Mad Hungry Family Book Tour 2016

  Sitting on the plane bound for Seattle from NYC has me reflecting on the actual mechanics of writing a cookbook, and how satisfying it is when the time finally comes to share it. The process is a long one. I’m not sure folks realize what it really takes to make a heartfelt, workable cookbook…. View Article

Springtime Rhubarb Chutney

One of the amazing things in my new life as a self-employed entrepreneur (better late than never) is the renewed ability to really cook with the seasons. To have time to leisurely visit the markets and to experience the first fruits and vegetables of the spring is a gift. For fifteen years, my job was to find, curate, expose, and… View Article
Tags: ,
Categorised in: ,

Fish Dinner

I love to eat fresh fish but I’m afraid it’s a less welcome dinner choice (than meat) for the guys in my life. Every time I make it I try to gussy it up a bit, so someone says, “that’s actually tastes really, really good!” I buy fish when it’s fresh, affordable and reasonably close to the… View Article
Tags: , , ,
Categorised in:

Mexican Food

It’s called Budin Azteca. My husband requests it for his birthday dinner every year. Since posting a few Instagram photos, I’ve had many queries about this dish. It’s no wonder so many folks LOVE Mexican food. Our household is no exception. The ingredients, flavors and techniques make for a very sophisticated and deeply nuanced cuisine. Even to say Mexican food is… View Article

Shrimp Scampi Versatility

It’s handy to have a few dishes up your sleeve that can be prepared in several different ways depending on how you are feeling, or more importantly, how your fridge, freezer, or pantry are stocked at that very moment. Shrimp scampi is one of those dishes. The recipe brings a few ingredients together to create a deeply familiar and deeply… View Article

Stir-Fry Strategy

  I make this type of meal at least once a week. It’s not the same type of stir-fry my  mom made in the 70’s with leftovers from last night’s dinner. No disrespect, because I loved that dish (often based around leftover teriyaki pork). But over my last few decades of professional cooking, I’ve learned a lot… View Article

Orange Marmalade

In my perfect world I have fresh clean produce to pickle, jam and jelly on a regular basis. Saying that makes it seem like I’m an expert preserver, but thats also in my dreams. When I do come across something amazing, like concord grapes in the fall or strawberries in June, and I have time,… View Article

Easter Leftovers’ Shepherd’s Pie

Romaine, Asparagus, Tomato Salad and Lamb-Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie Lamb and Sweet Potato Leftover Shepherd’s Pie Yesterday, I made this pie with the leftovers from the Easter Lamb. Ordinarily there are no leftovers in our family, but there was a lot of good food at our feast, eaten at my brother Peter’s house, on a… View Article
Tags: , , ,
Categorised in:

Potato Salad for Easter

When I arrived at my mom’s for Easter, she’d been combing through all my books to find her potato salad recipe, but with no luck. It was a bit of a surprise, as there are very few of her gems that haven’t been published. After a little digging we realized that it wasn’t in one… View Article
Categorised in: ,

Rose’s Tuna Salad

A reader wrote to ask for my mom’s tuna salad recipe (which I couldn’t help but mention in this description of Rose). Today, once again, a Quinn said, “there’s nothing in the house to eat.” Looking beyond the near-empty fridge, the crisper and pantry held a few secrets and about-to-go-sour ingredients. Surely, a tuna salad was well… View Article

Eat Out To Eat In

Cooking at home and eating in is what I happily do most days. Eating out is usually an adventure, rarely my first choice, and always for just a few different reasons–either inspiration or celebration–rarely in between. That means the options are either little known and affordable ethnic spots or special primo product ones. Over all… View Article
Tags: ,
Categorised in: ,

Get on the Granola

This happens every Sunday that I am home. A big batch of granola is made to stock up for the week. First off, even at the most affordable markets, the price verses quality of packaged granola drives me completely nuts! The worse brands are too much money. And half the time it’s rancid, which is what happens… View Article

A Riff on Chicken Fricassee

There was a whole chicken in the fridge and an increasing number of people to feed, so my plan for roast chicken flew out the window. Instead, I cut the bird into 10 pieces (breast parts in half), and put the back bone, wing tips and neck into some simmering salted water for a quick… View Article

Fish Chowder

Some things are so easy to make yet can seem as though they should be hard. Old school chowder is one of those dishes. Many fish markets sell “chowder fish” at a ridiculously reasonable price which is usually the leftover bits and ends of mild white fish that have been cut off from the bigger… View Article
Tags: , ,
Categorised in:

When Is Chicken Parm not Parm?

  When you realize there isn’t any Parmesan cheese or mozzarella in the fridge BUT, you thought that there was. The Burrata, brought home from a catering job by Miles just looked like mozz. I remembered a tub of store-bought preshredded Romano cheese languishing in the back of the fridge. And here’s the thing about… View Article

brick cold

Our apartment is on the top of an old building–a former storage area and a layer that I’m sure wasn’t meant for human habitation. Sure, it has skylights and south, west and east views, but it’s brick cold in the winter and too hot in the summer. When its really windy outside, I’m quaking in… View Article

Our Best Recipes to Keep Cool With

 [picasa username=”madhungrylsq” albumname=”heatwaverecipes”] We loved hearing your best tips and recipes for the heat wave this week! Inspired by all of your suggestions, we went through the Mad Hungry archives and picked some of our own hot weather favorites. Here are some MH recipes to help you stay cool all summer long: Papaya Ginger Smoothies… View Article

Heat Wave Recipes

Yesterday on MH Radio we talked about heat wave remedies and oven-less recipes. Since the hot weather is just beginning here in New York, we want to continue the conversation and gather more recipe ideas to help us make it through the week! Here’s a photo of one of our radio callers’ delicious looking fig… View Article

Summer Pesto Swap

Sort of boring but always seasonally amazing the first batch of basil is ready for pesto. Gonna switch it up and swap the pine nuts for a different nut. Hazelnuts? Almonds? Thoughts? Discuss! And if you’re looking for another switch to your pesto recipe, here’s one that swaps the basil for spinach from Mad Hungry…. View Article

The Best Grilling Secret You’ve Never Cooked

Ok folks if you haven’t tried skirt steak–this is your new jump off–affordable, and with the most amazing chewy (yet tender texture). Here I’ve coped an awesome “a-ha” technique from my fellow Artisan author Adam Perry Lang. Make a grilling sauce–any sauce (I used a ChimiChurri). When your hot meat, fish, or chicken comes right… View Article