A classic gin cocktail gets a mezcal makeover: The Penultimate Word

Inspired by the gin-based Last Word cocktail, mezcal gives a nice smokiness to this citrusy drink featuring lime juice, maraschino liqueur and simple syrup. Recipe below.

RANDOM FINDS ALWAYS SEEM LUCKY FOR US. On our road trip to DC and the Virginias last fall, our first overnight stop was in Pittsburgh. We ate dinner that night at Bar Marco, in the city’s Strip District, a cool little neighborhood on the edge of downtown—converted warehouses filled with old and new food and retail shops, restaurants and bars, and sidewalks clogged with street vendors. We went there because, randomly, just before our trip, while Marion was getting a haircut, I flipped through an issue of GQ. It had an article on where to eat and drink in Pittsburgh that included the phrase “inventive yet unpretentious cocktails at Bar Marco.” Continue reading “A classic gin cocktail gets a mezcal makeover: The Penultimate Word” →

A busy weekend and a delicious, if reheated, recipe: Crispy Chicken Schnitzel

A house favorite from the archives: Panko breadcrumbs give chicken breast schnitzels an assertively crispy outside. Recipe, eventually, below.

There really should be a new recipe here. We have a few ideas we’re working on and a new cooking memoir awaiting our review. Didn’t get to any of it. This post isn’t an excuse for that—it’s a recounting of things we found more interesting than cooking this weekend. But if you make it to the end, you’ll find a simple dish we like to cook fairly often. Continue reading “A busy weekend and a delicious, if reheated, recipe: Crispy Chicken Schnitzel” →

White House special: Six recipes created, inspired or influenced by Africa

Six recipes showcase meals, flavors, techniques and culinary influences of the African continent.

Quite unintentionally, a serially bankrupt businessman and second-rate former reality TV celebrity has become the education president. On practically a weekly basis, anxious parents find themselves scrambling to teach their children the meanings of new offensive terms—and worse, explain new offensive behaviors by the so-called leader of the free world. The most recent (as we go to press, at least) is truly appalling. Continue reading “White House special: Six recipes created, inspired or influenced by Africa” →

Pushing all the warm, meaty, spicy buttons: Chicken Chorizo Chili

Spicy, flavorful Mexican chorizo sausage and chunks of chicken are at the heart of this robust, meaty chili. Dark beer helps amp up the flavor too. Recipe below.

The bitter cold Marion wrote about last week just keeps coming. So when I discovered a new-to-me chili—chicken chorizo chili, to be precise—all kinds of delicious buttons were pushed. Continue reading “Pushing all the warm, meaty, spicy buttons: Chicken Chorizo Chili” →

Cold finally overcomes procrastination: Valerie’s Split Pea Soup

Bacon, plentiful aromatics and a bit of cumin create a hearty split pea soup you’ll make again and again. Recipe below.

Dear Valerie,

SO HERE’S THE THING. IT’S COLD. IT’S REALLY COLD. I’ve been sitting in my kitchen holding a big steaming mug of coffee and wearing a turtleneck and a down vest and a hoodie, with the hood up, and wool socks and lined pants, and I’m thinking about putting on more clothing, but I’ve been reluctant because I’d like to continue being able to bend my arms and legs. All of this has made me think of what I want for dinner, which reminded me of that recipe you sent me, for one of the best things ever—split pea soup. Continue reading “Cold finally overcomes procrastination: Valerie’s Split Pea Soup” →

Half-baked: a microwave start speeds baked potatoes to the table

Starting baked potatoes in the microwave and finishing them in the oven cuts cooking time and still yields crisp skin and fluffy potato flesh. Recipe of sorts below.

WE END THE YEAR WITH A SIMPLE POTATO, and that feels somehow appropriate. Because while you’ll find plenty of recipes here designed to impress, just as often, the focus is getting good food on the table quickly, simply. Such as this baked potato. Continue reading “Half-baked: a microwave start speeds baked potatoes to the table” →

A grudging appreciation of Christmas music

The holidays are upon us, and we are once again beset by Christmas music. Everywhere you turn, it is there—grocery stores, building lobbies, fast food places, leaking out of retail storefronts, invading my various radio stations and streaming services… even being hummed or whistled by colleagues. All of which brings out my curmudgeonly side. Continue reading “A grudging appreciation of Christmas music” →

More!

This pretty much defines our life at the moment. All good, but zero time to cook tonight’s post, let alone photograph it and write about it. See you next week.

Not weeknight quick, but company worthy: Pan-roasted Chicken with Cranberries

The signature tartness of fresh cranberries turns pan-roasted chicken, potatoes, shallots and herbs into a complex, company-ready meal. Recipe below.

SOMEWHERE IN OUR STASH OF VINTAGE ADVERTISING EPHEMERA is a cardboard novelty sign that probably hung behind a bar somewhere in the fifties, or maybe the forties: “I’m not a slow bartender. I’m not a fast bartender. I’m a half fast bartender.” That pretty much describes my cooking style. Continue reading “Not weeknight quick, but company worthy: Pan-roasted Chicken with Cranberries” →

Simple to make, not too sinful: Mixed Berries Olive Oil Cake

Mixed fresh berries and olive oil keep this cake deliciously light—for weekend guests or a treat for yourself. Recipe below.

Our Thanksgiving desserts, as ever, ranged from the delicious reliables (pumpkin pie!) to the wild and crazy throwbacks (tiny chocolate bottles filled with liqueur!) to the outrageous (chocolate tres leches cake!). But when the guests had gone, and the last loads of bedsheets and dishes were stacked and put away, and the idiot cats had emerged from their hiding places blinking into the light, I found myself wanting something easy, something simple and sweet—and something I could knock together in a few minutes, without having to go to the store or particularly think. Continue reading “Simple to make, not too sinful: Mixed Berries Olive Oil Cake” →