Paper Palate

Recently, I added a small, fat book to my collection of desk reference books. Paperbound, organized in alphabetical dictionary-style entries, and over 800 pages long, this little gem has catapulted itself into my top 10 food-book favorites. I find myself pulling it off the shelf just to thumb through, craving the tasty little bites of information it contains.
The […]

I was delighted when my blog, Pebble soup, won a prize. The way it won it is less glorious but quite relevant to the story. There was a call for terrine recipes, a roundup would ensue, and the winner would get the prize: Terrine by Stephane Reynaud.
A terrine is a very sociable dish: it is made for sharing, it is good for […]

 
I’ve been subscribing to Real Simple magazine for years now. I love all of the tips and solutions they share for everyday problems around the house. They also have a great Road Tested section that thoroughly tests all of the possible brands of a particular product and then tells you which ones are great and why. When I […]

A collection of small dishes from the realm where paper meets palate.

Playboy continues to be on the cutting edge of modern American life. In their August 2008 issue, they give three different bits of information of interest to the foodie community. First they give you information on how to get the authentic flavors of a […]

I’m a huge fan of Cooking Light, I’ve been subscribing to the magazine since 1997.  I can generally count on the recipes to be tasty and fairly simple to make. I also like that they provide the nutritional information, which makes it much easier, when you are counting calories, to keep your meals reasonable without going […]

Recently, I was asked what I was passionate about. What subject really got my engines revving. At the time, I mentioned that I had strong feelings about certain subjects, but could not think of any that I was extremely passionate about. Then, I knew just the thing … family mealtime.
I am passionate about family mealtime. […]

“. . . And the calf that you carve with a smile
Is MURDER
And the turkey you festively slice
Is MURDER
Do you know how animals die?”
So sang The Smiths back in 1985, inspiring a legion of teenage vegetarian-converts to verbally abuse their mother’s pot roast with Indie-pop stoked passion. A forward-thinking teenager at the time, I flirted briefly with the meat-free way […]

One of the hot new genres among nonfiction publications is the “culinary adventure.” The formula is simple really, a chef or restaurant critic takes a vacation where they do nothing but experience wonderful cuisine and along the way they learn a little something about life. Perhaps we should call it Foodie Literature because it is […]

With summertime finally in full swing, sometimes that means have a bit more time to spend in the kitchen with your kids.  I know in our house, it means my son and I have, at the very least, a standing baking date once a week.
In the current issue of People magazine, writer Allison Adato tried out […]

I
I have a confession to make: I’ve always been terrified of canning. Something about botulism, combined with a conviction that the whole mess would blow on me, has always kept me from attempting it. I wanted to do it; I wanted to be one of those Ma Ingalls types who made preserves out of green tomatoes to […]