This impressive, rustic, delicious galette is foolproof, even for reluctant bakers. Recipe below.
OUR DECEMBER KEPT LURCHING INTO UNCERTAINTY—due to various dramas, we were never sure how things would play out, who would be visiting, even whether we would get a last-minute unavoidable summons for a road trip, surprise! Continue reading “The yes-you-can-bake Apple Galette”
Not too sweet and loaded with fresh fruit, Easygoing Apple & Pear Bundt Cake is a nice, simple treat to have around the house. Recipe below.
THE HOLIDAYS ARE ABOUT THE BIG, FABULOUS, FAMILIAR THINGS, in vast quantities, and that is just as true for food. Entire birds! Gravy by the vat! Carb-forward sides—five different ones! Pie! More pie! And there’s so much of all of it, and it is just so heavy, and it just keeps coming. Continue reading “Easygoing Apple & Pear Bundt Cake is just nice to have around the house”
This simple vegetarian pasta dish is creamy and flavorful, really good for you and—bonus—quick and easy to make. Recipe below.
TO BE HONEST, THIS RECIPE IS SOMETHING I INVENTED A LONG TIME AGO, I don’t even remember how or why, and I always kind of kept it secret. To be completely honest, for a very long time it was kind of my weeknight-easy secret shame. I mean, pasta with cottage cheese. Continue reading “Your delicious little secret: Weeknight Pasta with Cottage Cheese and Chives”
Available briefly in the fall, Italian plums are the star of this simple, sweet cake. Recipe below.
I LOVE FALL. I love breaking out the turtlenecks and the sweaters, and watching the leaves turn, and even the bittersweet moment when I put away my beloved sandals and shift to my beloved boots. I love how the cat’s fur gets thicker, and the rosebushes in the garden surprise us with a few last, gorgeous, huge flowers, and Terry gleans what remains of the basil for a couple last batches of pesto. It is all so melodic. And part of the melody of this time of year for me is that brief moment when we can get Italian plums. Continue reading “Enjoying a fall harvest find: Olive Oil Ricotta Cake with Italian Plums”
Clafoutis is a traditional French dessert, basically baked custard with fresh fruit. This version features summery nectarines. Recipe below.
IL éTAIT UNE FOIS, I would make clafoutis for dessert all the time. It was my effortless fallback, quick, simple, fresh and, of course, delicious. Continue reading “Summer fruit meets a classic French dessert: Nectarine Clafoutis”
Raspberries, orange juice and lime juice bring the fruit, mezcal, the smoke and jalapeño, the heat to this summer cocktail. Recipe below.
ANYONE WHO’S BEEN FOLLOWING US A WHILE KNOWS WE LOVE MEZCAL. We love the smoke, we love the variations—every mezcal is essentially an artisanal product, so every label is its own adventure. We love just sipping it slowly on its own, but that is more of a winter thing. Continue reading “Summery, spicy and fruit forward: Smoky Raspberry Margarita”
Roasted eggplant, fresh dill and Greek yogurt make a delicious summery dish that can be served warm or chilled. Recipe below.
THE SUDDEN ARRIVAL OF MASSIVE RAINS turned around the scary drought we’d been experiencing here in Illinois, and it had a more intimate effect: our Japanese eggplant, which had been struggling and miserable, suddenly and eagerly began producing. Continue reading “A simple, seasonal, sensational side: Eggplant with Dill and Yogurt”
Rye flour adds a nice nuttiness to these luscious chocolate cookies. The small batch recipe helps avoid overindulging. Recipe below.
I AM GIVEN TO RANTING ABOUT HOW I DISLIKE BAKING COOKIES. So much fussing, so much stickiness, so many sheets and sheets of blobs of dough and so much anxious peering into hot, hot ovens—by the time everything is done and cooling on masses of racks, I am beyond done. I don’t even want to eat them. Continue reading “Deliciousness served in small batches: Double Chocolate Rye Cookies”
Sourdough toast topped with labneh, olives, a mix of pickled vegetables and a drizzle of olive oil makes a tangy, delicious, satisfying vegetarian sandwich. Recipe below.
PEOPLE HAVE BEEN STREAMING FROM MUSLIM AND ARAB COUNTRIES to the Detroit area since the1880s—from Syria and Lebanon and Iraq and Egypt and Yemen and India and Bangladesh and Pakistan and many more places, creating the oldest, largest and most diverse Muslim American and Arab American community in the United States. That’s well known. Far less known is one marvelous annual occurrence that our Detroit daughter always speaks of with enormous enthusiasm. I am not talking, yet, about the Hamtramck Yacht Races, but about something far more delicious. I can sum it up in three wonderful words: RAMADAN. FOOD. TRUCKS. Continue reading “A tangy, creamy, vegetarian Middle Eastern treat: Labneh Sandwiches”
Homemade apple butter makes pumpkin pie creamier and subtly sweeter. Recipe below.
WHEN TERRY MADE CHRIS SCOTT’S LOVELY JOHNNYCAKES AND APPLE BUTTER a couple weeks back, the apple butter recipe was small compared to most, but it was still a lot of apple butter for a two-person household. We heroically slathered it on waffles and toast and pork sandwiches, but there was still some left. That was when I stumbled across this recipe for apple butter pumpkin pie. Continue reading “Two traditional favorites create one delicious dessert: Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie”