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Garlic: The Magic Ingredient
After writing more than 200 blogs, you’d think I would already have featured this key constituent. Garlic is among the most important ingredients in most cuisines around the world. And besides, I love it. Good and evil Like many things…
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Crunchy, Chewy, Creamy, Flaky, Crispy, Tender
When I think about my favorite sandwich, a breaded pork tenderloin, what comes to mind is a complex taste sensation. As I bite into it, first, there’s the fresh bun, then the crunch of the crust of the fried pork…
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Down in Jamaica
Now that the days are getting warmer, we can start to think about outdoor grilling. One of the favorite grill recipes in this house is Jamaican jerk. We served our own homemade jerk chicken at our wedding (although we had…
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Pulling Up Free Veggies
When I was growing up on the farm, weeds were the enemy. A noxious-weed commissioner would regularly patrol the area, perusing fields to make sure that none of those offending weeds were going to seed and multiplying. Offending farmers were…
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Eat Your Spinach!
One vegetable that seldom appeared on our family menu when I was growing up in the 1950s was spinach. Fresh spinach was not on the shelves in the local supermarkets, and we didn’t grow it. We could buy canned spinach,…
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How to Eat Like an Italian
Do a Google search for “easy recipe ideas,” and you’ll come up with a host of interesting menu suggestions, many of them of Italian origin or character. I find the same Italian presence daily in the various recipes I find…
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Welcome to the Club Sandwich
When my daughter was a teenager, we had a Saturday ritual: lunch at the local diner. Invariably, she would order a chicken club sandwich. It reached a point where the waitress wouldn’t bother to ask her what she wanted; just…
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Bright, Light Spring Vegetable Soups
We still have cold nights, but spring is clearly on the cusp, and Daylight Savings Time is upon us. It’s just the right time to be making spring soups. They’re lighter – mostly broth and possibly milk – and filled…
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The Treasures of Portuguese Cuisine
You’d think that a cuisine that was influenced by the Roman Empire for seven centuries, was enriched by invading Arabs, had a continuing role in the spice trade, and drew influence from South America would be better known among North…
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The Asian Hotpot Is Hot
Remember fondue? Back in the 1960s and 70s, this Swiss-originated pot of melted cheese in which a table of diners dipped chunks of bread was a trendy way to have a fun, communal meal with friends. Soon, there were heated…
