One of my “holy grail” dishes - ones that I continue to try to perfect: ribs, fried chicken, etc. - is the perfect mushroom soup. Typically, mushroom is heavy and rich with a lot of cream, butter and flour. That can be satisfying, but tends to mask the flavor of mushrooms - something I love. This one has a little cream, but is more brothy and flavorful. And let’s face it, it really is soup weather. Get this going on the stove - you and your family will feel warmer throughout

I have a terrible tendency to gather fresh ingredients because they look great, without yet having a recipe in mind - especially if it’s one of my favorite markets. But the fridge was silently judging me recently for having too many recipe orphans. Of course, the freezer was of similar mind. This was not a recipe that arrived with intention - it arrived with inventory. A few frozen salmon fillets here, a bag of spinach there, cream cheese instead of cream, roasted peppers fro

The holidays don’t usually end with a bang. They taper off. The tree comes down, the bits of tinsel or garland find their way into unexpected corners, and the calendar quietly insists on January. After weeks of cooking for crowds and cooking to impress, I find myself wanting food that feels personal again. Something made just for whoever happens to be at the table, even if it’s just Newt and I tonight. Something with a story. This year, that story came from my stocking. My ki

I have wanted to make Mormon Funeral Potatoes for years  after hearing Chef Carrie Baird (shown below) talk about them on Top Chef - I mean, strange name for a dish, right? Once I understood their story, I understood their staying power. Mormon Funeral Potatoes are a comforting, unapologetically rich potato casserole. Creamy, cheesy, and baked until the top turns golden and inviting, they earned their name through the work of the Relief Society of The Church of Jesus Christ o

The flu has a way of shrinking the world. My calendar clears itself, my to-do list loses its authority, and my body asks for only a few simple things: warmth, quiet, and something gentle enough to eat without thinking about it too much. A few days ago, before I started feeling poorly, I had lunch with a friend at Olive Garden. My lunch was forgettable, but a bowl of chicken and gnocchi soup arrived for my friend, steaming and creamy, smelling wonderful and making me absolutel

December has a way of tightening the clock. The lists get longer, the days get shorter, and suddenly cooking feels less like pleasure and more like logistics. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons we choose this time of the year to cut out of our lives what no longer suits us, and to embrace the things (or people) that do. My music teacher, Gus, sells Tastefully Simple, and if you know Gus, you know this is not a hard sell. He is one of those people who believes in what he shares

Some recipes are born from culinary brilliance. Others are born from desperation. This one started  Sunday morning when the clock was blurry, coffee simply wasn’t strong enough to negotiate with my headache, and I swear Newt was judging me. Look: The night before, a couple friends and I were anxious to experiment with a few new cocktail recipes.            First, vodka martinis with Castelvetranos and pickle juice with our appetizer. Then some Rombauer with our scampi. Then N

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...