A recent series of dental procedures required I expand my repertoire of soft food dishes. No chewing, so either puréed or very, very soft to eat. I made my way through Chinese jook (rice congee), lentil soup, and this bread soup through the several weeks…
And by “anytime” I mean morning, noon or night. This cake is equally enjoyed as a breakfast sweet, mid-afternoon coffee or tea pick-me-up, or dinner’s dessert! Technically zucchini is a fruit since it grows from the flower of a plant and contains the seeds for…
Now is the perfect time when ratatouille ingredients are abundant at our markets. Every year, late summer into early fall, versions of zucchini, eggplant, and tomato dishes appear on our table for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We enjoy ratatouille as a versatile accompaniment to…
This quick-ish stir-fry is inspired by a recent dinner with friends. I prepared a veggie-only side dish of stir-fried zucchini and cherry tomatoes. It made an easy switch to a weeknight dinner, with added chicken, for an all-in-one skillet meal. The “weeknight” in the recipe…
Spring brunch time is nigh, and this “strata” features the classic pairing of ham and sweet potatoes. Technically the method here doesn’t layer the ingredients, thus a strata, but over the years I’ve found the layering process doesn’t make a big difference in the end…
I’ve been on a bit of a scone binge recently, ever since I made a batch of my cream scones with homemade lemon curd from my backyard harvest of three trees. Scones in winter are an easy, one-bowl creation with basic ingredients many of us…
This recipe can be the start of many improvisations on its theme. I always appreciate an easy, mix-and-match, recipe that’s built for flexibility depending upon what might be on hand. By now we have grown accustomed to making swaps to recipes, old and new, based…
2020’s Holiday Season will be different for most of us. Scaled back. Way back in our family. I usually bake in volumes (well more than usual volumes) whilst we enjoy gatherings and gifting with friends and family. Sometimes my holiday baking projects are fancy but…
Oven-roasted Brussels sprouts and delicata squash are a clear signal we’re transitioning from summer to autumn meals. This is my third published recipe using delicata squash in as many years (check out here and here for them), and we enjoy this seasonal favorite countess times…
It’s early September in Piedmont and it is rough going outside for myriad reasons. There’s the pandemic. Unhealthy air quality due to the wildfires. And an excessive heat wave with record-breaking temperatures. If there was ever a time when I had to rely upon preparing…