A Vibrant Salad for Winter

December 5, 2019

I didn’t mean to make this beet salad for Thanksgiving. And when I was looking for a place on the buffet at my parents’ house, alongside the carved turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and other holiday dish royalty, it wasn’t entirely an accident that I sorta kinda placed it on a neighboring table where maybe nobody would see. (All the more… Read more »

Holiday Mission: Filling in Some Blanks

November 25, 2019

This Thanksgiving, after the turkey goes in the oven and before the potatoes get mashed, I’m going to interview my parents. I’ve been promising myself I’d do this ever since my friend Ingrid told me about Story Corps, the app that helps you record meaningful conversations (with anyone — parents, grandparents, friends, kids, anyone) then archives those conversations in the… Read more »

Single-Serve Stuffing Cups

November 18, 2019

Last fall, my friend Kate and I were driving north on the Saw Mill Parkway in New York when she started talking about the meals she makes for her 9-year-old son. “He’s vegetarian-ish,” she said, “but not vegetarian, so I make him really basic things.” Like what? I asked. “Oh, like lentils in bone broth, cheddar-corn pancakes with buttermilk and… Read more »

My Mini Food Processor: A Love Story

November 7, 2019

There was a time in my weeknight cooking life when, if I came across the phrase “In your food processor…” in a recipe, I would automatically turn the page. Who in his or her right mind would want to lug a small appliance out of the upper cabinets when they were on the clock for feeding hungry kids? And who… Read more »

Cute n’ Creepy Cupcakes

October 28, 2019

Quick post today to make sure you saw this Clare Crespo post about clever ways to decorate Halloween cupcakes over on Cup of Jo. Thanks to Clare‘s advice a decade ago when we worked on some magazine stories together, I’ve kept every doll my daughters outgrew just for the purpose of making her “buried alive” creation and I can’t tell… Read more »

The Secret to Good Vegetable Stock

October 16, 2019

One of the more satisfying things about roasting a chicken is the aftermath, when I’ve picked every piece of meat off its bones, laid down the jus-slicked roasting dish for my lucky, licky dogs, and then plunked a big Dutch Oven on the stovetop, ready to receive the carcass for a rich and hearty stock. Sometimes I’ll make that stock… Read more »