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Quinoa “Cake”

Sometimes recipes don’t turn out the way I planned.
All day long yesterday I dreamed of quinoa patties bursting with chickpeas and cashews, then pan-fried in a skillet. Hell if I know what gave me the idea; we had a bag of red quinoa that seemed to be calling out my name and the rest just [read more ...]

Hot Toddy

Did you know that Jay-Z and Usher wrote a song called Hot Tottie? I did not. The spelling is puzzling, but all the same, the name is familiar.
Apparently this juicy musical morsel is over a year old, but it’s new to me. I’ve always sort of believed that I’m a 74-year-old trapped in a 24-year-old’s body, so [read more ...]

Spaetzle

I don’t know what made me think of spaetzle. It’s certainly not something I make often, nor is it something I’ve ever craved. Blame that on my mother – in our house, comfort food was buttered egg noodles. I don’t recall her ever making spaetzle from scratch, though after learning the process in culinary school [read more ...]

Slow-Roasted Lamb

Hello. It’s been a while.
It’s my fault. I’ve been awfully negligent, avoiding not only writing here, but writing in general. I’m a bit ashamed to admit it, but it was largely fear that kept me away.
As part of my job as Food Columnist for the Post-Standard, I write monthly pieces that get posted to the [read more ...]

Tomatoes: In Full

I wrote and read a version of the following for the Oswego County Harvest Dinner on October 21, 2011. It was a great honor to be the guest speaker at an event that champions area farmers and supports the local food movement.
It was the middle of December, and the executives were hungry.
I was working as a [read more ...]

Tomatoes

I am honored and thrilled to be attending the Second Annual Oswego County Harvest Dinner this Friday as the Guest Speaker. The dinner is a community effort, sponsored by the Cornell Cooperative Extension, to bring attention to eating locally – and the people who make that possible.
What follows is an excerpt from my speech. I [read more ...]

Apple Cider Donuts

The following originally appeared in the Syracuse Post-Standard:
Without fail, every October we get pummeled with pumpkin.
It’s like clockwork; the leaves show a hint of orange, and suddenly we can’t find any other flavor or scent. It shows up in our coffee, our candles, our pastries, our pies and, apparently, even our beer. Call me an [read more ...]

Pear Clafoutis

I once dated a man who, while being handsome and well-to-do, as well as occasionally quite charming, had nothing in common with me. We clashed on every level and fought like cats and dogs – or rather, we would have, had we not both been rather passive-aggressive types. I knew my big laugh embarrassed him, [read more ...]

Kale Chips

Oh, I know what you’re thinking. The internet is fraught with recipes for kale chips. They vary greatly in instruction – some suggest baking the greens at a scorching 400 degrees, while others implore you not to heat the oven over 325. But they all pretty much begin in the same way: a clever food [read more ...]

Apple Cider and Spice Donuts

Want the recipe? (And with a picture like this, honestly, how can you not? Donuts are just a happy food.) Pick up a copy of the Syracuse Post-Standard or log on to Syracuse.com on October 12 to get all of the sweet details.
In the meantime, why not pick some apples – the old fashioned way? [read more ...]