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One of my favorite Must-Read Spring books this year is Ready or Not by Cara Bastone! See the other Must-Read books here!
The New York Times recently wrote an A-Z guide for all things romance and they included The Slow Burn in the actual definition of the term ‘slow burn’. So that’s pretty exciting!
What an honor! The Slow Burn is an instant USAToday bestseller. Hope you’ll give it a try!
I wrote an article for the New York Times about my favorite romances that take you on a trip
Sometimes life just isn’t fair. You’re not supposed to be able to sell 14 million albums AND be a great cook. But alas, that’s what you get with Martina McBride. The country music superstar just happens to also be an accomplished cookbook author and her second book, Martina’s Kitchen Mix, was recently released.
Martina came by the kitchen to share a little bit about her book as well as one of her recipes. She was so sweet we might even forgive her for being good at everything.
Read MoreI grew up with an American lens to Chinese food. In Charleston, where I was raised we had Chinese food that mirrored a lot of other places across the country, with its own unique dishes. When I moved to New York I started to learn more about more traditional versions of Chinese food but it also gave me an appreciation for the unique sub-culture that is Americanized Chinese cuisine.
One of the best things to me - and apparently, one of the most American - was the Pu Pu Platter. It was a dish that any children who grew up in the latter third of the last century would find familiar. It had everything you could want - fire, spinning and lots of choices.
But as our culture tried to move towards greater authenticity in different cuisines a lot of these stalwarts fell by the wayside. It had been a long time since I saw a Pu Pu Platter on a menu until I recently had dinner at Kings County Imperial. So I just had to sit down with Chef Josh Grinker to get his thoughts and to really hash out the special place of this uniquely multicultural dish
Read MoreI grew up with a grandmother who was all about pie, and she was particularly adept at the perfect pie crust. It was always a lattice and she made it look so effortless.
But of course as I got older and tried doing it on my own I started to feel that there was a lot of effort behind the effortless. I needed someone to take the fear out of my lattice. And Vallery Lomas was just the best possible person.
You might recognize Valerie as the winner of the Great American Baking Show. She has an awesome blog Foodie in New York that is a party-lovers’ dream. Vallery came over to show me her lattice crust secrets and she had so much advice. From the best way to cut the pie crust to the tricks to hide any imperfections I feel like I am ready to take on any pie now.
Read MoreCertain concepts seem to be stuck in another time. Egg salad always feels that way - a bit heavy and a bit basic with the tweaks in herbs or spices never feeling quite large enough to shift the genre. But that’s where Cal Peternell comes in. His recipes always have the feel of something you should have been making forever but are actually his own special spin. His newest book, Almonds, Anchovies and Pancetta, is a delight and is full of semi-vegetarian recipes that all fit that bill. I fell in love with his Salsa Rustica because it feels like a breath of fresh air to the egg salad mold. It serves the same purpose but without any mayo and ingredients to give depth and new life.
Read MoreWhen I first moved to New York, my mother-in-law made sure to pass along a lot of her local ingredient knowledge. With seafood there was one constant: Citarella. She would travel over 20 blocks to get her fish at Citarella because to her there was nothing better.
So when Joe Guerrera- Citarella’s founder and original fishmonger - came out with a book, I knew it was going to be great. The title is succinct perfection: Joe Knows Fish. I had to have Joe over and he decided to share one of his easiest recipes, Spaghetti Vongole. It starts with good pasta and very fresh cockles or littleneck clams. But it’s one of those recipes that takes only a few ingredients and makes something magical.
Read MoreEvery party needs a good cocktail to start and it shouldn’t be made in a vacuum separate from the food. Instead it should all flow together like different elements to the same meal.
Alex Guarnaschelli - chef at Butter and a judge on Food Network’s Chopped - is of the same mindset, which is why she included an entire section for cocktails in her book The Home Cook. So when we had a chance to catch up with her I wanted to get her chef’s perspective on a good cocktail to serve to kick off a party. Her take is a classic and simple lemon ginger concoction that goes perfectly with easy bar snacks.
Read MoreI’m a little bit cookbook obsessed, to the point where I like to read them in bed like a good novel. And like a great narrative book, a cookbook can sometimes suck you in and make you want to revisit it over and over. Bottom of the Pot by Naz Deravian is one of those undeniable books. It recounts her Persian childhood and years of cooking her native cuisine in North America. And the recipes reflect that duality - traditional but all with swap-outs that make it accessible for finding ingredients here. If you have never tried Persian cuisine then you haven’t tried one of the best on the planet, but Naz’s book makes it feel like it is second nature. It is by far one of my favorite books of the year
Now that I’m done gushing, let’s talk about this recipe. Naz came over and we made one of her most vibrant dishes. Her yogurt beet dip, known as Borani-yeh Laboo, is worth it just for the color alone. But the simplicity of the recipe defies the depth of flavor that the beets and tarragon give to this appetizer. Make it yourself and then pick up the book. I promise it will become a favorite.
Read MoreThere are a few items I avoid making from scratch, and pizza dough is high on the list. It always seems like something you need to perfectly calibrate and since I live in New York it has always seemed like someone else around me could make it better.
But anything you fear is worth trying to conquer, so I made my way to Rosemary’s Pizza to try and get a taste of how they make their crust. I am a huge fan of this style of dough because it feels like the middle ground: not too thin that it falls apart but not too thick and doughy that the rest of the ingredients are drowned out. It turns out pizza dough is a simple process that just requires a little practice. So what are you waiting for?
Read MoreI think we are all suckers for Rice Krispie treats and I have certainly been known the cook with cereal before (if you haven’t tried the Sweet Salty Crunchy Steak you are missing out). But Duff Goldman is taking it to a whole new level.
