A friend of mine recently got married, so we decided a celebratory dinner party was definitely in order this past weekend. After telling me her new husband was half Italian, well, that settled it. Italian food seemed like an absolute no-brainer, and since it’s my favorite food ever, too, I [...]
Maybe it’s because I didn’t grow up around water, or more specifically, the ocean. Or it could’ve been because I watched Pretty Woman too many times in high school and remember Julia Roberts’ character referring to sea creatures as “slippery little suckers.” But whatever the reason, Wisconsin’s lack of salty [...]
Last Friday afternoon I did my home state of Wisconsin proud. Yes, I made cheese. From scratch. Now it wasn’t the pride of Wisconsin, mind you, the perfectly squeaky cheese curds (and if you’re reading and wondering what in the world I’m talking about, don’t knock ’em ’til you’ve tried [...]
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 [...]
