Food

Ground seeds and nuts are a weeknight cook’s dream ingredient.

Imagine the best Southern barbecue cooked up in northern Africa.

Skewered foods are fun to grill and perfect for portion control, but you have to be careful about what goes on the skewers. You often see meat sharing space with vegetables, which isn’t the best approach unless your execution is perfect. Too often, the vegetables end up charred on the edges and raw within.

As I stood at the cutting board slicing slabs of thick skin off a fresh pineapple, a thought occurred to me – the strips of skin were an awful lot like the cedar planks some people use to add flavor to food on the grill. Perhaps they could be used the same way.

Recently, Irene, a regular reader, asked me about a #40 scoop. I often reference these in my recipes such as the oatmeal peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. I would like to share my answer.

A well made salsa can mean the difference between an average meal and memorable dinning experience.

The first thing I ever picked out to bake with my mother was a lemon blueberry Bundt cake. I’d seen an ad for the cake – complete with lemon-yellow icing – and thought it was the most sophisticated, beautiful cake possible.

Mom deserves a freshly baked breakfast in bed.

You may not be able to jet Mom off to a tropical island to show your love, but you can at least give her a tropical treat.

Mother’s Day is, of course, the day you serve the hardworking mother in your life a delicious breakfast in bed. And these baked eggs are a fantastic – and easy – way to do that.

No matter how much she would appreciate it, and no matter how much you love your mom – or the mother of your children – you aren’t likely to make her croissants from scratch.

Today my subject is salsa; a wonderful accompaniment for any meal and often overlooked in the Midwest.

Mashed potatoes are as American as apple pie?

The more time the sirloin tips bathe in this recipe’s punchy marinade of lime juice, Worcestershire sauce and garlic, the better. So while we call for marinating the meat for about two hours, don’t hesitate to toss them in as you head out to work in the morning. You’ll be rewarded when you get home and crank up the grill.

Choosing to pair black beans with chorizo, a spicy Mexican sausage, was easy, as those ingredients are frequent partners in Mexican cooking.