Hot and humid summer weather dictates that I use my stove as little as possible for the shortest possible amount of time. Fresh fish is always a good choice for summer meals since it cooks so fast. Sometimes I pan-fry or bake salmon with just a sprinkling of salt and pepper, other times I like
I like to eat bananas when the skins are spotted and ripe because they’re sweeter, but they can go mushy pretty fast. So what do you do with an overripe banana too messy to eat by hand? Make banana muffins! But most muffin recipes make too many for a person who lives alone. Recently I
My grandson has given me a directive for his overnight visits: “You don’t ever have to ask what I want for breakfast, G. Lee. Just assume it will always be pancakes”). I love pancakes too but lacking his speedy metabolism, I don’t make them often. One weekend morning when he wasn’t visiting, I woke up
I’ve always loved mini-meatballs. Beef, turkey, or Swedish, I could eat them as a meal or snack any day of the week. The first time I had Asian chicken meatballs as part of the dim sum menu in a restaurant, I had to figure out how to make those too. Soy sauce, rice vinegar, and
I whip out this dish when I crave Chili Con Carne, but am all out of ground meat. And since this version is just as hearty, I don’t miss it. The beans are the star here and I use whichever I have on hand—kidney, pinto, black, or a combination of these—it doesn’t matter. (Kidney beans
My first taste of this classic Middle Eastern dish was at an entirely inauthentic location—a fast casual tea shop near my job. Nevertheless, it was an amazing experience. I’m no stranger to tomato sauces, but I’d never had one in quite this way—zesty and seasoned with earthy spices like paprika and cumin. Paired with a
I prefer making quick-fix recipes, but chili is one of my exceptions. Though it only takes about 20 minutes for all the elements in any chili to cook through, a long simmering time is essential–to allow time for the beans to break down and thicken the sauce. This recipe as written has a mildly spicy
Pasta with meat sauce is a favorite comfort dish. I’ve made it a million times when I wanted something familiar and filling or when I was short on cash. I used to just open a jar of commercial spaghetti sauce, add some basic spices, and heat it up in five minutes. Now I start from
There are probably a dozen variations of macaroni and cheese and I think I’ve had them all: classic, southern style, gourmet, and the day-glo orange stuff that comes in a box. My own version had been hit or miss in the past but, this year, I finally got it just the way I like it.
I don’t typically cook a big, hot breakfast. Most days, I like a quick fix, or I skip the meal altogether. But if I’ve got potatoes in the pantry on a leisurely weekend morning, you can bet I’ll make home fries with eggs. My version of home fries differs from my mom’s in that my
A friend from Trinidad introduced me to my first taste of coconut sweet bread around the holidays. Before bringing me a slice, she described it as “a cake with fruit in it”, and said that her mother possessed a ‘sweet hand’, meaning only certain Caribbean folks had the special ability to turn out a perfect
There’s a lot of prep work involved with this one, but I don’t mind because I like to keep busy while waiting for the water to boil for the pasta. I prefer using a short pasta, like fusilli or penne, but I think this dish would work just as well with long pasta. — H.
I love classic American beef stew but sometimes I crave something similar but a little less heavy; something beefy without the stick-to-your-ribs potatoes and carrots. That’s when I think of this meat stew known as Ropa Vieja. I serve it over hot white rice but if you drain off some of the sauce, you can also
If you’re familiar with this blog, you may have already started to notice a pattern between my and my mom’s dishes. She’s more of the chef, making good use of her trusty cast-iron skillet—and I’m more of the baker, (perhaps a little too) obsessed with chai spice. Part of the reason I gravitate toward baking
Candied sweet potatoes are always on the menu at my family’s Thanksgiving dinners. I used to just layer the ingredients on top of the sweet potatoes but cooking the butter and sugar mixture on the stovetop first gives the topping some extra richness. This year my sweet potatoes were especially yummy because the caramelized sugar added
This refreshing salad is my new favorite no-cook summer side dish. Its simplicity makes it a snap to assemble and though the feta gives it a Greek/Mediterranean vibe, it’s really versatile enough to accompany a wide variety of mains, like Pan Fried Codfish. — H. Weal INGREDIENTS 1/2 pound plum tomatoes (about 3 medium), finely
When I was in grade school, my favorite lunch was canned tomato soup accompanied by an American cheese sandwich on wheat bread, cold or grilled. It’s still one of my favorite meals but as I got older, canned soup just didn’t do it for me. Classic tomato soup only requires a few ingredients and doesn’t
Lying somewhere in the middle ground between flavored water and juice, the classic Mexican drink aguas frescas (lit. “fresh waters”) comes in many different varieties, often featuring fresh fruit. I use frozen strawberries in my version because they are already a staple ingredient in my kitchen and come conveniently pre-hulled. Garnish with a sprig of
I’ve beefed up (pun intended!) my marinara recipe into a sort of Americanized version of ragù alla Bolognese. Can’t technically call this Bolognese, as it is lacking the requisite soffritto base, but like that classic Italian dish, this hearty meat sauce is perfect to partner with short pasta noodles or as part of the filling
Recently a friend at work brought me a bagful of lovely green tomatoes from his backyard garden. I went in search of some recipe ideas for my newfound treasure and came up with two. One is fried green tomatoes and the other is this soup which has become a new favorite in my “simple but
