It is sooooooooo good. And in all my years of blogging, I have kept this recipe secret. Because it IS so good, and some part of me buys into the idea of cooks keeping secrets. But since you may not be visiting my door step soon, I figure I better share this recipe—because it is [...]

We all love a good rub: especially in the form of a nice comment or a compliment.
But this isn’t about verbal love: it is about well-rubbed steak. Ideally, a steak that beckons gratuitous verbal rubs after it travels from fork to palate.
Latin Spice Rub
1 T packed dark brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp [...]

I cannot help but sing many different songs to the tune of “Oh Christmas Tree.”
I make up words to this tune, silly words, while driving the kids around town. And I could just as easily make up a holiday-cookie-baking version of the song… if I really wanted to.
Singing or not singing, it is the time [...]

I am all about finding little helpful tricks in the kitchen, if only to make me feel ’smart.’ Tricks sometimes save you time, but there are those that don’t. With a lot of kitchen ideas and doo-dads out there, it is essential to wade through all the ˜good things” to find what works for you [...]

Yes—I too ate the boxed version of macaroni and cheese in college. I would add smokies and/or broccoli to give it a little color and flavor (my other main indulgence was making Big Gulp size lattes on the $30 Krups espresso machine, back in the day we actually thought it was ‘expresso’). For the record, [...]

Oh for the love of pesto. This is one of my ‘make it easier on myself later’ tricks that I employ in my kitchen. No doubt there are a million more tricks to discover: I love the thrill of finding that next one (find other tricks in talk of ideas). When the basil is abundant—and [...]