Cooking from scratch People used to always encourage me to make tacos – the kids love tacos – but I never did because people meant for me to buy canned refried beans and pre-made tortillas and that’s not cooking, it’s just assembling. But then I thought, I’ll try making my own refried beans and tortillas. …
Monthly Archives: September 2019
Sushi
Why make your own sushi? It’s much cheaper than going out for sushi, it’s a quick easy dinner you can make after you get home from work, most people like it, and it’s a great way to use up leftover veggies in the fridge. How to make sushi: Start by making rice. You should use …
Stuffed peppers
Easy to serve at parties These stuffed peppers take a while to make, but you can make them the day before and then just heat them in a low oven (at about 250) for the party, and set them out on trays. Then they are easy for your guests to serve themselves, and it doesn’t …
Stuffed zucchini
Got too much zucchini? If you’re a better gardener than I am, there may come a point in July or August where you have more zucchini than you know what to do with. This is a delicious way to use up a lot of zucchini. And it makes a great main dish for company. You …
Stuffed eggplant
An Italian recipe An Italian friend of mine, who is a fabulous cook, was kind enough to give me this recipe. Or at least, this is how I wrote it down – it’s probably not exactly like his anymore. A lot of people think they don’t like eggplant, but try this. It’s basically twice baked potatoes but …
Stuffed cabbage
Grandma’s Scientific Recipe You might think my grandma’s recipe for stuffed cabbage was probably ancient, handed down from her grandmother’s grandmother. Cabbage, right? It’s been around forever? Well, yes, but surely rice and tomatoes and green peppers weren’t actually so common in medieval Lithuania? And actually her recipe called for canned tomato paste, which wasn’t …
Greek string bean stew
Our Greek cook Vasiliki During summers years ago when we were excavating a Roman town (with a Stone Age village underneath it!) in Central Greece, we hired a cook whose main qualification was that she was used to cooking at home for a large family. Vasiliki was worried about cooking for Americans, because she didn’t …
Steak with pepper sauce
Do you mean that spicy southern sauce? Nope. This is a French sauce – sauce au poivre – made with black pepper, and it’s not really spicy at all, just a rich, thick sauce that is good (and quick!) on noodles on a cold day. How to make steak with pepper sauce: In a large …
Squash with fennel
A more sophisticated taste for squash Most squash recipes end up being pretty sweet, close to pumpkin pie. This is a more savory recipe, and it’s also gluten-free and vegan. It looks dramatic on a platter, and can take the place of a roast for a vegan holiday dinner. How to make squash with fennel: …
Squash soup
Out of fashion? A few years ago, I was reading restaurant reviews in the New York Times, and the reviewer criticized some restaurant for serving butternut squash soup made with squash and cream. The reviewer thought this was hopelessly behind the times, but I’d never had it. There wasn’t a recipe, of course, but I …