food

Scott Brown’s Peanut Butter Finger Bars

Most families have at least one favorite recipe that they use for special occasions and family get-togethers. It’s usually an old 3×5 card, stained by sticky fingers, rubbed off in some parts, with comments scribbled in the margins. These recipes are tried and true, the backbone of good American cooking, and I want to share one of those from my friends Gail and Scott Brown. They make these peanut butter finger bars for birthday parties and summer barbecues on the […]

food

Four Vegetable Dinner

After a weekend of too many heavy meals, and possibly an unauthorized visit to Shake Shack (don’t tell my kids), a vegetarian meal can go a long way toward regaining one’s nutritional equilibrium.  I guarantee that you will be completely full after eating this meal.  The quinoa salad is very substantial, and the butter-roasted radishes have a mellow flavor that is very appealing – almost like a slightly-spicy potato. The quinoa salad comes from Gwyneth Paltrow’s It’s All Good cookbook, […]

food

Do Not Miss These Donut Holes

I like donut holes more than donuts, because even though they are made of the same thing, they are so much smaller and thus there is the possibility of trying several different flavors, rather than committing to just one donut.  I also prefer the donut hole because it’s cute, and easier to serve in clever ways – like the cantaloupe used to display them in this photo.  The holes are stuck to it with toothpicks, so it’s nothing difficult or […]

food

Michigan Heirloom Tomato Tart

It was a tough call to decide if a recipe from Michigan should feature luscious Michigan tomatoes, or their famous juicy cherries.   I have great recipes for both from my friend Debbie Dingell, a lifelong Michigander who also happens to be running for Congress in the western suburbs of Detroit.  This congressional seat is currently held by her husband, John Dingell, who has served in Congress longer than any other person in history. I’ve known Debbie for over twenty-five years.  […]

food

Five Great Back to School Cookie Recipes

A cookie can be so many things: a hearty breakfast substitute, a dainty two-bite morsel, or a guilt-inducing volcano of instant gratification.  I love them all!  Here are five of my favorite recipes, from the righteous to the utterly self-indulgent, which, if you slip into the school week, will undoubtedly be met by shouts of surprise and delight. I’ve been making the Big Breakfast Cookie since the Silver Palate cookbook came out, and they were a popular item in the […]