Good Morning, Friends. A few weeks ago, after I shared here that I had made zucchini Scarpaccia and was dissatisfied with its texture, my friend Caroline texted me: "I'm obsessed with Scarpaccia. Such a good use of all the zucchini. I make a double batch every weekend and snack on it all week. One of my favorite summer recipes." She sent me a photo... ... and a link to the recipe she uses, noting her changes: she omits the breadcrumbs, uses a sheetpan (as opposed to a 9x13), and bakes it for...
8 days agoΒ β’Β 1 min read
The above site means one and only one thing: It's ratatouille time! There are many ways to make excellent ratatouille, but I think roasting it is the least fussy (and best) way to do it. The recipe I use calls for roasting with both olive oil and balsamic vinegar, which gives the finished ratatouille a subtle bite, a flavor that evokes eggplant caponata, though the sharpness is more mellow. It is irresistible. Letβs review: Gather all of your ratatouille vegetables: tomatoes, eggplant,...
15 days agoΒ β’Β 2 min read
Friends, hello. Earlier this week, my friend Serena Wolf's third book, You Do You, made its way into the world, and I have been poring through it ever since. Serena, if you are unfamiliar, writes the blog Domesticate Me, but in recent years, her focus has been on her virtual cooking club, which she started during the pandemic and continues to run today. Serena's gift as a teacher shines in the pages of this book. As I flipped through it for the first time, I bookmarked so many recipes not...
22 days agoΒ β’Β 2 min read
Good Morning, Friends. Nearly every week, I receive an email or a comment from someone lamenting that the bottom of their sourdough loaf is too tough. They love the crumb and the flavor, but, as one reader sweetly wrote recently, sometimes "the crust is a bit too crispy for my weak teeth." I get it! And I have a solution, but first, let's quickly review the process. For Dutch oven baked loaves, the loaf bakes covered for roughly 30 minutes, then uncovered for another 15 minutes. Forty-five...
29 days agoΒ β’Β 1 min read
Good Morning, Friends. Last weekend, when my sister arrived with her children, she emerged from her car holding a small brown paper bag. I squealed at the sight, knowing/hoping what might be inside: dozens of dirt-shrouded heads of her husband Tim's homegrown garlic. If you grow your own garlic or are lucky enough to be on the receiving end of someone else's, or if you buy it at the farmer's market, you know it is a far cry from what most of us can get for much of the year. It is gold....
about 1 month agoΒ β’Β 3 min read
Good Morning, Friends. Two to three times a year, I find myself in Skaneateles with one of my kids for hockey. During these brief visits, we stop by Good Eats, a cafe on the main strip, at least twice a day for bagels, smoothie bowls, coffee, and snacks in between. And while we love everything on the menu, our favorite is the Power Bites, which are packed into small containers in the grab-and-go fridge. Over the years, we have learned that one pack is not enough to share for the long drive...
about 1 month agoΒ β’Β 2 min read
Friends, hello! Greetings from Queens via Denver, where I am/was for soccer, with various children. Culinary highlights have included First Watch avocado toast and salads (in Denver) and Matsunori hand rolls (in Queens). I love these trips for the time with my children and the food explorations they offer, but β and I hate to complain β after eating every meal out for nearly a full week, I am so looking forward to being home for a Sunday night dinner in. My salt-swollen joints are looking...
about 2 months agoΒ β’Β 2 min read
Friends, hello! I'm popping into your inboxes a few days early this week to share some ideas for the July Fourth weekend ahead, starting with a very, very simple pasta salad. Last summer, I shared the "recipe": rotini + ciliegine mozzarella + cherry tomatoes + pesto. It takes no time to throw together, and everyone loves it. Last weekend, while visiting my sister for a small family reunion, she made the same salad but swapped in tortellini for the rotini. I hadn't eaten tortellini in ages,...
about 2 months agoΒ β’Β 2 min read
Friends, hello! Last week, I had mentioned I was in the process of updating a very old recipe on the blog: Nigella Lawson's Cheater's Danish Pastry/Croissant Dough. When I first discovered it, I found it revolutionary because it did not require the laborious lamination process used to make traditional croissants, yet it produced a pastry with that characteristic rich-but-light, exceptionally flaky texture. Unlike traditional recipes, this one calls for cold butter, and the dough comes...
2 months agoΒ β’Β 1 min read