A while ago I wrote the post Macaroni and Cheese Once and For All. Who was I kidding? I’m still futzing with the recipe. Now I’m streamlining it even more, using less white sauce and blowing off the breadcrumb or cracker crumb topping completely. And don’t be fooled by fancy mac and cheese recipes [...]
Mac and Cheese Update
August 25, 2010
August 18, 2010
Sort of salad, sort of pasta It’s hot outside. Farm stand and homegrown tomatoes are at their peak and available everywhere. Here in Tennessee my basil is loving the humidity. Perfect conditions for a fresh tomato pasta. I rely on this recipe throughout tomato season for lots of reasons. It’s not served hot so the [...]
July 13, 2010
My college buddy Philip and I have been cooking together and talking about cooking for 30 years. He’s an inventive cook, always open to new ingredients and techniques, but with one foot firmly planted in his native Boones Mills, VA, soil. He never was an ingredient snob. Ever since I’ve known him, Philip has been [...]
July 10, 2010
I put down the clicker when it landed halfway into Julie & Julia the other night. I’d seen it but had to see Meryl’s Julia some more. Just that day I’d watched Julia make tarte tatin on the Cooking channel. “…And let the utensils fall where they may!” I love her and I swear that [...]
April 2, 2010
Oh no, the vegetarians are coming over. What will we serve? Have you ever felt like this? It’s so effortless for us omnivores to fall back on the usual meat-centered menus. Succulent braised short ribs during the cold weather, fat steaks on the grill as the temperature warms up. There’s always that grilled salmon. It’s [...]
August 19, 2009
I’m not one of those party cooks who enjoys last minute dinner prep or an audience in the kitchen. Don’t get me wrong. I love to cook for people. But, I always prefer to cook ahead…like in Cheater BBQ. Hey, I’m a party girl who wants to enjoy the party, especially my own. There is [...]
August 1, 2009
Lamb pops on a hot grill are sit down fancy or stand-up casual.
July 16, 2009
It doesn’t matter where you do your “food shoppin” in Rhode Island. Fresh chopped clams are nearly everywhere. Our Stop & Shop in Wyoming has them for $5 a pound and they print a decent chowder recipe right on the side of the tub. The fastest, shortest route to fresh clams for us is chopped [...]
October 30, 2008
Something is going on in the supermarket soup aisle; it’s been cheffed. Take chicken broth for example, remember when Swanson and a regional brand or two (always called broth) were all we could get? Chefs made stock, we home cooks used canned broth for everything—soups, rice, gravy, dressing, meaty braises. No more, the supermarket broth [...]
September 30, 2008
Let’s eliminate three items from the Mac and Cheese irritation list: One: What is a good ratio of white sauce to one pound of macaroni? Answer: Five cups. Two: How thick should the cheese sauce be? Answer: Not thick at all, thin, in fact. Three: How much shredded cheese do you really need? Answer – [...]
Get tips for making perfect skillet cornbread. It's the only bread to serve with summer fresh vegetable suppers. 
