Leave it to the French to take something as humble as chicken and green beans and make it downright extraordinary. Along with a newfound appreciation of pears, one of the big surprises from my recent adventures in French bistro cooking was how a few well-chosen, decidedly non-fancy ingredients can really [...]
I'll be honest, in the whole fruit hierarchy, pears are generally pretty low on my list. It's not that there's anything wrong with them, per se, they're just a little timid in flavor and not all that eye-catching compared to, say, a Honeycrisp apple. But after making Pear Tarte Tatin [...]
Sure, they're not exactly the prettiest pantry staples, and unless you dig out your Instant Pot or pressure cooker, they're the teensiest bit high maintenance because you have to soak them overnight before making soup. But for less than a dollar a bag, the humble Great Northern Beans are actually [...]
While I'm pretty sure that Ancestry.com — or any of the popular genealogy sites — would concur that I'm exactly 0% Italian, I've always felt like an honorary Italian because of how much I adore their food, the culture, their love of art, the reverence for buildings more than 100 [...]
During one of our many lunches when she lived in DFW (sigh!), my dear friend Sarah Higgiston mentioned that I should start a restaurant blog for fun. And I remember thinking that was an incredibly cool idea, but could I really pull it off? I mean, I don’t even eat [...]
Truth is, I’ve always liked to cook. Or bake, more specifically. My Mom had a drawer in our kitchen I was rather fond of. It contained a well-worn copy of Betty Crocker’s iconic orange cookbook, the one we’d make the Christmas sugar cookies from with the game-changing addition of almond [...]
Ever since I fell in love with the portobello mushroom ravioli with the creamy roasted red pepper sauce at Olive Garden back in the day, Italian food has always equaled "celebration" to me. So naturally when it came time to toast a successful Pitch Slam back in 2017, and again [...]
Normally I've let the restaurant chefs contend with all the big ol' pots of boiling water and Old Bay seasoning required for a proper shrimp boil. Well, until I stumbled upon this gem of a recipe. I'm already a big fan of sheet pan suppers because not only is everything [...]
When in Wisconsin, it's your moral imperative to eat all the cheese. In fact, I'm pretty sure they'll kick you out if you don't. Or if you cheer for any football team other than the Packers (whew, I'm safe there). And really is there anything more sinfully delicious than fried [...]
There's nothing quite like a summer tomato. They're sweet, they're juicy, they're absolutely perfect over garlicky toast with Mozzaralla or as a fresh tomato sauce over pasta. But thanks to your oven, those elusive summer tomatoes are now available year round. By roasting them in the oven (350 degrees for [...]
