Baked Spaghetti - When I joined my kindergartner for lunch at his school last week, I couldn’t help feeling a little nostalgic about all the delicious school cafeteria meals I enjoyed during my school days. That’s right, I said delicious cafeteria meals. Back in my elementary years (waaay back in the 80s), a half-dozen seasoned veteran cooks arrived at the cafeteria [...]
Eastern North Carolina Barbecue - I’m not just a North Carolinian – I’m an 11th generation North Carolinian. Eleven generations, ya’ll! In a country as young as the USA, it’s hard to find anyone who is an 11th generation anything. Yes, my Tar Heel roots go down to the bedrock, so it should come as no surprise that I was [...]
Beef Bourguignon - If you really want to impress someone with your kitchen prowess, look no further than the sine qua non of hearty French cuisine, Beef Bourguignon. It may sound fancy, but really it’s just a rich, boozy, chunky beef and vegetable stew. A stew that Julia Child famously called “one of the most delicious beef dishes [...]
Chicken and Corn Chowder - Here’s a little-known fact about Disneyworld: They will give you the recipe for just about anything that’s served in their restaurants if you just ask for it. Really! Some dishes are so requested, in fact, that the staff can just go grab a pre-printed recipe card for you. One of my favorite dining stops in [...]
Herbed Baked Eggs - If you consider a golden, creamy, runny egg yolk to be one of life’s great breakfast pleasures, then you will love this fast and simple recipe, which I’ve adapted from Ina Garten’s Barefoot in Paris cookbook. Something about the simple goodness of baked eggs makes me picture sitting at my breakfast table 30 years from [...]
Banana Bread with Bourbon Glaze - Few things make me happier than walking into my kitchen one morning and seeing a bunch of black, spotted, rotten bananas. Because you and I both know they’re not rotten at all; they’re just really, really ripe. And that means they’ve reached peak perfection for one of the banana’s most sublime applications: banana bread. This [...]
Chicken Bangers and Dijon Mash - I don’t get why people are always pooh-poohing British food. If you’re looking for something that will stick to your ribs, warm you up on a cold night, or go perfectly with a tall pint, then a big plate of meat and potatoes is second to none. British food is often derided for being too [...]
Gorgonzola Pappardelle - Mmm mmm mmm. That’s a big ol’ plate of diet-busting deliciousness right there. Okay, so maybe a big plate of creamy pasta isn’t something you’d chow down on every night, but that’s all the more reason to make it fabulous, right? And this one’s got it all: Indulgently thick, wide pappardelle pasta… Check. Creamy gorgonzola [...]
Sweet Potato Casserole - Somewhere along the way, someone decided that topping sweet potato casserole with toasted marshmallows was childish, or kitschy, or pedestrian. Instead you’re supposed to mix up a streusel of chopped pecans, butter and brown sugar. Well, I say forget that. Be who you are! I personally prefer the nostalgic crunch of toasted marshmallows. But if [...]
Tropical Sorbet - After I posted the recipe for my Caribbean Sunrise Smoothies yesterday, I was literally tipping back the glass to gulp the whole thing down when I caught a glimpse of my Cuisinart Ice Cream maker on the top shelf of my pantry. The clouds parted, and the angels descended to earth and shone a halo [...]