Not really the most appetizing image up there, I know. It looks mostly like a mess of green beans defiled by too much mayonnaise. Would you believe that that inelegant creation comes from the deeified Thomas Keller, reprinted from the very pages of his spectacularly beautiful cookbook? Oh yes, I know, there were supposed to…

Hrmph. I have voiced my skepticism about Mark Bittman's recipes before. But with this recipe, I officially question whether I'll every try another one of his again. Maybe minimalism is not for me? Or at least not Bittman's version of it. Simple, easy cooking should not equal pallid pap. But perhaps I should be less…

I find it hard to believe that this is my first Mark Bittman recipe. But there you have it. Bittman, he of Minimalist, How to Cook Everything, and PBS fame, is not necessarily one of my favorite columnists. I like that he tries to demystify and simplify things in the kitchen, but clip and save…

A year ago, James Salter wrote a beautiful piece in the NY Times Magazine about his culinary experiences in France while he was stationed there in the 1950's. Accompanying the article was an alluringly simple recipe for whiskey-soaked figs, courtesy of the chef at La Ripa Alta in Plaisance. The recipe sounded glamorous yet easy.…

I’m thrilled to report that, in the article Have We Gone Blog Wild?, the LA Times has featured this little blog in its Food section today, along with several other newer food blogs and a few of the old stalwarts. In case anyone’s wondering, I’m doing cartwheels in my office.

I’m in Berlin to eat Weihnachtsgans and crack my teeth on Springerle and see this for the first time and drink tea with my mother and listen to little boys in sailor suits sing Christmas carols on the radio. It is dark and cold outside, and I am loving every minute of it. I won’t…

Head over to the Paper Palate today – part of the newly launched Well-Fed Network – where I’ve blogged about testing some of the recipes in Martha Stewart’s special Holiday Cookies issue. Cocoa meringues were a blast to make (and eat). I love how a bowl of liquid egg whites combined with sugar and heat…

Tuesday night I took one step closer to the inevitable. In the weeks before my birthday, I spent nights awake wondering, "Lady Baltimore or Coconut Chiffon? Italian Meringue Icing or White Chocolate Buttercream?" Because it’s much easier to worry about the kind of cake you’ll make for your birthday than it is to realize that…

In the wake of last year’s disaster in Southeast Asia, Pim at Chez Pim set up a foodblogging fundraiser with great success. This year, in the hopes of raising money for the earthquake victims in India and Pakistan, Pim has decided to hold a virtual raffle. The money donated will go through the First Giving…

Hmph. I don't know who to blame this failure on. And I'm getting sick of the Thanksgiving recap. After this, there's only one more recipe and it's worthwhile, I promise. But in the meantime, I'm going to grump all over this post. We are a Brussels sprout-loving family, I would say. Maybe not 20 years…