Paper Palate

About a year ago I told my mom that I would love to read A Pig in Provence by Georgeanne Brennan.  I had since forgotten about it, but the other day a large envelope arrived from the States with this book inside.  She had very kindly remembered and sent it all the way to France […]

The long, cold days of winter leave me craving rich, hearty winter food.  And what better than a mix of potatoes, onions and tomato sauce stuffed between two layers of homemade pizza dough, then baked until beautifully golden and crispy?
One of my favorite recipes from the Italian Farmhouse Cookbook by Susan Herrmann Loomis is this […]

December = Friends, Family, Festivities, Parties, Nibbles, Cocktails, Hors d’Oeuvres, Soirées, Celebrating, Appreciation and Gratitude.

I would like to bestow a heap of gratitude on two women, Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins, the dynamic duo behind The Silver Palate.  They have written many wonderful cookbooks over the years, including The New Basics Cookbook and The Silver […]

We’re heading toward that time of year again when you’ll hear the residents of Louisiana use the expression “Gumbo Weather.“  It’s the season when the winds blow in from the north, the temperatures plummet and a big, comforting bowl of Gumbo is just the thing to warm you up.In many respects, I am a traditionalist […]

In mid-September I was able to spend a few glorious days in Paris (thank you cheap train tickets!) visiting friends and wandering around the city.  A bit of restaurant and food shop research before my departure prompted me to pick up one of my old favorites, The Paris Cookbook by Patricia Wells.
This cookbook is composed […]

Brittany is a lush, green land of mysterious prehistoric megaliths, rugged coastline, crashing waves and delicious food.  This scenic peninsula in northwest France has a culture, language, and cuisine that is uniquely its own.
The region boasts over 750 miles of coastline, so it comes as no surprise that seafood is one of its most abundant and […]

Eating well on a meager college student’s budget in the early 90’s in Seattle was incredibly easy for one simple reason: Thai restaurants. They were everywhere, they churned out incredible food and they were cheap. I became a pad thai, tom yum goong, and Thai spicy eggplant junkie, with a fix around almost every corner.

After […]

Tarte au Citron ~ fresh and zesty and packed with a citrus punch, it gets raves every time I serve it.
Fourteen years ago I stumbled across this recipe in a new cookbook, All Around The World, by Sheila Lukins.  It is now my signature dessert.

All Around the World offers recipes and vignettes from the 730 days […]

Steven Jenkins has lived the ultimate Food Life.
The Food Life: Inside the World of Food with the Grocer Extraordinaire at Fairway by Steven Jenkins, with recipes by Mitchel London, has to be one of the most passionate and wittiest memoirs I’ve read in a very long time.
Not that I’m surprised. I’ve been smitten with Steven Jenkins […]

There are several piles of old food magazines on my bookshelves that I just can’t seem to give up. You just never know when a seemingly uninteresting recipe that you skimmed over in the past will jump out and reveal itself as a real keeper. Often it is a recipe that is so perfect that […]