Rice. I know everybody says they have the perfect way to do rice... every time.
Well, guess what? So do I...
I take about a tablespoon of oil and a pinch of salt. I gently heat this in a pan…
Read more
Chive Pasta
My friend Marcia Kiesel developed a wonderful recipe years ago for Food & Wine magazine... Chive Fettuccine with Lobster... OK, a little over the top, but hey, it was the '80s! I've made a variation on this for years... Just…
Read moreChef Julia
The past few Decembers, I've gone out to LA to cook for some memorable A-List Hollywood parties. And one of the great joys of these parties has been getting to know, and to work alongside, a truly wonderful chef, Julia…
Read more
That'll Be A Cold Day in... (Mashed Potatoes, Meatloaf and Peas)
So... Heat Wave #4 finally broke... in a big way. We went from temps of over 100o to a cool, grey, rainy Irish kind of day... and it never got out of the 60s! Of course that made me…
Read more
My Mashed Potatoes
There are as many theories about mashed potatoes as there are people who claim to be Irish on March 17th... I'll jump headlong into the fray with my version...
Use plain old Idaho potatoes, peeled, cut into similarly sized chunks…
Read more
Pesto... Basil Waits for No Man!
This was NOT in the plans. I was not going to make pesto last weekend... it's only mid-July... I usually start making it at the end, or even the beginning of August. But the weather has been so wacky here…
Read more
Hash... Without the Diner
Hash.
OK... so it doesn't sound great. But it has always been one of my favorite meals. And nothing could be simpler... and if you have leftover meat of some kind... even better.
I dice up some potatoes, celery, onions…
Read more
Basic Pizza Dough
There have been many requests for this, the latest from my niece Kathy... so...
1 Packet yeast (I prefer regular... not rapid or instant... but that's just me.)
1½ C Water (about 110°)
Pinch of sugar or honey
3-4 C…
Read more
Soft Scrambled Eggs
Everyone knows that no two people like their eggs done the same way. Luckily, I'm married to someone who DOES like scrambled eggs the way I do. Whew! This may not be to your taste... yet... but just try them…
Read more
Pizza Epiphany (White Pizza)
I was doing a play in Asheville, NC, once and had a pizza epiphany... yes, a New Yorker having a pizza epiphany in North Carolina!! This great bar downtown served a white pizza like none I'd ever tasted, and ever…
Read more
Better Than The Bottle! (Horseradish)
As I'm pretty sure you've noticed, I'm a big fan of horseradish. And I really prefer the fresh stuff to the jarred. The stuff in the jar is fine...but it's pretty vinegary, and the fresh stuff can really knock your…
Read more
Old-Fashioned Burger Method
Sometime, you might want to give my very old-fashioned family method for cooking a hamburger a try...
Preheat a cast iron pan with a dusting of Kosher salt for about 10 minutes (that's why there's no salt added to the…
Read more
À Tout À L'Heure
Though it's hard to admit it, I think it's time. Yes... there is still lettuce growing. But many of the plants seem to be saying "Are you KIDDING ME?? It's JULY!"
So I think I'm about to pull up what's…
Read more