A couple of weeks ago, as I made Georgine’s sausage and pepper recipe, my daughter Caitlin asked what I was making. “It really smells good,” she added. I sensed an opening, and told her. “Oh,” she said. “I thought you were making bread.” Later, at dinner, the topic of new year’s resolutions came up. I asked my kids – Caitlin, age 9, Sean, age 7, and Quinn, age “four-and-three-quarters” –  if they knew what a New Year’s resolution was. The older ones said they did – they had been discussing them in school – and Quinn went along. With that, I said that I had a resolution for them to consider…

My mother brought this treasured recipe into our family from a trip to New Orleans. A muffaletta sandwich is a kind of sandwich that originated in the French Quarter made up of layers of Italian deli meats and cheeses served on round Italian bread with an olive spread, and it is the olive spread that earns the concoction its distinction. However, as my mom learned, the spread can be enjoyed just as much on its own, with pieces of French breador specialty crackers used to scoop up as much as can be carefully balanced. I can’t remember the first time I made the muffaletta spread, but I know …

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, cooks of all levels, ages, and styles are thinking about “the meal.” While turkey, no doubt, tops the list (make sure to brine it overnight for extra flavor and juiciness – a great combination includes water, kosher salt, brown sugar, oranges, lemons, fresh thyme, and rosemary), there is great ability to make the dinner uniquely yours by customizing some of the traditional sides, and leaving your friends and family remembering a singularly deliciously holiday feast. Cranberry sauce is one of those sides. Here in Plymouth County, we’re blessed by an …

Growing up in Pennsylvania, I never realized the fall was such a big deal. It is a beautiful time of year there, too (complete with the same fiery red leaves that my husband thinks can only be found in New England), but I will admit that the season is definitely a special time of year for New Englanders. There is an abundance of outdoor activities to choose from (corn mazes, cranberry harvests, pumpkin patches and, of course, apple picking) to enjoy what can be the most beautiful weather of the year. Plus, as you drive or walk by neighborhoods, it seems more likely that you’ll see some kind …

Like I believe every house should, we have a smoke alarm in our kitchen. Earlier this summer, I realized that it didn’t seem to be working properly, and so after a few anxiety-filled nights imagining that a fire would break out right before I drifted off to sleep, we replaced the smoke detector. With it, my anxieties lifted completely, as it quickly proved to be very sensitive to increases in smoke or heat.  The night that I made bacon-wrapped water chestnuts for my visiting parents (who, having seen the article about making them for my in-laws, quickly requested them), the smoke detector …

With the fall (official this past week) comes the fall harvest, and if you’ve gone to the Plymouth Farmers’ Market recently, you’ll see that squashes, beets, and eggplants are being featured, along with potatoes, onions, garlic, tomatoes and herbs. What a treat to wander through, listen to the great music in the background, and really gain a sense of appreciation for the hard work of our local farmers in providing healthy food using sustainable methods. As a community, we’re lucky to have such a vibrant food thoroughfare. (See Stephen Keaton’s recent article for more information about the …

Summer may officially be winding down to its last few days, and the first frost could be here within the week, but every day I’m still picking tomatoes from my neighbor’s tomato plants. (No, I’m not stealing them – she left early for her winter residence, and left me as beneficiary of her crop.) Given that we don’t have much time for the green ones to ripen before it’s too late, I thought I’d dedicate this week’s article to the tomato – the fruit that everyone thinks is a vegetable, the ingredient that can shout summer or provide comfort from the cold, the food that is a staple of cuisines …

Another school year has begun, which finds me during yet another morning, racking my brain to think of something nutritious to give my kids for breakfast and lunch, not to mention snack. Last year, it’s safe to estimate that I made 346 peanut butter sandwiches between my two kids: 180 school days times two, minus eight total days they were absent, and another eight that they bought the only school lunch they’re willing to try – French toast sticks (sadly for me, only  appearing on the school lunch menu once every other month). It’s only mid-September, and I’m already getting nervous that I’m …

Earlier this summer, my former neighbors had a housewarming party for their new place one town away. Having lived next door to them for six years, my family and I had become fixtures at just about every party they had (which, since they are the parents of two young children, mostly revolved around princesses and ponies). However, it wasn’t until they moved away and hosted this party that I had the delight of trying this delicious bean dip.  My neighbor Jenn told me that her sister, Michelle, made the fabulous concoction. It’s not the kind of bean dip one might normally imagine – think, …

As summer winds down, the past few years my husband and I get together with some of his work colleagues and their spouses, all of whom have become great friends. Between the three couples, we also have eight children ranging in age from 4 to 14, which results in somewhat chaotic scenes at times, but also the wonderful sounds of kids just playing – pretending to be rock stars, throwing balls, acting like spies with their parents as the “enemy,” yelling, singing, laughing, running, and just being dippy. Their camaraderie also allows the grown-ups to carry on their own, sometimes dippy, …

