Whenever we order Chinese or Thai food we invariably end up with an extra container of rice.  Rather then just reheat it I try to use it in soups or stews.  I had a head of cauliflower in the refrigerator along with carrots and onions and decided to make a meal out of them.  Rather [...]

It’s party season which, for many, means entertaining.  Notice guests roll their eyes when you bring out the tray of cheese and crackers, or plate of marinated olives, and bowl of roasted nuts.  If you’re tired of them too, you might be interested in trying something new like these warm artichoke squares. No messing with fresh [...]

Before you run out to the grocery store to buy that mediocre factory made pecan pie try these chocolate pecan squares.  Instead of the gooey sweet filling they have a layer of all pure chocolate sprinkled with a generous amount of toasted pecans.  The trick is to toast the pecans until they’re fragrant and have [...]

Creamy mashed potatoes and homemade cranberry sauce are a natural on most Thanksgiving tables.  If you follow Cookangel’s advice they can both be made ahead of time.  Disregard the comment about his mother eating more cranberry sauce then turkey! I can unequivocally state that it’s not true.  I give them equal consideration on my favorite [...]

Red cabbage doesn’t get the star treatment it deserves.  Tiny shreds of it are usually relegated to a green salad or bowl of coleslaw. However, braise it with apple, vinegar, and sugar (it becomes sweet and sour or agrodolce) and it turns into a sublime side dish for poultry, pork, or lamb.  It’s at this [...]

Whenever I taste or smell barley, the memory that pops into my head is the huge pot of soup that used to sit on my mother’s back burner in the dead of those frigid Montreal winters.  We could always count on some type of soup to warm us up on our return from school.  Our [...]

Local apples are at their peak and the varieties are endless.  We recently went apple picking with our grandchildren and came home with 2 huge bags.  I’m not normally a Golden Delicious fan but when they’re right off the tree they’re incredible.  I had leftover turkey and these crunchy apples and made a salad with [...]

My Auntie Doreen is the loveliest person – full of energy, generous, and lots of fun to be with, BUT when we were younger we never wanted to go to her house for dinner.  She really didn’t enjoy cooking and she made no bones about it.  HOWEVER, the one thing she knew how to make [...]

I realized as I was shuffling through my huge oversized recipe drawer trying to find a recipe amongst the 3,000 torn, withered, and stained pieces of paper, that it was time I went through them and figured out which ones I really want to save. It’s bad enough my kids will have to clean out [...]

The French have a way of taking basic ingredients – potatoes, grated cheese, and a little cream – and transforming them into a heavenly gratin.  Potato gratin may sound and taste fancy but it isn’t complicated to prepare.. In order to make the dish properly you’ll need a vegetable slicer that can cut potatoes paper [...]