Do you ever order apple crisp in restaurants? I always think homemade apple crisp tastes better, but one thing I do love about restaurant versions is the presentation. It usually comes to the table perfectly portioned in its own ramekin, with a crown of crunchy, crumbly topping and a dribble of ...
Brussels Sprout Salad with Rice Krispies
How often do you get out for date night? Alex and I are fortunate to have grandparents nearby, but even so we are lucky if we go out once a month. Since we moved to Westchester last year, our favorite restaurant has been The Parlor in Dobbs Ferry. It's at least as good as the artisanal pizza places ...
Broccoli Apple Soup
Much to my chagrin, Owen will eat exactly three vegetables: corn (only on the cob, thanks), steamed carrots, and broccoli. When he was a baby, I made him all sorts of healthy veggie purees: sweet potato, peas with mint, and zucchini with basil. He loved them! I smugly thought that my diet must have ...
Blondies with Pistachios and Dark Chocolate
Alex's birthday is three days before Owen's. Two years ago, when I was 100 months pregnant and probably already a little bit in labor, I baked him an outrageous cake covered in chocolate ganache and decorated with chocolate- and toffee-covered pistachios. It was a cake to end all cakes. Literally--I ...
Classic Carrot Salad
When I was a single girl, I used to make a delicious carrot salad all the time. It was just grated carrots, lime juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, and cilantro. A huge bowl of it with some crusty bread and a glass of white wine can make a pretty great dinner. But alas, Alex is a cilantro hater. When I ...
Easy Black Bean Tacos
For 30 years, Alex thought he didn't like Mexican food. Then we went to a wedding in Napa Valley and the morning after there was a fabulous homemade Mexican brunch, complete with guava mimosas and a woman pressing fresh tortillas. Alex was converted. He realized that he actually loved authentic ...
Jalapeño Acorn Squash with Cranberry Walnut Sauce
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. (Can you tell? It's only mid-October and I'm already talking about it.) For us, it's a big multi-family affair: my mother-in-law roasts a massive turkey (and always frets that "it just won't be enough." A few years ago, she actually made a roast beef too, just in ...
Cranberry Almond Smoothie
I have a running joke with a friend that we won't drink anything with calories if it's not caffeinated or alcoholic. Juice? Soda? Not worth it. Coffee? Martini? Yes, please. I've never been a big smoothie person, and I'm not really into our current collective obsession with jucing. Why would I waste ...
Spicy Vegan Eggplant Parmesan
When I was in my awkward early teen years, I used to go to this gym in my town called Body Techniques. This was in the mid-90's, and it showed. The walls were decorated with pink and teal heartbeat lines, like the kind you'd see on a heart rate monitor, and half the gym was devoted to a windowed ...
Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Indian Spices
Do you have any cooking roadblocks? Like procedures or ingredients that make you run in the other direction? I think pie crusts and yeast breads stop a lot of people in their tracks. It's understandable--they are time consuming and difficult to get right. You really have to have a "feel" for when ...
