Miss Laura Hangs Up Apron at Paraclete Academy

Tonight, I hung up my apron in the kitchen at Paraclete Academy, the South Boston after-school program where I have cooked dinner for 25 kids and teachers every Tuesday night since Dec. 2. The Last Supper, as Linda, the secretary, called it, was bittersweet. Not literally though. The dinner program at Paraclete ends this week. And […]

Not Fickle About Gregg’s Pickles

I haven’t lived or gone to school in Rhode Island in 100 35 years, but the sight of a Del’s Lemonade sign or a bottle of Autocrat coffee syrup on a grocery store shelf makes me wistful. I grew up on coffee syrup in my milk, spinach pies and pizza from the bakery, Korb’s rye […]

Gettin’ Roasted

I don’t have a vegetable garden, but this summer I found myself with an overabundance of tomatoes — tri-color cherry tomatoes, beefy beefsteaks and hearty heirlooms. I bought a plethora of pints at local farmers’ markets. And recently, one of Colleen‘s organic farm friends off-loaded a crate of cherry tomatoes amongst other veggies at Goat […]

I Had to Share…

this Zagat post with you since I am a HUGE fan of New York’s Hudson Valley. Besides my gazillion trips to the Culinary Institute of America for bootcamps and one-day classes (they really should give me a diploma by now), I plan my spring through fall forays around the Rhinebeck Farmers Market. It is, hands […]

Foraging for Dinner Ideas? Think Morels. It’s Spring!

I was on a quest to find some early rhubarb the other day when I walked into Volante Farms in Needham. Sadly, there wasn’t a reddish pink stalk to be found, but, wait, are those morels???? Spring has truly sprung! Morels are mushrooms (for you fungi-challenged), a tasty gourmet delicacy shaped like little honeycombed cone […]

From Nordstrom to Costco: It’s a Wonderful Life

I ran into an Epicurious post today on Facebook that professed the web culinistas’ love for Costco. The article – 14 Things We Love About Costco — ran in November, so why it appeared today in my newsfeed is a mystery, but it did strike a cord. Because I, too, feel the need to show […]

The Real Reason Why Zooey Deschanel Hates Thanksgiving Dinner

http://youtu.be/NXxiZHnw_MU So there was “New Girl” goofball Zooey Deschanel slagging Thanksgiving dinner on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” the other night. Zooey, who Kimmel said “radiates rainbows, unicorns and multi-colored Tootsie Rolls in everything she does,” isn’t a fan of turkey, stuffing or Grandma’s pumpkin pie because they are not aesthetically pleasing. Oh, really? Do tell Zooey. “Most of […]

Waste Not, Want Not: Repurpose Your Food!

I’m a child of the 70s, but you would think I grew up during the Depression because I refuse to waste food. People often tell me to just “get rid of it” after I complain about the leftover pie or cake that tempts me during the day. But I can’t. I just refuse. Eat week-old […]

A ‘Victory’ for Kale?

A long time ago and not so far away, Steven and I supped at the home of our friends who are mad gardeners. The wife, an excellent cook as well, served us boneless turkey breast stuffed with kale and mushrooms. It was delicious, and I never forgot it.   So when the kale craze hit […]

Feast Your Eyes — and Appetite — on “Haute Cuisine”

The French film “Haute Cuisine” isn’t about haute cuisine at all. In fact, just the opposite. When I mentioned that little observation to the film’s real-life subject Danièle Mazet-Delpeuch — the farmhouse cook plucked from the Dordogne to serve as French President Francois Mitterrand’s personal chef — she roared with laughter. “It is certainly not,” […]