Every year, around this time, my love for vegetables seems to expire. All summer, I’ve embraced simplicity, drizzling tomatoes with olive oil, eating cukes on my way home from the market, and schmearing plain corn with butter. When I dig a little deeper into my fatigue, though, the truth comes out: I’m not tired of […]

There’s a continuous run of birthdays in mid-August. I counted and recounted on my fingers and eventually concluded that I know birthday girls and guys who lay claim to each day from the 15th to the 25th. This includes my uncle, my mother in law, both of my sisters, and Bill Clinton (August 19th). Birthdays […]

I eat a lot of vegetarian food, even though I’m not a vegetarian. Especially during the summer, when weekends consist of grilling sausages, burgers, and hot dogs, I gravitate towards grains, beans, and salads for some balance during the week. Yet I’m often guilty of running to the cabinet for pasta when I go to […]

When we were shooting images for In the Small Kitchen, our photographer, Josh, took a step back while photographing the umpteenth chicken recipe–the Mediterranean Baked Chicken in the Dinner Party chapter–and said, “So, you make as much chicken as my mom always did.” (Josh grills a mean chicken himself.) So it goes: chicken is easy […]

In summer, a pitcher of iced tea beckoning from the fridge can salvage the sweatiest day. When I need some sanity after a long summer commute, I try not to forget how cold drinks, from flavored teas to fruity cocktails, can help reduce the effect of the humid weather, sticky subway, and growling but necessary […]

Monday’s post about a sweet brunch main dish and the uncharacteristic fact that I served such a dish to friends reminded me that if you, like me, tend to order the fried eggs over the raspberry-almond pancakes when you head out to brunch, you might need to be reminded of some other options. Brunch has […]

As a homemade hummus lover, I’m not often swayed by other dip offerings, especially unhealthful ones (apart from on the Super Bowl). Fortunately, over the years I’ve amassed an archive of tasty dips based around nuts, herbs, non-chickpea beans, and even bread, and I thought it would be fun to share them with you. I […]

The morning countdown to lunch finally ends, and you and your colleagues head out to lunch for burgers, sandwiches, burritos, falafel, or loaded rice bowls. They’re delicious, and it’s a glorious break from the morning’s work. But then back at your desk a stupor sets in. The afternoon stretches long ahead of you, and your […]

What makes dinner in a bowl so satisfying? By “bowl dinner,” I mean everything from the deconstructed burrito bowl to the hodgepodge grain salad shielded strategically by a fried egg. I mean stews and chilis, I mean comforting soft polenta, and I mean a little bit of steak heaped on top of a whole lot […]

Kitchen experiments enliven my brain like not much else. But when I’m reading through a new recipe or about a new technique, the suggestion of deep frying immediately causes me to turn the page. It’s not so much the difficulty – Food52 has a new post that walks you through the frying process – as […]