FRENCH MUSHROOM GRUYERE TART

FrenchTartRecipe-portrait

How can anything with sautéed mushrooms, caramelized onions and grated gruyere be a bad idea? Even with an epic fail with the crust on my first try, the second time proved to be perfect. This tart is perfect for a dinner party or just a simple bistro night at home. Enjoy! INGREDIENTS For the crust:…

Read More

THANKSGIVING DRAMA

A Vintage Picture of a Person Eating Food

What’s a holiday meal without a little drama? My family is far from a quiet bunch and I can still hear some of the arguments of years past ringing in my ears. One particular memory from my childhood is on an annual loop, the dialogue still fresh and crisp as if it were spoken in…

Read More

NANA’S APPLE PIE A LA MODE

An Apple Pie Slice With a Scoop of Ice Cream

When my nana passed away, there were only two things my brother Paul and I wanted of hers; her rolling pin and her stained, faded apple pie recipe she kept in her top kitchen draw next to some dried-out rubber bands that she saved for years. Paul has the recipe framed in his kitchen and…

Read More

THANKSGIVING MEMORIES

An elderly woman with gray hair, laughing heartily, wearing a blue striped top, viewed through a window.

It’s hard to think about Thanksgiving without thinking about my nana. My memories go back more than fifty years, but I can still see her wearing her slightly stained white full-bodied apron with blue embroidered edges over her holiday best. All day she would be busy prepping the one, good old-fashioned, made-almost-from-scratch, meal of the…

Read More

DAN’S HALLOWEEN LEFTOVER CANDY COOKIES

Sliced Candy Placed on a Wooden Tray

IF—and the big question is IF—you have any Halloween candy left, here’s a fun idea for cookies. My husband made these at my request, trying everything from candy corn to Snickers bars. The chocolate based candies work MUCH better. Who knew candy corn melts so easily? INGREDIENTS 1 cup salted butter, softened ¾ cup granulated…

Read More

HOW MUCH HALLOWEEN CANDY IS TOO MUCH?

Sandy Stuffed in Ceramic Pumpkin Pots

Every November 1st, I start the day with a good old-fashioned bellyache. Since I was a kid, I’ve been overdosing on Halloween candy, trading anything with peanuts for Milky Ways, Sugar Daddies, Tootsie Pops, or the occasional Milk Duds. But in recent years, I’ve been noticing some very questionable choices in my neighborhood. People are…

Read More

MY CALDO VERDE

A White Color Bowl of Caldo Verde Dish

I had the great good fortune to meet a dear friend of Emeril’s back during my Emeril Live years. Chef Ines de Costa was like a second mother to him. For years I’ve been trying to recapture her magical Caldo Verde. So much of what she made had the intangible element of love on her…

Read More

TRES MUJERES (Three Women)

A Woman Making a Terracotta Pot

I have returned to Mexico for the second time, welcomed back as an old friend, or distant family member. Almost everywhere I go, I am greeted by a smile or a friendly buenos dias, the warmth of the people as soothing as the hot chocolate I crave. As I go from city to town to…

Read More

FABIOLA’S CHILAQUILES

A Plate in Blue and White With Chilaquiles

While on a writer’s retreat in a small town not far from Guadalajara, gorging myself on chilaquiles, tequila, and rising emotions, I was lucky enough to get this recipe from their wonderful cook, Fabiola. She’s a lovely young woman who puts all of her talent and heart into each and every dish. One of my…

Read More

THE ROMANCE OF FRANCE HAS ITS LIMITS

Lines of Multi Color Tulips on a Field

When my husband and I were dating, I knew within months that he was the one. But two years into our relationship, he was taking a little longer to figure that out, so I came up with a brilliant plan; a ten-day trip starting in Paris, making a loop down through the Rhone Valley and…

Read More