This year I tried a new cranberry relish for Thanksgiving and decided to add a single jalapeño for a little brightness. I even deseeded it, thinking I was being cautious. I was not. The minute I chopped it, I started coughing… then instinctively wiped my eyes which of course  turned out to be a very big mistake. Suddenly I was half-blind, sniffling, and wondering how one tiny pepper could be so dramatic. But the relish itself? Fantastic and fiery. Later in the weekend, I pour

I’m not sure why, but I don’t really like things that “match,” as you can see by my table at right. Of course, what I might think goes together doesn’t always please everyone. Some of my family and friends don’t enjoy the dishes I put together with perilla oil and strawberry gochujang and ask that I go with a more “steak and potatoes” approach. Reluctantly, I acquiesce. Kind of. The star of this dinner is a teres mejor steak, a super tender cut that takes beautifully to a qui

Sometimes the best recipes start with a mistake. A few weekends ago, I pulled what I swore was a slab of pork belly out of the freezer. I had grand plans — crispy edges, sticky glaze, maybe even bao buns if I was feeling energetic. Into the oven it went, just like I do with pork belly: 300 degrees, low and slow. Three hours later, I opened the door expecting bubbling fat and that unmistakable pork-belly shimmer. Instead? A brisket. A whole, honest-to-goodness piece of beef st

A friend wrote in this week and said, “We love Thanksgiving, but it is only the two of us. I do not want to cook a whole turkey and four casseroles. Can we still make it feel special without going overboard?” Actually, many of us in New Castle are in the same situation and I’m surprised I haven’t addressed this before. The short answer is yes. You do not need a crowd to create a holiday feeling. You just need a few dishes that feel thoughtful, cozy, and a little celebratory.

In a town filled with good people and great food, two of my favorite faces belong to Aubrey from the Mercury Café & Teahouse and her partner, Chef Cassandra - yes, that Cassandra, who works alongside the ever-talented Delaware chef Robbie Jester. You’d think having a professional chef at home would mean that only Cassandra rules the kitchen, but Aubrey is quite the cook in their own right. They recently turned out a warm fall favorite that could have graced any restaurant tab

I had planned to make a fairly elaborate tart this weekend, with puff pastry, butternut squash, burrata and chantrelles (which I was lucky enough to find!). But as often happens, life gets in the way, errands take longer and suddenly, it’s 6:00 and you’re hungry. I still hope to use the mushrooms, but I foraged through the fridge to find something I could do quickly with some of the ingredients I had on hand to use. So, this flatbread is part comfort food, part showpiece. It’

t’s one of those chilly Delaware mornings when the sky is still gray and the house hasn’t quite woken up. My dog Newt is curled beneath my desk — a furry little foot warmer pressed against my cold toes — while I sip coffee and listen to the wind sweep along the river. It’s the kind of morning that makes you crave something nourishing and warm, something you can hold in one hand while typing with the other. That’s where these copycat Starbucks-style egg bites come in — creamy,

Of course, fall brings on thoughts of hearty autumn, earthy food - if you’re a cook like me. But so many fall dishes are really heavy. Which is great for colder temps but not yet, right? This one fits the autumn/earthy bill but is actually pretty light. This recipe features tender, seared lamb tenderloins served over roasted butternut squash and tomatoes on a bed of roasted fennel leaves for a sweet, anise-like finish.  Typically, I don’t include tomatoes in many fall dishes

I have a number of friends and readers who have signed up to either be a quality control taste tester or to provide some...

One of the joys of cooking is how a single dish can travel the world with just a few swaps of herbs, cheese, and seasoning. Or by liking...

As a kid, I adored Cap’n Crunch. My siblings and I  also accepted, with playground-level stoicism, that every bowl came with a tiny...

It was actually a little chilly out and I woke up thinking I’d make a long-cooking brisket. Unfortunately (or fortunately), the universe...

One of my favorite words (clearly, I have plenty) is cacophony. It means dissonance or disharmony. Looking at this salad, I’m sure that...

As August was coming to a close, I had the joy of celebrating summer’s end in two very different ways: a day on the boat with my kids and...

This little recipe adventure started the way so many do—while scrolling through Facebook. A quirky mash-up recipe popped up on my feed:...

It was Tuesday  afternoon - press day - I’d started writing first thing in the morning, as usual, and had forgotten to consume anything...

I’ve mentioned on more than one occasion that as lovely as my mother was, cooking was never in her wheelhouse. She was fascinated with...

It started, as many good soup stories do, with a chill in the air (relatively speaking, for this time of year) and a fridge that offered...

Ok, I have to say it – there’s no bad  bacon. All bacon is absolutely delicious and should be made an honorary vegetable. But there is...

I would like to believe that busyness and not my age was a factor in my recent forgetfulness. I haven’t been able to convince myself. I...