Black Forest Chocolate Cookies

Black Forest Chocolate Cookies

Sneaking in under the wire. It’s still Groundhog Day. And all I can think of is Bill Murray sitting in a Punxsatawney diner, stuffing his face full of donuts with impunity. According to the groundhog, we have six more weeks of winter coming, which makes 

Vegetable Tagine

Vegetable Tagine

In the comment section recently, Leslie asked about eggplant. She’s tired of it drowned in tomato sauce or swimming in oil.  Joe Girard of Rouxbe Online Cooking School provided some great answers, but even his professional advice didn’t get me off the hook. I’d promised 

Slow-Cooked Beef with Red Wine

Slow-Cooked Beef with Red Wine

I sat beside Ricardo, Canada’s most popular culinary celebrity, at the Canadian Culinary Book Awards a few months ago. He’s got his own Food Network show, Ricardo and Friends, three cookbooks and a self-titled magazine — all in two languages. When he was seated beside 

Vanilla Cupcakes

Vanilla Cupcakes

Why the pretty cakes? I’m celebrating.  I finally hit Murphy where he lives. Thinks he can break my oven on Christmas morning and get away with it? No way. Sure, he wagged a $300 repair bill under my nose and then pulled it and the 

Leftover Apple Roasted Chicken Soup

Leftover Apple Roasted Chicken Soup

Here. Sit down. Put your feet up and enjoy a bowl of soup. While I encourage you to admire the bowl from my sister (another Christmas present) I defy you to remain polite as you sip this soup. You’ll want to shovel it into your 

Slow Cooker Refried Beans Dip

Slow Cooker Refried Beans Dip

There are two problems with refried beans. One: They tend to be very fattening. Two: They look like something that came out the back end of a flatulent donkey. This slow-cooker recipe solves the high-fat issue. The lovely dish my sister’s boyfriend gave me for 

Raspberry Hot Chocolate and a Book Giveaway

Raspberry Hot Chocolate and a Book Giveaway

When I was a child, my father used to make an ice rink in the back yard. He’d pile us onto the toboggan and pull us around to flatten the snow. Then, night after night, he’d zip up his navy blue snowmobile suit and disappear 

Spicy Green Beans

Spicy Green Beans

Wouldn’t you know it? The week I post my culinary resolutions, my gas range rebels. The stovetop works just fine, but the oven fluctuates wildly,  making baking a crap shoot with wheat and a roast chicken dinner  the poultry equivalent of Russian roulette. And the 

Marcy Goldman’s Apple-Raspberry Patchwork Crostata

Marcy Goldman’s Apple-Raspberry Patchwork Crostata

We have a tradition in our house. One of us usually kicks off the new year with a kitchen disaster. Last year, I discovered dried beans can, in fact, go stale. This year? I botched the pastry. Crostata no less. What else? I learned the