Food + Drink

Looking for something to elevate your at-home happy hours?  This creamy, classic dip is what a party for one or two should be–effortlessly indulgent.  It’s also warming and comforting.  It’s fabulous fresh out of the oven, but it reheats well too.  You can prepare it a day ahead if you like and refrigerate until time…

Brasato al Vino Rosso is northern Italy’s version of pot roast.  The descriptive phrase means braised in red wine, and the technique results in beef that’s elegantly flavored and pull-apart tender.  Barolo wine is traditional, but Chianti or any hearty dry Italian red will work. The dish is typically prepared with the “trinity” of onion,…

White sauce can be one of the most useful creations in a home cook’s repertoire.  A basic white sauce, typically béchamel, is an ingredient in many recipes.  It can elevate simple dishes of poultry, fish, vegetables, and eggs.  It can also be enhanced with flavors including white wine, Dijon mustard, curry, and herbs like tarragon….

One of the most positive things I’ve read lately is this article about someone who rode out a respiratory ailment with hot toddies. As with most things handed down through the centuries, there’s no agreement on where hot toddies originated.  Some say India; some say Scotland; some say Ireland.  They made their way to America,…

Clarified butter is a staple of fine cooking, such as French cuisine.  It is pure butterfat; the milk solids and water in ordinary household butter have been rendered out.  Clarified butter has a higher smoke point than regular butter, so it is better for cooking methods that require high heat, such as searing.  It also…

Ah, condo living!  Recently I was taking some items down the hall to the recycling room, and I spied two cast-iron skillets, in sizes I didn’t have, that someone had left behind.  Yay! This post contains affiliate links.  For more information, click here. But first, some serious cleaning was in order, as Frank Zappa’s Valley Girl…