Tag: dinner

Homestyle Mac & Cheese – better than the “cheesiest”

Hands-down one of my favorite meals to cook and eat – especially in Autumn – is homemade mac and cheese.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not above eating the “cheesiest” variety that comes in that blue box, but when I’m really craving some pasta and cheesy goodness, I’m all about making it from scratch. I’ve

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Who Knew Rice Was So Versatile?

Yes, I know.  It really was a rhetorical question.  Most people know, rice is the most important staple food for a large part of the world’s human population, especially in East and South Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and the West Indies.   And I think I’ve recently joined them.  Blame it on Northstar’s rice

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I Have a Thing for Leeks

I don’t know why, but for some reason I love leeks.  As far as I know my mom never really cooked with them so it’s not like I’ve got some wonderful childhood memories tied up with the smell of gently simmering leeks, (like I do with spaghetti sauce.)  They look like big, fat overgrown scallions

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“You’ve Got a Funny Way of Saying ‘That was delicious.'”

Sometimes dinner is just dinner – nothing fancy or extravagant or particularly exciting.  But still, it’s always nice to hear, “That was a good dinner.” Growing up, my mom’s standard way to cook chicken was to put the bone-in breasts in a big frying pan and cover them with a ton of onions and a

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Umm, yeah so I’ve had a little wine….

I apologize in advance for going all Julia on you, but really, what do you expect after a (quite large) glass of wine and total immersion in “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” volumes one AND two.  I may ramble.  And you have been forewarned. It’s no secret to my family that I’ve been struggling

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A Legacy in the Kitchen

My Grandpa Vern passed away just this past October and at his service, each of his three kids (my mom and two uncles,) my brother and I were all asked to speak.  Inevitably, we shared stories about his career, international travels, vacations to Tahoe, strict rules (eating bacon with a fork?)  and love of the

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Not Your Mother’s Pot Roast

Pot Roast – the bastion of 1950’s kitchen cuisine.  A foundation for countless recipes using leftovers.  Gentle reminder of Sunday night dinners everywhere conjuring images of women in pearls and oven mitts.  Comfort food at its’ peak. I’ve never really been a big fan of pot roast and not because of the misogynistic images it

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A Tale of Two Tarts

I mentioned recently that I have been acquiring kitchen gadgets at an alarming rate and I wanted to share a story about one of them – my new tart pan. I’ve been making “tarts” for years, but really, they were just tart crusts in a pie pan.  They tasted different than a plain ‘ol pie,

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I Heart Pub Food

So while I appreciate fine food and exotic ingredients, at the core my tastes are pretty pedestrian.  In the past, anytime someone has asked me what type of food was my favorite, I was embarrassed to answer, “pub food.”  But really, it’s just comfort food and is there anything better than a good burger, homemade

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“Heather, Please Pack Your Knives and Go”

I’m a die-hard Top Chef fan.  I hinted at my obsession a few months ago, but we do take it pretty seriously around here.  In fact, the other night Madison asked me if I could sit with her while she got ready for bed but after taking one look at the TV, decided to ask

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