When I was growing up, I was often jealous of those around me who had “ethnic” backgrounds that gave them lots of unusual foods and celebrations. A Midwestern farm kid whose family had been in the US since as far back as the 18th century, our food seemed plain and ordinary at times. Oh,  there…

This week is a great time for those of us who love cabbage. In every state I have lived in, the grocery stores all feature these fat green balls of crunchiness at really low prices in honor of St Patrick’s Day. Since this is a vegetable that keeps very well (for weeks!) in the refrigerator,…

You’ve seen all the healthy eating suggestions that encourage getting more fish into our diets, but you really can’t face another tuna casserole or tuna salad sandwich? You look at the price of fresh seafood and are sure your budget will never be able to handle these meals regularly–even if the kids would even eat…

Another winter Monday, another round of snow shoveling. Today’s snow was light and fluffy, with the air temperature at a “comfortable” 20 degrees. Still, it was nice to come back into the house to the aroma of homemade soup simmering on the stove. Soup is one of the easiest of foods to make from scratch–really!–but…

Year after year, one of my gardening daughters-in-law harvests lavish, overwhelming, crops of zucchini and yellow summer squash. This summer has been no exception to the pattern, with the yellow crooknecks especially prolific. After a certain point, however, the family becomes sated with variations of “squash surprise” dishes, but no one wants to just let…

It’s hard to make refried beans very photogenic, no matter how tasty they are, but I’d like you to look closely at this photo. See any little flecks of orange? These aren’t pepper flakes but instead are finely shredded carrots. Yup, carrots. Prepared with minimal fat, refried beans are a wonderfully healthy food just as…

Ah, the power of the “use by” or “pull date.” While these codes can be helpful in making sure that the products we purchase have not gone stale, they also can lead the overly cautious to waste food unnecessarily. While a “fresh” package of scallops past its pull date would be a very iffy purchase,…

Sometimes, silly mistakes turn out well. I have one sweet potato left in the pantry and wanted to combine it with lentils for a great curry. In a hurry to get the lentils cooking, I pulled the “lentils” jar out of the cupboard and emptied the pound bag into a pan. It was only when…

The recipe I just posted calls for the grated zest of a few lemons, and the flavor boost that lemon boost gives is really important. However, I sometimes delay making anything using grated lemon rind (or orange rind for that matter) because of this: You don’t see the problem? Well, look a little more closely….

Here is a dessert with a buttery crust, a raspberry layer where sugar does not overwhelm the tang of the fruit, and a smooth lemony topping–a perfect ending to a light spring or summer dinner. The addition of raspberries to the long favorite lemon bars makes these more than just a cookie. In fact, if…