Sometimes I feel like I must try a recipe, just because it sounds too ridiculous or strange to ignore. In this case, it was finding a guy online making a “Mexican Dutch baby.” If you’re not familiar with a traditional Dutch baby, it’s basically a large, puffy pancake made in an already preheated pan in …
Continue reading “Oh, baby, are you going to love this Mexican-Dutch fusion”
I love finding recipes that claim to be “national dishes” or “traditional” ones. But I will also confess that, more often than not, when I declare that something is “traditional,” there is someone who will email me (very nicely, mind you) to let me know that, actually, the recipe I found wasn’t quite right. Inevitably, …
Continue reading “I’ll give this recipe my ‘stamppot’ of approval”
People sometimes wonder how I manage to find a different recipe to try every week. In the beginning of this column, over a decade ago, I thought I would source them from readers. I always assumed people would love sharing their favorites with me to try. But I’ve found over the years that people like …
Continue reading “Flavorful one-pan Middle Eastern dish is the ‘peas’ knees”
A few weeks ago, as one of my officemates, who shall remain nameless, glanced at my column, he remarked, “You’re really on a pasta kick right now, aren’t you?” “Yeah,” I told him. “I’m always on a pasta kick.” I mean, it’s kind of a silly question. Pasta is amazing. So, despite the judgement from …
While watching random cooking shows over the years, I picked up the advice from several chefs that if you’re cooking with wine, you should choose a bottle you would actually want to drink, or it isn’t worth using in your recipe. I have never heard the same advice for beer. I have used some of …
Continue reading “Everyone will polish off their plates with this sheet pan meal”
I first met Joey when I was 19 years old, and even then, he was forced into being my recipe guinea pig. I decided that I wanted to make a fancy meal for him one weekend, so I hunted for some ideas and came up with a brisket dish for two, and I decided to …
Continue reading “Making this for someone special could create a ‘meat’ cute”
Every time I use turmeric in a recipe, I remember back to the time I ruined the one and only manicure I’ve ever had while using it in a delicious Jamaican recipe. Knowing it has the ability to stain everything, I have been diligent about wearing an apron when cooking with it ever since (although …
Continue reading “Turmeric-based veggie soup will help you feel golden”
Editing for the newspaper leads me into strange rabbit holes sometimes. This week, it was a fair amount of research on hash browns. I have always spelled it as one word “hashbrowns,” but it turns out that I’m wrong. Also, apparently it’s not “hash brown,” although you can have “hash brown potatoes.” If it’s on …
Continue reading “Hashing out language isn’t always an easy task”
I recently watched a video that explained why there are so many different shapes of pasta out there. I always assumed it probably had a practical purpose and it wasn’t just because of ancient pasta makers’ boredom and creativity. And it does. If you’re wondering, it all comes down to the sauce. Have a thinner …
Continue reading “Cajun pasta shapes up to be an excellent, quick dinner”
There are a few dishes that feel specifically American. Meatloaf is one of those, despite it also being the butt of many sitcom jokes over the years. According to an article by Erica Martinez for “Food Republic,” meatloaf has been on recipe cards since the 1870s, but it may be even older than that. “[F]ood …
Continue reading “You’ll ‘loaf’ this lightened-up classic dish for dinner”