He has a new menu at the Kellog’s Cafe where he is making every part of a meal with cereal. From Corn Flakes Mac and Cheese to a Fruit Loops pastry cream he has dreamt up every way you can add cereal to a dish. The key reason to do it, for him, is all about the texture. There’s just something about the crunch of cereal that can add an element into a dish.
Read MoreAnyone who knows me knows I am oh-so-skeptical of any baked good that is gluten or dairy free. Most of the time they feel like a sad imitation - sure, if you have to eat it then it would be great. But if not, why bother?
Angela Garbacz of Goldenrod Pastries in Nebraska makes you rethink all of that. Her recipes feel like they just happen to be gluten free but you would never notice it. This recipe is for anyone missing those summer blueberries and doesn’t mind taking the slightly-less perfect versions and throwing them in a cake. The other secret is a touch of cardamom to give it a luxurious depth.
Read MorePeople go to great lengths to save money on everything - except, it seems, on chicken parts. There is a great divide in our purchasing. We will buy and roast a whole chicken or we will buy pre-packaged parts, but so many people have an aversion to buying whole and then breaking it down at home. And yet, it is so much cheaper and gives you so many great extra parts for stock.
So what gives? I luckily had James Peisker and Chris Carter from Nashville’s Porter Road to showcase how easy it is. And that’s often the rub: everyone seems to think it is harder than it actually is. It requires no extensive skills and, unlike some other meats, no extra strength to pull it off. A chicken has natural areas that can easily come apart once you know the secrets.
Read MoreOk, yes, I did make the title of this post a Spice Girls lyric. But before you roll your eyes there is good reason for it.
I am a huge proponent of spices. They add a layer of aromatics and depth to whatever you are cooking that takes it up a notch. A lot of people have misconceptions here: that spices have to be spicy and that when you are using spices your dish is less fresh. The first is nonsense, because other than peppers and cayenne spices are only adding flavor. The second is really a sad result of the terrible and stale spices that most people use (yes, I’m looking at you with that cinnamon you bought in 2002). When my son was born everyone was shocked - SHOCKED - that he got curry powder or cumin in his purees. But why not? The more flavor we are exposed to the broader our palate will be. And by the way, that applies to adults too.
So Kanchan Koya’s book, Spice Spice Baby, was a breath of fresh air. She comes from a science background so she makes the case that, beyond being delicious, spices are actually an essential ingredient for your health. And so many of the recipes are really simple. She came over to the kitchen and actually showcased three recipes that require no cooking - so there goes the other myth that spices need to be complicated.
Read MoreWe go to 100 Acres to learn the secrets to making falafel. With a recipe that includes fresh chickpeas and a lot of herbs, you'll be making falafels at home in no time.
Read MoreOver the summer I try to eat as much lobster as humanly possible. Nothing speaks to me quite like a lobster roll when it is hot outside.
You can actually eat lobster all year long but in the summer (and into the fall) you actually get new shell lobsters which have their own wonderful texture. I spent a lot of time up in Maine last year learning about the differences in lobsters (you can find them up the coast from Canada as well, but I am a bit in love with how Maine handles their lobsters).
At any rate as the season changes (or doesn't, based on the weather where you are!) I wanted to break out of my roll rut and try something new. Luckily Kwame Onwuachi was in town to show me a flavorful and bright take on a lobster salad that will keep you hanging on to warm weather. You might recognize Kwame if you have been to his DC restaurant Kith/Kin or if you are a fan of Top Chef!
Read MoreI hate to sound old enough to say I've enjoyed following someone's career, but apparently today I'm going to. I have loved watching whatever Eden Grinshpan does next. She is a barrel of laughs and a breath of fresh air wherever she goes. I first interviewed her when she had a show on Cooking Channel. She has since moved on host Top Chef Canada and now she has opened her first restaurant, Dez. It combines all of her Israeli, Middle Eastern and other travel experiences into one spirited and flavorful fast casual spot.
And since I can't possibly pick a favorite I decided instead to pick her brain about mezzes. It's an all-encompassing word but it can help outline one of the best appetizer plans possible.
Read MoreI love a good hack, and apple sandwiches are kind of my new current favorite. If you use tart apples instead of bread you create a whole new category with texture and a fun factor that is hard to beat.
Recently Siri Daly stopped by to talk about her new book, Siriously Delicious. The wife of famed tv host Carson Daly uses her book and blog to showcase her easy recipes that help her keep her busy family on the go. Siri is one of those people who tries to make life easier and I loved the fun outlook in the book. But these apple sandwiches with nut butter and granola have made me a convert.
Read MoreSome people just make you feel like everything in going to be ok when you cook. Jenn Segal gives that confidence and her wildly popular blog, Once Upon a Chef, is proof that her recipes work and make lives a little bit easier.
So with the release of her new book, we thought we would bring Jenn into the kitchen to get a sample of one of her recipes. This grilled cheese is the perfect blend: it is easy enough that anyone can tackle it but with enough difference to make it really feel like something special. I have found myself going back to it over and over since we shot the video.
Read MoreI lived in India for a year and its food will always have a special kind of hold on me. But one snack in particular is near-impossible for me to resist: Bhel Puri. It's an Indian street food snack that you can find everywhere. When made well it has the perfect ratio of sweet, tangy, spicy and crunchy. It is every kind of flavor packed into one delicious bite.
So when I tried Floyd Cardoz's version I knew we needed his recipe. I have loved his cooking for years but I am so in love with his newest spot Bombay Bread Bar. It brings me back to my time in India but with a New York twist.
Watch the video below or follow the recipe to make your own!
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The Slow Burn was featured as one of 13 Charming Books to read on Book Bub! Read it Here!