This past June, my in-laws celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary.  But their children (my husband included) did not acknowledge the early summer day – they were waiting instead for the annual August vacation week in Maine, where they could surprise my unsuspecting mother- and father-in-law with a fancy dinner and homemade documentary chronicling their 40 years together. Through somesubtle and not-so-subtle conversations that included questions ranging from “What is your favorite appetizer?” to “How did you meet?," a menu was prepared, and the film was produced. “Menu execution” fell to …

Although I took “Better Baking” in high school, my main experience with cooking meals that I would have to survive on came during my senior year of college. By that point, I was living in an off-campus apartment with my best girlfriend, Sichel (rhymes with Michelle), and two other of our close friends, Tom and Kevin. Due to the fact that much of Kevin’s time was spent in the college’s newsroom serving as editor, and Tom’s cooking was, well, creative but in a simplistic and scary way (think Rice Cake Sandwich: a rice cake between two pieces of white bread; or Mashed Potatoes with Broccoli: …

Although it looks unassuming – kind of liked a bleached-out version of broccoli – cauliflower packs a nutritional punch. It’s high in vitamin C and also provides fiber, folic acid and potassium to our diets. Better still, some think the pale veggie might help in the fight against cancer, as a result of providing indoles – phytochemicals that may stimulate enzymes that block cancer growth. Yet when most people think about cauliflower, rather unattractive words such as bland and mushy seem to come to mind. Well, I’m here to attest – with Panko Cauliflower, you can have your, er, nutritional …

I recently spent a week at my parents’ house, in part to celebrate in my sister’s wedding, and thought that, while I was here, I would get some great ideas for this article. After all, it is my mother from whom I learned the fun of planning and creating meals that can be challenging to make and exciting to eat. Of course, I should have realized that, as mother of the bride, she might be a bit preoccupied. But since we were staying a few days after the wedding, we benefited from her need to cook – she had missed cooking for my dad and brother, her grandkids, my husband, and me - as she …

On the Fourth of July, we try to make the most of where we live.  We put up flags and bunting, and we stroll up to the parade in the morning, and then stroll down to the beach at Nelson Park and watch the fireworks at night.  And in between, we eat!  Typically, we host my husband’s family, and while we serve the typical cook-out fare of hot dogs and hamburgers (bacon and cheese hamburgers from Piantedosi’s – the best!) along with the great food that the family brings, I always like to offer one  “something special” – whether it be something more unusual, or something not typically homemade.  …

My daughter and I went for on a Plymouth Lantern Tour with her Brownie troop Wednesday night. Even though a light rain was coming down, we decided to walk to our meeting point – Plymouth Rock – since it was a walking tour, and we were prepared to get a little wet anyway. On the way there, we were splashed by my husband, who came to a quick halt after realizing it was us on the sidewalk. He had just taken my son to sign up for summer baseball, and he asked if we had eaten dinner before we left. “Nope, but I had a late lunch and Caitlin had a sandwich,” I offered.  “Okay…” he said hesitantly, …

Have you ever known anyone who can whip up something fabulous to eat simply by opening the cupboards and the refrigerator and using whatever happens to be on hand?  That’s my friend Georgine.  Although she’s wonderful, funny, and smart, and I’d be friends with her even if she couldn’t cook, she is a fabulous and creative cook, and to be honest, part of the fun of hanging out with her at her house is seeing what delicious concoction she’ll be offering next (as well as sharing comments about various cooking shows and their hosts).  Having grown up in Astoria, her senses were exposed at a young …

My son’s seventh birthday was Thursday, and as is tradition, I make a cake for his birthday party of his design.  I’ve been lucky – he’s never requested anything too challenging (aside from the rainbow cake; see below) – more, he’s just concerned that the cake is vanilla, and the colors are of his choosing.  When he turned two, he requested a cake that had green and orange decorations – thanks to the magic of M&Ms, no problem!  When he turned three, he was in a “vanilla” phase, and as such, he requested a white cake with white icing, and white decorations, until the day before, when he …

The first time we had Chicken Marbella, made famous by the Silver Palate, it was unknowingly, at our friend (and very good cook and baker) Lee’s house.  As with everything she makes, it was delicious, but what really made it stand out was the fact that my husband actually liked it, too.  A lot!  Obviously, I had to get the recipe. Still not knowing that this was a well-known dish, I asked a mutual friend of ours, who I knew had made the meal recently as well.  He basically gave me the list of ingredients, with a “mix it all together, let it marinate overnight, and then cook it on a low temp …

In May of 2008, my daughter graduated… from preschool.  The teachers orchestrated a wonderful and very appropriate ceremony to mark the occasion, and parents were asked to provide refreshments for the gathering following the ceremony.  My younger son, Sean, had just discovered coffee cake, and I thought that might be the perfect item to offer – a great treat for late morning that both adults and children would enjoy. The coffee cake was not only a big hit with the “grads” and their guests, but also with my family.  Since then, I have made it for a multitude of “pot-luck” brunches and get-…