on the good-for-you list, so I thought it a fun time to share some of my adventures with eggs.…
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Winner, winner, chicken (piccata) dinner!
Hardly a visit to Chicago goes by that I don’t make an early stop at a favorite neighborhood Italian spot, Mario’s Table. More likely than not my dinner of choice is their veal piccata – it’s a classic! Extolling the virtues of this dish to friends who I have over for dinner on occasion, and…
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Cheesecake! What’s not to like?
When I first started cooking, and wanted to branch out into something that I had always assumed was complicated and required an overabundance of finesse, I chose cheesecake; the baked kind, not the refrigerator kind. Growing up, cheesecake was something for cafeteria dessert selections, and was usually just a slice of cheesecake with some brilliant…
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How it all began!
If it’s true that time flies when you’re having fun, I’m going to let that explain why it’s been almost 7 years that I’ve been sharing my food journey through emailed newsletters and posting recipes on a website. Vol 1 No 1 of my newsletters came out in December 2016, but like all good memories,…
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Avocado Bread
Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day, along comes this gem. I debated calling this “Things I learned from Instagram”, since this delightful recipe was published to social media by B. Dylan Hollis (@bdylanhollis). He found it in a 1973 cookbook, and once you see how unusual and fun and easy it is, you’ll understand…
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Potatoes Pave
As common as potatoes are in most cuisines, and as luscious as they are when paired with cream and Parmesan cheese and butter, there’s little left to notching things up a bit more than a spectacular presentation. Enter Potatoes Pave. Yes, they take some time, and yes, it can be messy if you’re not careful,…
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GNOCCHI – classic
Having heard my daughter talk about preparing gnocchi for some time, you can imagine my delight when, on a short visit to Chicago, I was able to enroll in a gnocchi class at The Chopping Block (admittedly my favorite ‘learn to cook’ experience). The recipe I feature here is theirs. It’s decidedly easy, fun, and…
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never 2 old 2 start cooking 