ABOUT A YEAR ago, Sherry and I were in a small town in Minnesota staying at a Residence Inn. It was your typical chain hotel with nondescript rooms. But this place had quite the happy hour. It wasn't the friendly service or copious amounts of alcohol that impressed us the most, though. It was the …
Confessions regarding a gingerly topic
WE use ginger. Lots of it. We make ginger ale, and ginger tea. We cook a multitude of Indian, Mauritian, Chinese and Thai dishes. Ginger is a necessity for these cuisines. But let's face it: peeling this root is tedious. The etymology of the word "ginger" (or should I say the root word of the …
The perfect pizza crust
As a kid, pizza was a treat for dinner. Mom made them completely by hand, starting with the dough from scratch. She got pretty good at it. So good, in fact, that she could not only churn out enough to feed a family of 10, but would sell them to neighbors for the princely sum …
Christmas Horn Cookies
The recipe came from the “old country” and according to family legend, it was top secret and to be guarded. We knew them as Christmas Horns, a confection of almonds, flour, eggs, vanilla and sugar. Right after Thanksgiving, the kitchen would turn into a factory, as the kids helped Mom crank out the dough for …
Tortillas in no time, flat.
Here is a handy tip: If you are in the remote mountains of Sinaloa, Mexico, and you hear a pack of wild dogs, their barking increasing in volume, there is a very good chance they are not approaching to greet you in a friendly manner. It was many years ago when I found myself in …
A variation on French onion soup
French onion soup has its heritage in both countries and combines the best of both Italian and French cuisines.
Desperation dish
This is my go-to meal when the day gets away from you.
Lots about pasta
My mother was very proud of her pasta dishes, especially spaghetti and meatballs and lasagna. And she had every reason to be. She was competing against some of the best, most notably Aunty Lena, my Dad's sister. And Mom was not even remotely Italian, hailing from Czechian and Slovakian heritage. And, boy, did we love …
Chocolate: A gift from the gods
There are two kinds of people in the world: 1. Those who love chocolate and 2. Those upon whom we should bestow our sincerest sympathies. The Aztecs knew a thing or two about chocolate, since they invented a fermented brew using the cacao bean as far back as 450 B.C.. It was their firm belief …
