There’s something kind of great about bringing a lunch in to work and having people ask where you ordered it from. It happens a lot when I make stir fry, probably because the sauces I get are so aromatic. My trusted brand of sauces is Lee Kum Kee, available in Asian markets and some [...]

Tonight’s weekly Farscape night went the direction of many Farscape nights lately, filled mostly with eating and visiting until it was too late to get a proper episode in. But at least dinner was good! I love hosting dinner for friends, so when it’s our turn to host for Farscape it’s always a treat figuring [...]

When I discovered Pastoral Artisan Cheese, Bread and Wine, a wonderful cheese shop / sandwich shop near where I was working recently in Chicago’s Loop, I was ecstatic! I’d been searching for a great source for my favorite serrano ham and manchego cheese for awhile to make a really special treat. We enjoyed it today [...]

Usually I don’t make something as rich as Shepherd’s Pie or Scottish Meat Pies so close to each other, but since my friend Allen the Scot wasn’t able to make it for the Meat Pies I thought another tradition from the British Isles was in order.
I’ve been making this recipe for years and it’s certainly [...]

When my friend Samm asked me if I had a shortcut for Scottish Beef Pies, I was stumped but determined. Naturally, when she came over to work on her wedding invitations today, I had a plan to figure these puppies out.
Sometimes there just isn’t a shortcut for a recipe. In this case, by using refrigerated [...]

Tonight I discovered a new favorite recipe. It’s super simple and really has no business being so delicious! I love canned artichoke hearts and wanted to include them in tonight’s entrée, so I found a great recipe on AllRecipes.com and modified it slightly.
I served it with a spinach risotto made from some leftover spinach, chicken [...]

Since there are now three of us in the house packing lunches for the workday, I decided to make a quick skillet sauce and some pasta specifically for leftovers. It’s a super easy recipe that takes only about half an hour, makes a lot of food and is also nice and light. I had gotten [...]

Pizza Beer? Pizza-beer-bread? A wonderful addition to a standard Crock Pot Roast.

An excellent recipe for a rich mushroom sauce that’s perfect for steaks, polenta or over pasta.

There’s little better (or more American!) than grilled cheese and tomato soup, and when that was the menu for a movie night dinner party, I decided to fancy it up with four-cheese paninis and my own “almost homemade” tomato soup. This recipe is super quick and ultra-impressive!
INGREDIENTS

2 cans of stewed or diced tomatoes with [...]

A quick recipe and techniques for making an easy pasta dish that’s great for large impromptu groups of guests!

TOO MANY PUMPKINS! A friend of a friend had a fall wedding and left my friend, the maid of honor, with dozens of pumpkin gourd favors left by guests. She decorated her home with them and wondered what to do with them. I didn’t actually believe I’d do anything with them, but I shocked myself [...]