The Cook’s Kitchen

I love to peek inside other people’s kitchen, and am even more enthralled when it’s the ktichen of a popular chef. Last week, it was Mark Bittman. This time? Someone who needs no introduction - Julia Child.
Her first show, The French Chef, premiered in 1963 and was shot mostly from her home […]

I’m a reformed Gadget Girl. Once upon a time, our kitchen drawers overfloweth with the latest “As Seen On TV” toy and other things I couldn’t live without. I have since become much, much better, I promise you, and pared down tremendously, but every once in awhile, something new comes along that sorely tempts me. […]

My wife and I had a grilled pizza dinner party the other night, and we wanted something not too heavy for dessert. What dessert fits pizza better than more pizza???
Fruit pizza can be done several ways, but the way we make it is to start with 2 tubes of Pillsbury sugar cookie dough (yeah, […]

Admittedly, I don’t use my microwave for more than reheating items and making popcorn.  I mean, really, what else is there?  Well, the folks at Real Simple magazine have a list of 14 alternative uses for your microwave.  I’ve included two below, and you can find the complete list right here.  This just may make […]

I’ll admit that I’ve made small meals out of wine and cheese. I’ve also made meals out of boxed mac’n cheese, so don’t assume too much pretentiousness. Exploring foods is an interest that borders on passion. Over the last several months, the focus has been expanding my cheese palate.
Browsing the many cheese’s at Whole Foods, […]

I always love to read about the kitchens of popular chefs and cooks, just to get a peek on how they’re doing things.  In a recent issue of Woman’s Day magazine, New York Times columnist and cookbook author Mark Bittman gave us a little insight.
“I’ve never had a really nice kitchen.  At one point I […]

There’s nothing as relaxing as a lovely meal outdoors in the spring, summer and early fall. But nature has a way of messing up the best laid plans….and tables.
I’ve had more than one picnic overturned as a tablecloth is blown around by the wind– knocking over glasses, flapping into the food and, worse yet, catching […]

This post originally appeared on The Hampton Smoker
The stovetop smoker was a total revelation to me and the wife. It was not long after returning home from our week in Kansas City (we ate bbq every day and wondered, ‘is this what heaven is like?’) when we came across this device. Basically, it’s a metal […]

I’m not much of a world traveler in the physical sense, so an easy way for me to connect with other cultures and far off countries is through their regional foods.  It’s really the techniques and seasonings that I love to learn about.  But it’s tasting that ties everything together.  My latest journey to re-discovery […]

Last week, I was in Manhattan for a few days, and one of the stops I wanted to make sure I made was at Chelsea Market.  Chelsea Market isn’t that well known, it seems, by tourists, but it’s a great place to shop for foodies if you’re a local.  The market is made up of […]