I still remember the first time I tried one of Jacque Torres' famous chocolate chip cookies in NYC. It was an ugly, rainy day during a weekend movie junket with my friend Emma, and she insisted these cookies would make us forget it was even raining. And she was right. [...]
If you've been checking in regularly, you already know I host a monthly book club where I love planning a menu that's a wink and a nudge to whatever we've finished reading. For February, we embarked on the twisty journey of Alice Feeney's latest Beautiful Ugly. And since a large [...]
When I decided on an Italian menu for January's book club meeting, I knew we needed a great big salad to accompany all the pasta. But instead of my go-to arugula or a bunch of mixed greens dressed with olive oil and lemon juice, I thought about my favorite pizza [...]
Even though Ina Garten has never steered me wrong, I was still skeptical. A cake that sets up in the fridge overnight with absolutely no baking involved? Hmmm... Well, it's true. And her mocha icebox cake is as scrumptious as you'd expect. Without all the pesky baking, the hardest part [...]
Is there really a bad way to eat a potato? Except for maybe raw? Mashed, fried, gnocchi-ed (I just made up a new word), hashbrown-ed (there I go again), it's all scrumptious. But if I had to choose sides, these baby Hasselback potatoes may be my favorite. I adapted this recipe to [...]
As the centerpiece of many holiday tables, it could be worse. Yes, as the one who doesn't care for prime rib, pork loin, or duck, I'm fine with turkey. Basted with truffle butter and herbs, it's not a bad foil for all the delicious carbs it's served with. And that's [...]
When I first spotted a recipe for creamy pumpkin lasagna rolls, I was finally convinced the pumpkin spice movement had officially gone off the rails. I love pumpkin, I love pasta, but NOT together, right? Wrong. Giada DeLaurentiis has rarely steered me wrong, and pumpkin is a vegetable after all. [...]
I often joke that hosting book club every month is as close as I'll ever get to owning a restaurant. It's fun deciding what to feature after reading the novel we plan to talk about. But unlike, say, working the line at the local fine dining establishment, there's infinitely less [...]
Forgive me for the ever-so-slightly cheesy title, but every time I thought about roasting some butternut squash yesterday, I got that Verve song stuck in my head. The one we couldn't stop singing in 1997 despite how depressing it was. It's basically the "Landslide" of the late 90s. Thankfully, this [...]
While summer lasts a little longer in DFW than most places, I thought I'd christen this salad "the end of summer" to help manifest those cooler temps. I'm not sure if the moniker actually helped, but this salad was a big hit at book club nonetheless. The base of the [...]
