I may not have a drop of actual Italian blood in my body, but I often feel like I’m an honorary Italian because I love their food so much. To wit, is there really anything better than pillow-y ravioli filled (and topped) with something delicious? I’d be hard-pressed to dream [...]
One of the best things about cooking is that it has the power to make you feel like you’re somewhere else. And last night, just a few miles down the road from my house, I had the whole Italian trattoria experience without having the cross the mighty Atlantic. Thanks to [...]
When you’re writing a novel where Italian food plays a starring role, let’s just say the “research” is pretty fun. To wit, I took a class in making homemade gnocchi last week, and it was not only lots of fun and easier than I thought, but incredibly delicious. And while [...]
All of my favorite culinary newsletters and magazines have officially proclaimed September “prime oyster season,” and that statement would normally elicit nothing more than a disinterested shrug from yours truly. Despite the repeated claims of chefs who’ve declared oysters the food of lovers, I could never really get excited about [...]
No disrespect to Boston, the king of clam chowder (or more accurately, chowda), but this bowl from Hog Island Oyster in Napa pretty much changed my life a couple of weeks ago. I liked it so much, in fact, that when we visited San Francisco’s Ferry Building, I had to [...]
After watching Jon Favreau whip up some Spaghetti Aglio E Olio (that’s Italian for spaghetti with garlic and olive oil) for Scarlett Johansson in the movie Chef, I knew I needed to make some for Will (and me, too, of course). So last Sunday, I decided to see what all [...]
In terms of broadening my culinary horizons, my post-college move to Nashville back in 1998 pretty much changed everything. Surprisingly enough, it wasn’t collard greens or black eyed peas or the glories of fried chicken that left the most memorable impression. It was the red curry at Siam Cuisine off [...]
I always love spending time in NYC and with such a limited amount of it, I hit the ground running once I got settled into my hotel. This is a view from the 36th floor, by the way. I stood on the couch (barefoot, of course) and got some pretty [...]
I’ve always been a sucker for a good travel memoir, and since Ann Mah’s Mastering the Art of French Eating involved Paris, Provence and the like and the country’s most celebrated cuisine including crepes, cassoulet and all matters of cheese, well, it was practically a no-brainer. Even if I’d just [...]
Until a couple of years ago, I didn’t know just how easy it is to make homemade cranberry sauce. In the past, Crate & Barrel used to sell an incredible cranberry conserve the Barefoot Contessa whipped up, so that was easy. Open the jar, put in pretty serving dish, and [...]
