Quick and easy for spring

Now that Mother Nature has finally made up her mind, we can all get out and plant our patio flowers and the annuals in our herb garden. What we want more than anything else is time outdoors in the sunshine and nothing labor-intensive in the kitchen.

Spring Lunch

When spring won't settle down, I comfort myself by planning menus for meals I'd like to make when we're finished with all this nonsense. Here's a lunch I will definitely serve some spring weekend when there are friends or family here for lunch.

The noble fruit

Olives are as old as the history of man. As Mort Rosenblum mentions in his book, "Olives" (North Park Press, 1998), Greek athletes lubricated their bodies with olive oil and the first Olympic flame was a burning oil bough. The Romans even had a separate stock market and merchant marine for o…

HASH

A couple of days ago I made hash with some corned beef left over from St. Patrick's Day. My hash is good, but doesn't touch my brother's who makes the best I've ever tasted, hands down. I also recall the red flannel hash from my New England childhood - not a favorite - (the hash, not the chi…

SWEET IRELAND

Saint Patrick's Day again - incredibly fast it seems. As always I've given a nod here to my favorite Irish author, the late Moira Laverty, who wrote so lovingly of the people and the goings-on in her small village, Ballyderrig.

SAVORY SUPPERS FOR THE HOME STRETCH

Mornings are brighter, sunsets are later and, in spite of the rash of snowstorms, I like to think of this time of year as the "home stretch". Within a couple of weeks we'll be turning our clocks ahead in anticipation of spring. Meanwhile, more hibernation is fine with me, especially when sha…

COLD WEATHER SALADS

The meteorologists tell us we are more than half-way through winter. I'm sure those on the east coast would bitterly scoff at that as they continue to dig themselves out. We Chicagoans, however, have had it easy and find such weather statements believable. I'm getting bored with so much hear…

JANUARY THAW

Writer, Bellamy Partridge, the father of one of my school friends, wrote a novel when I was about 14 entitled "January Thaw". I thought about that book this morning...not just because it was one of the first truly grown-up books I'd ever read, but because of how Januarys were back then.

WINTER VEGETABLE SOUPS

January, I've been told, is soup month, but I don't need a special month in which to make a pot of soup in the winter. I adore soup - especially heart-warming, soul-soothing Ribollita which could very well be my favorite, as it is Mario Batali's. The second soup, Golden Vegetable, is suppose…

BREAKFAST BISCUIT BUFFET

I was lucky enough one weekend this Fall to be a houseguest of a true (and fellow) biscuit lover. Nothing frozen out of a can for that lady; biscuits were from scratch and heavenly, reminding me very much of those my paternal grandmother used to make.

BREAKFAST BISCUIT BUFFET

I was lucky enough one weekend this Fall to be a houseguest of a true (and fellow) biscuit lover. Nothing frozen out of a can for that lady; biscuits were from scratch and heavenly, reminding me very much of those my paternal grandmother used to make.

ELEGANT EGGS

Could you imagine cutting into the puff of a savory cheese soufflé only to find a warm poached egg on a bed of spinach?

ELEGANT EGGS

Could you imagine cutting into the puff of a savory cheese soufflé only to find a warm poached egg on a bed of spinach?

POTATO LADY

Years ago, when I was writing a weekly cooking column for an Indiana newspaper, I apparently wrote more about potatoes than I realized. I still love them to this day but back then, they were kind of a passion. “A Passion for Potatoes” was even the title of one of my columns. As my photo ran …

POTATO LADY

Years ago, when I was writing a weekly cooking column for an Indiana newspaper, I apparently wrote more about potatoes than I realized. I still love them to this day but back then, they were kind of a passion. “A Passion for Potatoes” was even the title of one of my columns. As my photo ran …

BEAUTIFUL SIDES

My favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner is the array of side dishes, and I know I’m not alone, but let’s remember, they are not only for “The Bird.” Try them any time this winter with roast pork loin or a baked ham and you’ll be happy you did. Here is a dressing baked until crisp and crunchy…

BEAUTIFUL SIDES

My favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner is the array of side dishes, and I know I’m not alone, but let’s remember, they are not only for “The Bird.” Try them any time this winter with roast pork loin or a baked ham and you’ll be happy you did. Here is a dressing baked until crisp and crunchy…

FALL GRATINS –NOT A POTATO IN SIGHT!

Overnight, the weather in Chicago dropped from a balmy 75 degrees to the 40’s. Shivering on my way home from my exercise class this morning, all I could think of was hot soup – and how long until lunch. Gratins are another terrific comfort food in cold weather, but we always tend to make the…

A zucchini muffin fit for breakfast or dinner

This savory muffin studded with zucchini and cheddar cheese pairs as wonderfully with dinner as it does breakfast. And consider taking advantage of all that extra zucchini piling up in the garden by baking a double batch. The moisture from the zucchini means these muffins freeze well.

PERFECT PEARS

Give me a ripe, juicy pear with a wedge of Cheddar on a crisp fall day and I am happy. Combine pears with fennel and cream in a velvety soup and I am blissful. Dice them into a colorful holiday relish and I will drift to the stratosphere. And if awaiting me at home are pears baked with butte…