food detective
It feels like I’ve traveled more in the past three weeks than I have in the last three years. And I have to say it has been a blast! I surprised my husband with a trip to the PGA in Rochester, NY. An amazing Garden Club of America Annual Meeting flower show in Columbus, Ohio. And a very special luncheon in LA to shower my youngest and her soon to
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food detective
Maybe it’s all the playoff games, draft picks, and NFL schedule releases but lately I’ve been craving buffalo chicken. With my own schedule ramping up it’s time to get creative in the kitchen, not only for inspiration but for timesaving shortcuts. I love when I find ready-prepped ingredients. Whole Foods carries the best pulled rotisserie chicken
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food detective
There is nothing quite like a cheese soufflé. They rise as if by magic. The result a savory, airy, light edible cloud. And fear not, once you master the basic technique it is almost as easy as making an omelet. It’s also a great last-minute supper because you probably have all of the ingredients on hand. If this is your first souffléing, be sure
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perfecting the "done before they arrive" party- a work in progress
One of my perennial resolutions is to go through an old binder of mine entitled “Sandy’s Best”, a collection of recipes that I have been lugging back and forth for years. Most of the recipes are from the late 1980s to early 2000s. Some are clearly dated. Others have fond memories. It’s funny but when I’ve tried to resurrect many, they’ve landed in
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dinner for two
Last week those of us in California got a brief respite from the atmospheric river that has been relentlessly raining down. I seized the moment, heated up the pool and whipped together a dinner for two to enjoy out on the patio. A first since November. My love affair with my husband’s grill continues. (You might be asking who did I give that
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food detective
On a recent visit to my daughter’s, my son-in-law treated me to one of the best burgers I have ever had. Some call it an Oklahoma burger. Others a Depression burger, as small amounts of ground beef are cooked with heaping piles of thinly sliced onions to stretch out the meager portion of protein. After that trip I began reading about these burger
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food detective
With the big game right around the corner, why not cook up two competing batches of chili to place bets on. And getting in the game-day spirit, how about a red beef chili for the Chiefs and for the Eagles a salsa verde chicken chili. My go-to beef chili is a tried-and-true champ. A great competitor, this white chicken chili that I adapted from my
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food detective
While I never do it, I love reading the comments other people leave on online recipes. For me, they complete a recipe’s journey. It’s especially useful when numerous readers post a similar point. When they do, I usually take it to heart. This often saves me from wasting a morning or afternoon’s effort. And sometimes following these tweaks and turns
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food detective
This holiday season I decided to turn up the heat and give my husband something really hot… a new gas grill. It was a real upgrade from our thirty-five-year-old dinosaur that came with our house. I had so much fun reaching out to my favorite grill masters from across the country for their advice and input (thank you all!) I settled on the Weber
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perfecting the "done before they arrive" party- a work in progress
How about a little mangia trois to ring in the new year? It’s easy to make a splash with this trio. Whether you’re hosting a crowd, being a gracious guest, or ringing in the new year by yourselves these three recipes are super simple and never cease to impress. For each recipe you can make the components a day before, assemble them earlier in
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Wherever I find myself, I’m happiest with a full dining room table. As a former professional chef and caterer I want to share what I’ve learned over the past three decades of entertaining. On this site you’ll find tricks of the trade to help even the most harried of you pull off a seemingly seamless fête. Come join the conversation! read more →