CookShelfAs 2016 draws to a close, many of us will look back and assess the year, perhaps making resolutions for 2017. If you are inclined to do so, and if any of your resolutions involve cooking, you may want to check out The…
Not that long ago, when a recipe called for chocolate, your options at the supermarket were limited to just one or two brands, with a likewise limited range within them (usually the choices were only one type each of…
Between the parties, cookie baking, shopping, candy making, musical events, family gatherings, and gift wrapping, the year-end holidays make for one of the busiest times of the year. It can be exasperating to fit in…
It's sometimes all too tempting to purchase a gift for someone based on what you would like to receive. We've all been guilty of it at one time or another - or have been the recipient of a gift that left us scratching…
At the end of a stressful week, I look forward to the weekend so that I can relax in the kitchen with a baking project. To paraphrase a popular saying, a bad day in the kitchen is better than a good day at work. Baking…
Don't you love it when you learn something about an ingredient that you have been thinking about trying? That happened to me today, when I followed a link posted by David Lebovitz on Facebook. The link was to an article…
The Italian amaro Fernet-Branca is riding the wave of increased interest in bitter liqueurs. Introduced in 1845 in Milan, Fernet-Branca has been made by the same family ever since. You can learn more about the popular…
In the days of Yelp and instant reviews, printed dining guides are in danger of becoming irrelevant. As John Lethlean points out in The Australian, the combination of not including recent restaurants, poor writing, and…
Recently I have gone through kitchen cabinets with ruthless determination to downsize. Not being able to close some of the doors due to the surfeit of gadgets and appliances led me to do a KonMari-style clean out. Some…
With all of the photos of slightly charred, deeply roasted vegetables on Instagram today, it is difficult to imagine that this method of preparing vegetables was seldom used just a generation ago. Slate.com takes a look…
Antipasto Holidays & Celebrations
The dust is now settling (along with the mashed potatoes, stuffing, and pie) on Thanksgiving 2016 in the US. As we sit in our turkey-induced stupor, we should resist the urge to take a nap and instead do a 'post-game…
Antipasto Holidays & Celebrations
If you are like me, you obsess over holiday meal planning, attempting to design a delicious menu that will please everyone. That is stressful enough on its own, but throw in a family member with special dietary needs or…
