Sweety Drops, Who Doesn’t Love That Veggie Name?
Also called Pepper Drops these days, they first appeared in US grocery store salad or olive bars. You might be tempted to think tomato, but these cute little veggies are actually peppers. Also known as Incan Red Drops, originating in the Peruvian Amazon, this wild...
“Baking is, in its own way, a love story too.” — Claire Ptak, 2023
Claire Ptak California native, worked at Alice Water's Chez Panisse, currently London owner of Violet Cakes and author of new cake cookbook, Love is Pink Cake. Especially known for baking the Prince claireHarry and Meghan wedding cake. For the coronation special,...
Butter vs Margarine
I prefer butter to margarine because I trust cows more than chemists. Joan Dye Gussow, Growing Older
No Cook, Quick Fix, Chatty, Fruity and Nutty Dessert
Sometimes I just wish for a simple dessert that does not require mixing or baking ahead. My friend Alice mentioned that this grape let-your-guests make-their own-dessert while still sitting around the dinner table, filled the bill for...
More Asparagus, My Favorite Spring Salad and a Smart Tart
Nicoise Salad Spring Nicoise Salad features boiled and marinated new potatoes, roasted asparagus, canned tuna and olives. Or place rows of roasted asparagus, cooked potato quarters, canned tuna, olives, grape tomatoes and chopped baby corn on a platter. Drizzle with...
Asparagus Season—A Reason to Celebrate Spring
Spring —Now is the right time. If there is one reason to eat asparagus, there might be a dozen. The flavor of asparagus is elusive to describe. Is it buttery or herbal, mellow or nutty, or delicious and surprising? Maybe all of these! The delicate taste of...
Nelson Mandela Quote
It always seems impossible until it's done. — Nelson Mandela
A Story about Walnuts
Did you know the botanically speaking, a nut is a fruit with a hard shell containing a single seed. The true nuts you might encounter in the produce aisle include hazelnuts and chestnuts. Many of the products sold as “culinary nuts” belong to other botanical...
Good Gadget-Microplane Herb Mill
Tired of chopping parsley? I am. I remembered my favorite garnish gadget one day when my cooking time was limited. I already had parsley washed and destemmed in a plastic bag in the veggie drawer of the refrigerator. I pulled it out of the refrigerator along with the...
A Special Day in Dublin—Bloomsday and We Are Here
100th anniversary—Couples walking down O'Connell lStreet all dressed up. "Bloomsday is a commemoration and celebration of the life of Irish writer James Joyce, observed annually in Dublin and elsewhere on 16 June, the day his 1922 novel Ulysses takes place in...