Scene stealers
The Oscars are tomorrow, which provides the perfect opportunity to wax nostalgic about our favorite movie scenes involving food. Leite's Culinaria solicited readers to share their favorite or most memorable movie food…
Antipasto
Amber waves of techology
Grains factor prominently in my diet, which can be explained in part by the fact that I come from a family of grain farmers. I have grain on the brain even more after listening to an NPR story on the latest farming…
Inconvenient truths
Since I grew up in an agricultural area and spent a lot of time on my grandparent's farm, I was not surprised that a Huffington Post article on "disturbing" food facts noted that peanut butter may contain rodent hair.…
Poach perfect
Recently, a lot of recipes for poached foods have flickered across my news feeds. It's no wonder, because poaching is a timeless method to gently cook many types of foods while also enhancing their flavor. Poaching…
Parsley, sage, rosemary, inside
Today seemed to be dreary the world over; raining in Sydney, cloudy in London, and snowing in a large part of the United States. When it's cold, raining or dreary outside, I comfort myself with visions of green gardens.…
You say potato, I say potahto...
We've all been there, intently reading a recipe, when suddenly a foreign word or unfamiliar ingredient causes us to pause because we don't know how to pronounce it. If you are like me, you sound out the word in your…
Mystery food for thought
Like many cooks, I enjoy curling up with a new cookbook and reading it like a novel. Snuggled up on the sofa, I pore through each recipe as though it were a spellbinding mystery. I enjoy reading mystery novels too, and…
Share and share alike
Most cooks have at least one special recipe, where an unusual ingredient or technique helps set the dish apart from similar recipes. A few cooks are more possessive about these secrets than others. Some family recipes…
Perfect brown sugar, every time
I've seen a lot of kitchen tips on how to soften brown sugar. The advice varies from using damp paper towels, using the microwave, putting an apple or piece of bread in the container, and using adorable terra cotta…
A rose by any other name
When looking for German chocolate cake recipes on Eat Your Books, I found a recipe that, along with the usual directions and ingredients, explained the origins of the cake. I was surprised to learn that German chocolate…
A simple gift
Lindsay's eloquent farewell post reminded me of how the gift of two cookbooks greatly influenced my cooking journey. The first gift was for my wedding. My grandmother bestowed upon me a small plastic cookbook filled…
Beyond breakfast: cooking with coffee
Coffee plays an essential role in my morning routine (it's wise not to talk to me before my first cup), but coffee is also found in foods served throughout the day, adding depth to both sweet and savory recipes.…