50 Years Later and Still Not Ready for Prime Time

As a 14-year-old groupie of comedian George Carlin — thanks to my summer friend, Kathy Fay — I could not wait for 11:30 p.m. on Oct. 11, 1975. The Hippy Dippy Weatherman was the host of this new TV comedy show called, “NBC Saturday Night” and I was staying up to watch, dammit. By 1 […]

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 […]

The Foodsmith Gets Its First Bit of Press!

I know, I know. I’ve been remiss about posting on the Foodsmith blog. But I’ve baked up a decent excuse! Do check out the first wee bit of press my new venture got today on the Boston Restaurant Talk blog. I am beyond thrilled. Thanks, Marc Hurwitz! More on this new Duxbury bakery and take-away lunch […]

Getting Baked in the Big Apple (and Other Crumbs)

I spent what little time I had in New York last Sunday morning scoping out — and sampling the offerings — at various Big Apple bakeries. Because that’s just what I do. It’s really not my fault. My husband is still peeved that our family spent most of our time in Lisbon at Casa Pasteis […]

American Chop Suey: A Love Story

I got a kick out of Thrillist.com’s “22 Things You’ve Definitely Eaten If You Grew Up In New England” post the other day. All the usual suspects were there – Fluffernutters, NECCO Wafers, Hoodsie Cups… But I learned something, too. Apparently, American Chop Suey is a New England thing. I was shocked. Just shocked, I […]

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 […]

Why Break with Routine? Just Cook Clean!

Like our two spoiled silly cats, my husband and I are creatures of habit. We each drink our coffee out of the same mugs every morning and he must have a snort of single malt every night. My standing Starbucks order is a “venti non-fat one Equal latte.” No shots, thangyouverymuch. At our local Asian […]

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 […]

Need to Shovel (More) Snow? Whip Up a Little Garten!

It took me a pot of chicken soup, six large crab cakes and a pan of the Barefoot Contessa’s Salted Caramel Brownies to avoid shoveling the driveway today. I could have squeezed in an apple pie but I prefer to do back-breaking work in the daylight. “You haven’t shoveled yet,” asked my husband during an […]

‘I’ll Have the Salad Nee-Swaaah, He’ll Have the Nyaw-Kee’

Editors note: The correct pronounciation is “I’ll have the Saa-lod Nee-Swaz, he’ll have the Nyokkee.” Face it, we all have a couple of ethnic foods we can’t pronounce. I’ve butchered “mascarpone” for years by referring to the Italian-style cream cheese as “mar-scapone.” And that seems rich since I hail from the Land of the Dropped […]