How happy I was to come home to dinner tonight–shopped for and cooked by hubs. Served and cleaned up for by first born son. SOmetimes–SOMEtimes things work out how you hoped and prayed they might. All that training, and I do mean good home training pays off now and then. THanks boyzzz. All recipes from… View Article

[picasa username=”lsq713″ albumname=”SteakDinner810″] I took one whole week off of blog/facebook/twitter etc. No special reason–just a little vacation from the techno-frontlines because I want these activities to stay fun–not burdensome. And, this is the first time all year that–with sons all out of town, hubs and I ate out four whole nights which is very… View Article

It’s that time or year when the abundance of fresh produce can be overwhelming, Many a time, I’ve gone to the farmers market with a loose plan in mind and returned home laden with way more produce than I can handle. That’s where the quick pickz come in. Put some up–it’s easy. Here’s a simple… View Article

Hey folks, I’m back from the wild wiLD, WILD WEST but more on that later when I can really talk about it. I’m really happy to be home, having been really out of touch, connectivity and all my usual routine. I missed my family mad amounts even though I had one son traveling with me…. View Article

[picasa username=”lsq713″ albumname=”GuestBloggerSonSFriendBBQ”] I received this meal recap from one of my sons friends about his grilling adventures this weekend. This guy has spent many a barbecue at my home over the years and I am the friend he refers to who he called for how-to reco’s. The story is really funny. He writes of… View Article

[picasa username=”lsq713″ albumname=”RedHotWings510″] Such a fantastic extended family weekend. So many meals to cook, so many great cooks in the house and so little time! Here baby bro mans the grill for his hot wings, a double dipping situation in which the wings slow smoke for a while, then are dipped in a hot sauce,… View Article

[picasa username=”lsq713″ albumname=”RibDinner510″] Here was the deal. I’d get ribs–enough for everyone, meaning one rack per person (an investment). That’s all I had to deal with shopping-wise. In this house you don’t even want to cook ribs unless you’re SURE they’ll be enough.

[picasa username=”lsq713″ albumname=”SpringDinnerFishEnPapillote510″] Classic, classic us: thinking its another utterly free and unplanned day–I ride up to the Colombia farmers market to see what’s there and the bounty is great. THe fish from Long Island is the freshest and only what’s come from those waters. I picked a couple pounds of fluke and a couple… View Article

[picasa username=”lsq713″ albumname=”PorkChopDinnerTheFullStory”] The laziest and loveliest of weekends this is—no agenda, the most freeing of plans. The wind never let up but my will to barbecue did so this dinner–destined for the grill turned out really good cooked in my broiler (the most basic and worst performing broilers you can imagine). On a dog… View Article

[picasa username=”lsq713″ albumname=”SaveTheChildrenEvent”] Photos by Katie Goldberg I am very glad to be involved with an event in support of Save The Children. Pairing up with actress Jennifer Garner and Mark Shriver, we are launching a program called Make Time For Change–in order to shed light on the fact that all kids need HEALTHY snacks…. View Article

It know it seems like all we ever do is cook meat and, well–we really do cook a lot of it. But now and then–about once a week we have rice and beans (okay-they often have a small amount of cured pork product inside) BUT–one of my favorite dinners is the Spicy Chick Peas–otherwise known… View Article

So we eat a lot of beans and rice in our family–different types: red, black, pinto, chick peas etc. The most economical way to healthfully feed a group is to start with the dried beans–just a couple bucks for a bag which will feed a group of 6-8–total protein. Still-a couple cans of organic beans… View Article

After the whole soccer day extravaganza, I arrived home at 6:00–the dogs unwalked and a whole sink full of dishes (natch–the dishwasher and drainer was full of clean dishes) which means–no one could ever possibly put them away without an instruction manual. Needless to say, I was quite cranky AND poor hubby–it WAS his birthday…. View Article

[picasa username=”lsq713″ albumname=”EasterDinner2010″] Another Easter dinner had on one of our first gloriously beautiful days of the spring. Planned 8 to sit down for dinner but wound up me plus 8 boys to men (and thankfully Carly turning up in time for dessert). The meal, served inside was eaten outside–simple, simple menu but so satisfying…. View Article

[picasa username=”lsq713″ albumname=”ReallyGoodFriday”] One week back from vacation and the vibe continues a la early spring. Fresh Pat LaFreida provolone sausages, barbecued and piled into a baguette, lined with sweet pickles, and slathered with mustard. Press it down and slice in pieces–a great casual way to get lots of servings with little fuss. Sweet potatoes,… View Article

[picasa username=”lsq713″ albumname=”JARiceAndPeas”] A couple of years ago before getting so busy making Mad Hungry, I spent a week teaching at a work shop called The Kiln and The Kitchen at Good Hope in Trelawny, Jamaica. My childhood friend David Pinto, a potter who works up there invited me to collaborate with him in teaching… View Article

Not to beat a dead cabbage but–this variety of cabbage which behaves like kale is kind of insane as pointed out on yesterdays MH FB page post by Kempe Minifie (former executive food editor Gourmet magazine). Should you have a garden, I recommend getting these seeds. Unlike most other cabbages, there is so little water… View Article

On the music front from yesterday opera didn’t win the airwaves after all but we did compromise starting with Jay Z and Alicia Keys New classic NYC anthem Empire State of Mind http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bm61weFrK4c. Jay Z was the musical olive branch and I love this version better than solo Alicia anyway. BUT–she so rules overall in… View Article

From my postings here and on FB about my bread baking activities, I think it’s fair to say that Sullivan Street bakery’s Jim Laheys new book, http://www.amazon.com/My-Bread-Revolutionary-No-Work-No-Knead/dp/0393066304 is the book I’ve most been working from in the last couple months because yeast is my new learning curve. I have had almost instant and undeserving success… View Article

In the time it takes to order pizza and pick it up or wait for delivery, you can make a MUCH better and more affordable meal at home, provided your pantry is stocked. Many friends and colleagues tell me they just don’t have time to cook. But, they have time to order in and wait… View Article