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Recipes

  • The Secret To Killer Pork Chops at Home

    The Secret To Killer Pork Chops at Home

    There’s a psychological phenomenon–and I’m not a psychologist, so cut me some slack here–by which, even though we know what’s good for us, we don’t do the thing that’s good for us. So, for example, let’s say we’re an aspiring journalist and there’s a convention downstairs, in our building, for working journalists who are looking…

  • What To Do With Jerusalem Artichokes

    What To Do With Jerusalem Artichokes

    The Jews have an expression: “Next year in Jerusalem!” The idea is that next year, whatever we’re doing or celebrating, we’ll do it in Jerusalem, the place where all Jews should aspire to someday go. (I do aspire to go there some day, though I think Rome may be higher on my list, if only…

  • Roasted Apple & Pear Sauce

    Roasted Apple & Pear Sauce

    No one gets very excited when you say “apple sauce”–well no one except, maybe, people who just had their wisdom teeth out–but throw the word “pear” in there and the word “roasted” and you start to whet people’s appetites. My appetite was certainly whet when I saw this recipe in The Barefoot Contessa’s newest book,…

  • Anatomy of a Pork Chop Dinner (A Three Part Series)

    9:24 PM, Friday, October 30th. The scene? My kitchen. In attendance? Myself and Craig. The event? The creation of one of the best plates of food I’ve ever made. It started like this, see, I was at the farmer’s market, taking pictures with my new camera when I spied these Jerusalem artichokes. Or was it…

  • Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Pie

    Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Pie

    So that dinner I made for my friend Alex’s birthday (the one with the soup) began a few days earlier when I e-mailed Alex a very important question: “Dear Alex,” I wrote, “what are your Top 5 favorite desserts of all time?” Alex wrote back: “Hmmm…top five favorite desserts…I’ll do this w/o thinking too much:…

  • Roasted Squash & Fennel Soup

    Roasted Squash & Fennel Soup

    Dealing with expectations is a tricky endeavor for every cook, whether at home or at a four-star restaurant. Granted, the four-star chef has a harder time: diners at a four-star restaurant expect impeccable service, pristine surroundings, and food at the cutting edge of what food can be. At home, things are a little different. You…

  • Spaghetti and Meatballs

    Spaghetti and Meatballs

    There are certain dishes everyone should know how to make; Spaghetti & Meatballs is one of them. It’s funny, though, because even though I’ve been cooking consistently for the past six years, cooking my way through the staples (here’s my favorite chili, my new standard roast chicken, my go-to chocolate chip cookie) I’d never really…

  • Butterscotch Pecan Ice Cream

    Butterscotch Pecan Ice Cream

    Good people, I have returned to the land of the living. As I stated in today’s newsletter (my first since August (subscribe here)), half of my cookbook was due this past Friday and I turned it in with a great sense of accomplishment and relief. Now I have some time to breath while my editor…

  • How To Make A Caesar Salad

    I make Caesar salads all the time and whenever I do, I forget to take pictures. Maybe it’s because it’s such a loosey-goosey process–how much garlic, how much anchovy, how much Parmesan & lemon is all a matter of taste–but, still, my Caesar salad is very good (as evidenced by this post). So, instead of…

  • Salsa Verde

    Salsa Verde

    So the other day, when I was live-streaming my dinner preparations from my kitchen (making history! see here) I was surprised not only by how many people turned out (including impressive folks like Dan Saltzstein and Kelsey Nixon (who has her own show launching soon on Cooking Channel!)) but how useful it is to have…