Spinach and artichoke dip is a classic appetizer-time offering; you can even acquire it ready-made. It’s an appealing alternative to beany, cheesy, burger-filled, scoop-worthy goo found on the Big Game Day snack table. Not, mind you, that this dip with its hearty portions of cream, cheddar cheese, and sour cream will qualify as a serving […]
Breakfast seems to be the one meal of the day for which we tolerate repetition. A slice of toast with peanut butter; a bowl of cereal with milk and half a banana; cooked oatmeal with raisins, nuts, chopped apple, day after livelong day; all of these breakfasts I have witnessed among friends. Personally, I like […]
Things were getting pretty dire around here. There was no chocolate sauce for the ice cream, always vanilla, customarily eaten by one of the inhabitants here. This situation is almost as bad as running out of popcorn during the NFL divisional championships, and something had to be done. For a couple years now, for the […]
It is just a straight forward beef stew: browned beef, some onions and tomatoes, a bay leaf, salt and pepper, some broth or stock, red wine, a tiny bit of vinegar, and then you add a cup of prunes to simmer along with the meat. The recipe is an old one from Mark Bittman years […]
It’s good to have something bright on your plate these cold, dark days. A couple of weeks ago, reader Susan Mayer in Northport asked if I had a favorite recipe for braised red cabbage and I reported that, in fact, I didn’t, and I thought maybe one of Taste Buds’ readers would so I asked […]
Don’t get me wrong: I love all those ooey, gooey, creamy, cheesy dips that you stick salty, fatty chips into then slurp up. Yum, then groan; I can practically feel the little globules of fat attaching themselves to my midriff. Oh, for the long-gone days of a superlative metabolism. So, with considerable joy I offer […]
A lucky daughter and grandsons in Phoenix, Arizona, will have their mom and grandmother’s steamed pudding on their table this Christmas. It is winging its way to them (accompanied by a couple pounds of yellow eye beans for a taste of Maine). Julia Craig, of Houlton, who will celebrate her 98th birthday next month, made […]
Chanukah began yesterday, Tuesday, evening, the annual Jewish commemoration of the rededication of the Jewish Holy Temple in Jerusalem when, by a miracle, one day’s oil supply lasted eight days. It is a time of thanksgiving, and some of the festive foods associated with the holiday include fare fried in oil, famously potato pancakes call […]
Fig jam seems so elegant to me. Luxurious spread on toast, or on crostini served with cheddar, blue, or Parmesan cheese, or a slice of apple, or spread on brie before you enclose it in pastry to bake as an appetizer. Pretty pricey if you buy it in specialty food shops. And wouldn’t it be […]
Yesterday, Tuesday, the 27th of November, was National French Toast Day. Don’t ask me how these days are designated; how come it wasn’t National Turkey Soup Day? Well, there you go. I dearly love French toast and treat myself to it maybe once a month. I usually make the simplest form of it: eggs, milk, […]
