Blame sore fingers on the nearly weeklong lapse in entries to this blog. I’ve nursed at least one minor burn every Christmas spent with my dad’s side of the family for the past 15 years or so. And I’m not the only one suffering after the family’s annual popcorn-ball spree. The only way to avoid [...]
Navel oranges never have held much appeal for me. Post-peeling, orange oil is impossible to scrub out from under fingernails. The fruit just isn’t sweet enough to counteract that lingering bitterness. Christmas oranges — or clementines — are another matter. Typically sold in 5-pound boxes, these delightful little fruits are in peak season. Americans are [...]
Family traditions held a place of importance in my childhood that, looking back now, might have been uncommon. My grandma was always amused that, at the age of 8, I vehemently protested any change to the Christmas menu, being convinced that we had “always” had this dish or that. Almost more sacred than [...]
It should come as no surprise that one of the single largest food trends of 2008 will be buying and eating what’s produced locally. Savvy food marketers are switching their focus from organic to local, according to a recent Associated Press story, in response to increased environmental consciousness. Consumers’ fondness for foods that have traveled [...]
The addition of another fish market to Medford within the past couple of months simply couldn’t go unexplored. Freelance Tempo writer Hubert Smith beat me to the punch, reviewing The Wharf in the Mail Tribune’s Nov. 9 edition. Hubert dutifully visited the restaurant a couple of times before rendering a verdict — positive — but, [...]
The current A la Carte’s Quick Fix recipe was worth sharing, I thought, not only because it sounds easy and delicious, but because it offers a new use for pumpkin puree. I hope Three-cheese Baked Gnocchi shows up on the dinner table the next time my mom makes pumpkin pie. Even though we always throw [...]
My mom separates cooks into two categories — those who freely and instinctively use spices and those who can’t envision a spice’s use without a recipe’s guidance. That a self-proclaimed “mistress of spices” would call me this weekend with a question about cardamom gave me a little boost in the self-esteem department. Should she bother [...]
As promised, reader Lauren Van Sickle, who wanted sweet potato recipes last week, delivered her family’s favorite holiday recipe for celery dip. Lauren says it goes great with Ruffles potato chips and although, she hates celery, this dip is “fabulous.” “For our family, the holidays aren’t the same without it,” she says, adding that it’s [...]
Winter squash are a food I’ve come to love slowly, with adulthood’s realization that they’re good for me and can be made to taste good, too. My husband, Will, still lags in his appreciation for all those vegetables rich in vitamin B. Yet he stoically gulps down his portion of stuffed gold nugget squash, which [...]
Less than a week ago in this blog, I claimed a reluctance to rush the holidays. But after a weekend spent Christmas shopping and watching Food Network specials on how to prepare all the season’s special dishes, the holidays are all I can think about. I’m not alone, as evidenced by an editor’s request for [...]
