Category Archives: recipes

Recipe: Fabulous Scones Simple Enough for the Baking Challenged

For years, my sister, Sandy, has been working to develop the perfect scone. It’s a mission to satisfy a taste of home for her mother-in-law, Nora, a gentle woman born and raised in Ireland. Now 91, Nora grew up in … Continue reading

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Recipe: Light Pumpkin Spice Cheessecake

I don’t like cheesecake. So often, it tastes simply of cream cheese and sugar, so rather than a guilty sense of pleasure, it leaves a cloying aftertaste in its wake. But my mother requested pumpkin cheesecake for Thanksgiving, so I reluctantly … Continue reading

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We Didn’t Miss the Turkey

I just realized that I’ve not yet provided a full report on our first vegetarian Thanksgiving. To start, the vegetable pot pie recipe from Kim O’Donnel’s great book The Meat Lover’s Meatless Cookbook were such a hit that Mike thinks they should become an annual … Continue reading

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Our first vegetarian Thanksgiving

As promised, here’s the plan for our Thanksgiving dinner this Thursday. It’s subject to change, of course, once my sister Sandy gets involved, not to mention that I’m notoriously fickle about following recipes. But it’s kind of a big deal … Continue reading

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Friday recipe: Carrot and rosemary soup

Call this a recipe of serendipity. I developed this recipe last year when writing the new book. I was working hard to use every single item in my refrigerator to avoid wasting food when I found myself staring at a … Continue reading

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Fish en papillote

Cooking en papillote (French for “parchment”) is a wildly overlooked method of cooking in America. It’s an easy method for a quick weeknight dinner that’s also elegant enough for guests. The smell that escapes when the package is reason enough to try … Continue reading

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Moules à la Mariniére

Something big happened in my life recently. Taylor Shellfish Farms opened a store in my neighborhood. I’m a huge fan of, well, any shellfish to be honest. But mussels – moules in French - make me weak at the knees. Combined with … Continue reading

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Summer Berry Tart

Someone asked me recently why I didn’t study pâtisserie at Le Cordon Bleu. The honest reason? I’m not keen on most sweets and I don’t like chocolate. (Yes, you read that correctly.) If there’s a choice of dessert or a cheese plate, … Continue reading

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Salade Niçoise

I first encountered Salade Niçoise in a romance novel, when a beautiful protagonist perched at a table under a striped umbrella on an immaculate beach in Cannes waiting for a murky character. The server brought her a bracingly cold glass of chablis and a crisp Salade … Continue reading

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Day 3 of the Hunger Challenge: Chicken, Cabbage and Carrots

 Carrots rarely take the culinary center stage. They’re left to supporting roles or token walk-ons as snacks or as an ensemble effort on a crudité tray. All cooks, not just those on a budget, should give them another chance at … Continue reading

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