There are a few recipes I make on Thanksgiving that I call “one-hit wonders.” That is to say I don’t make them on any of the other 364 days in the year. I’m no fan of stuffing, for example, so I keep the masses happy by making it on the holiday and then we forget about it until next year. My ...
Perfect Apple Pie Recipe
I am teaching Apple Pie in my Thanksgiving classes this month and I thought I really should share the recipe with you too, my dear readers. Perfect for Thanksgiving or if you're hunkered down watching Election Day coverage tonight. What is more American, classic and delicious in the fall than a ...
How To Make Pie Crust
I am a total sucker for seasonal fruit desserts, and pies are no exception, especially in the summer and fall. But we know each other well enough by now to know that I’m not a big dessert pusher. I think overdoing sugar and refined foods like white flour can really compromise your health. But, ...
Trail Mix Cookies Recipe
Having teenagers is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it's kind of cool that my girls are old enough to have adult conversations and share clothes with me. On the other hand, it bums me out that they prefer to be with their friends over their parents. I don't take it personally, of course. ...
Zucchini bread pancakes recipe
A few years ago, someone suggested I teach a class with a breakfast menu. At first I didn't think it was such a good idea because breakfast seems kind of easy, at least too easy to be taught in a cooking class. In our house the rotations is oatmeal or muesli, scrambled eggs, smoothies, yogurt and ...
Homemade graham crackers recipe
There are some things that I just don't think are worth making from scratch (like puff pastry) and then there are some things I can't believe can be made from scratch and taste good, like graham crackers. Wait, not just "good," but amazing! Who doesn't remember eating graham crackers as a child? ...
Grilled Mexican Corn Off the Cob Recipe
A close second to my obsession with summer tomatoes is my love for fresh locally-grown summer corn. I think I buy it twice a week from the end of June to October. I love corn's juicy, grassy sweetness. I love how easy it is to make it taste good (if it's fresh) and how it goes so beautifully with ...
Peach and Blueberry Crisp Recipe
Were fruit crisps popular 30 and 40 years ago? I can't recall, but I feel like they started turning up everywhere about 20 years ago. A fruit crisp was one of the first desserts I ever made on my own. I think the recipe came from one of the Silver Palate cookbooks. Remember those? I am very ...
Low-Sugar Strawberry Shortcake Recipe
Have you ever eaten a piece of fruit and said, "this is the best darn [insert name of fruit here] I ever had"? I've been saying that daily with strawberries and every time I do, my kids roll their eyes with that look like, "here we go again." It's just that when strawberries are so deep red, ...
Ginger and honey-glazed carrots
This is always the time of year that I appreciate living in California. Whereas the ground in my parents' New York garden is still frozen, I am pulling carrots out of mine. Joy! I planted a new variety this year called Purple Dragon and they are really something special. Purple skins with an ...
“Special occasion” chicken pot pie and other ideas for a delicious Valentine’s Day
Chicken pot pie is one of my family's favorite meals and this recipe, adapted from The Loaves and Fishes Cookbook, is the best one I've ever tried. Pot pie falls in my "10%," that is 90% of the time I try to eat as whole and clean as possible, and the other 10% is what it is. For the last 15 or so ...