Earlier this summer, while on a trip to Kentucky for a conference, Joey and I asked around to the locals where we should grab lunch in Frankfort. One of the recurring suggestions was to visit a little Honduran restaurant, Mami Monchita’s. I don’t know what food genre I expected people in Kentucky to recommend, but …
Continue reading “The food choices surprised us ‘Honduran’ this trip”
Upon being invited to a barbecue recently, I announced that it would be a good time to try out a recipe for some cheesecake-y blueberry lemon bars. “No. No lemon,” one of our friends declared. “Lemon is gross.” (I think he was at least halfway joking.) The rest of the group immediately objected. “Yes! Make …
Continue reading “You’ll have strong ‘peelings’ for lemon blueberry bars”
If you have read this column for any length of time, you know that I am, in no way, a gardener. Despite that, I still follow a Kansas gardening group on Facebook, and I love seeing the posts of beautiful gardens, weird plants and bugs that show up in people’s yards and discussions about how …
Continue reading “Pepper recipes abound for whatever might pop up”
I know that most of the recipes I share with you in this space are “sometimes” foods. From pasta-laden, full-fat casseroles swimming in cheese to decadent desserts with more sugar than a bag of Pixy Stix, I know the temptation is real. But we all need some recipes that look and sound a bit sinful …
Continue reading “Lighten up and try a new lasagna recipe this week”
When I began writing this column over 10 years ago, I had grand illusions of people sending me their favorite recipes and me trying them. What I found was that people are normally pretty guarded with their best dishes, and even more so, everyone wanted me to tell them something new to try instead of …
Continue reading “Say ‘oui’ to this yummy overnight breakfast casserole”
“What makes them Mexican potatoes?” a friend asked as he scooped my latest food experiment onto his paper plate in our backyard. “I think it’s just the spices that put it in that category,” I told him. He looked at me quizzically and only grabbed a few. But after finishing off that first spoonful and …
Continue reading “You have my ‘parmesan’ to treat yourself to potatoes this weekend”
I am often lost when it comes to buying preserves, jams, jellies, etc. I know there are differences, but for some reason, my brain can’t seem to keep it all straight. If you ever see me at a store, staring at my phone in front of a shelf of spreads, you’ll know exactly what I’m …
Continue reading “Preserve your time with a quick strawberry bar”
I was so glad this week that the smoke detector in my kitchen isn’t particularly sensitive. As I sauteed thin slices of steak on my stovetop, the room filled with a fine smoke that my exhaust fan just couldn’t keep up with. I am normally really nervous about cooking anything on high heat. I think …
Continue reading “Make a great Asian dish like you’ve never had ‘beef’ore”
I was remarking to some friends the other day about how Joey and I are complete opposites when it comes to socializing. As an extroverted social butterfly, Joey draws his energy from being around people and generally loves a crowd. For me, while I love to socialize, I tend to be reenergized by some alone …
Continue reading “Don’t crumble under hosting pressure; make a quick and easy dessert”
I don’t know about you, but I find myself searching the Internet every summer for new side dishes to take to barbecues. Joey is really, really not a mayonnaise fan, so the traditional offerings like potato salad and coleslaw are mostly out of the question. But then you also have the problem of how to …
Continue reading “Flex your cooking ‘Brussels’ with a new summer side dish”
