I have always loved the earthy flavor and deep red color of beets. Roasted, simply boiled, tucked into salads, pickled or plain, beets are delicious. But of all beet preparations,…
Read More

When it originated in Nice, salade niçoise  was just a mix of tomatoes, anchovies and olive oil—simple food for simple people. But in the decades since, it has been embraced…
Read More

My mother had a pecan tree on the grounds of her childhood home in Houston. Long after she married and moved to Chicago to raise me and my sibs, Mom’s…
Read More

For anybody unfamiliar with the pretty orange fruits, American persimmons are native, highly nutritious, and were prized by American Indians and early settlers. They also make a fabulous cake! A…
Read More

Baking recipes usually frown on softer apples, specifying instead that you use Granny Smith. But this fragrantly spiced, fabulously flavored and pleasingly textured cake makes beautiful use of varieties such…
Read More

As far back as the 15th century, English cooks discovered that wine-poaching hard pears made them tender and tasty. One abbey had cooks “pare wardens (hard cooking pears), clean, seethe…
Read More

Turns out those cute pumpkins you purchased for Fall decorating are very easy to bake into delicious fresh pumpkin pies. With names like Baby Bear, Cinderella, and Early Sweet Sugar…
Read More

Easy-to-cook with nice fatty skin, plump breasts, and tender texture, Rock Cornish game hens are a nice addition to festive fall dinner tables. Weighing in at a pound-and-a-half each, they…
Read More