Banana bread might just be the official food of quarantine. At one point in the spring of 2020, I felt like everyone was posting photos of it. The furor died down in 2021 and by this October, I was ready to put those overripe fruit back to work. This is my version of a popular … [Read more...] about Pumpkin Spice Banana Bread
Recipe: Easy, Versatile Lentil Soup
I fell in love with lentil soup out of a sense of obligation. On a cold winter day on an early trip to Paris, I stepped inside a small bistro to get out of a frigid winter mist. Why ever did I book a trip to France in January, I wondered? Shivering and cold, all I thought I … [Read more...] about Recipe: Easy, Versatile Lentil Soup
How to host a small Thanksgiving
Q. I normally fly home for Thanksgiving for a big dinner. This year, I am staying put, so it will just be me, my husband and a couple of close friends in my “pod.” I love the traditional dinner, but a whole turkey with trimmings seems too much. Options? A. We are in the same … [Read more...] about How to host a small Thanksgiving
Recipe: White Bean Soup with Greens
don't know about you, but I'm tired of looking at all those cans of beans that I bought at the start of the pandemic in 2020. I've started to realize that some are nearing their sell-by date, too. So, I pulled this recipe from the archives and I've made two or three versions in … [Read more...] about Recipe: White Bean Soup with Greens
How to Make Vinaigrette [video lesson]
Do you have so many bottles of vinaigrette in your fridge that when you open the door it sounds like wind chimes? How to make vinaigrette is one of the first things that any home cook should master for a couple of reasons. It's expensive to buy and tends to be loaded with … [Read more...] about How to Make Vinaigrette [video lesson]