Chowder is one of America’s great culinary contributions: a hearty one-pot meal that you can customize to your stomach’s delight. While many chowders sprang out of a seafood tradition (think Manhattan and Boston clam chowders), there are also vegetable-based versions. I created this one to make use of plentiful summer crops like corn and tomatoes [...]
Dates are fabulously useful! Just don’t confuse them with figs, which are also lovely but which don’t have the staying power or sweetness of dates. (And don’t confuse fresh figs with the gritty stuff inside Fig Newtons — an actual fig tastes much lighter and fruitier, plus it beautifully shades from pink to cream to [...]
In the tradition of memorable beverages like the Harvey Wallbanger and the Arnold Palmer, I’m going to name my most recent smoothie/cocktail creation after my friend Jill. Why? Because she’s nuts about watermelons — she’s capable of consuming an entire melon in one sitting. (I wish I could do the same with my beloved pineapples, [...]
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It’s summertime, and the blueberries are calling. (So are the strawberries and the blackberries and the rest of the berry bunch.) Time to celebrate with some fruit soup! It’s ridiculously easy to make — which is probably one of the chief reasons fruit soup is on every cruise ship’s menu — and can be made [...]
Who cares about palm trees and sunny beaches when you’ve got wintery-white landscapes spread out before you and a mug of hot chocolate in your hand? (Though I admit it would be interesting to see snow-covered palm trees…okay, and I admit that it might be nicer to be on a sunny beach with a daiquiri…) [...]
I love ice cream. (Who doesn’t?) I love chocolate. (Ditto.) Lately, I had the best chocolate ice cream I’d ever tasted — it was silky and creamy beyond belief and hinted at a little something past the cocoa. The secret, I figured out after the third spoonful, was that it was made with coconut milk [...]
There are plenty of non-dairy creamers out there: hazelnut, French vanilla, Irish creme, extra-rich…the list goes on and on. (Literally. Take a look at the ingredients sometime.) All of those flavors do, however, have something in common — they’re usually accompanied by hydrogenated oil and high-fructose corn syrup, two of the worst substances you can [...]
It’s cold. I realize that when we’re in the depths of January, we Michiganders will look back at the good old “warm” days of October with fondness (and a touch of bitterness mixed with desperation), but to me, right here, right now, it’s cold. Last week I was riding my bicycle my usual 30 miles/week [...]
In the U.S., we tend to view avocadoes as a savory vegetable, to be served alongside tacos as guacamole or to be sliced and used as a sandwich topping. In other areas of the world, though, you’re just as likely to find avocadoes on the dessert menu: in Tanzania, avocado ice cream is a favorite; [...]
Ah, the soups of summer are almost here! This year, along with savory cold classics like borscht and gazpacho, try serving your guests fruit soups. It’s easy to create a new signature soup each time–just pair any fruit with any of these bases to make a creamy, fresh dish to remember: – Thick, Greek-style yogurt [...]
