Here's where I let my thoughts go this way and that on food-related topics.



The Best of the Best Recipes from Cravings Archives
This is a totally biased list. These are dishes that have been big hits with my family and friends, the kind that inspire words that every cook loves to hear: "You've got to give me the recipe."


Go To Sweet & Sour Archive
Fish Soup with Saffron and Cream
from An Invitation to Mediterranean Cooking.
If I had a piccola casa on the coast of Sicily, this is what I'd serve at convivial, genteelly raucous gatherings under the grape arbor. (In this vision, I also speak fluent Italian and look like Isabella Rosellini.)
Banana- Pecan Coffee Cake
from The Hay Day Country Market Cookbook.
 I don't even like coffee cake and I love this.
Marmalade Soufflé
from In and Out of the Kitchen in 15 Minutes or Less.
 This is an evanescent, ethereal pleasure. You'd better double the recipe.
Mark Mitello's Mango Barbecue Sauce
from The Barbecue!Bible.
 This could almost make even barbecued road kill taste good.
Fattoush
from You Say Tomato.
Panzanella used to be my favorite kind of bread salad. Until I tried fattoush.
Spinach Balls with Yogurt Dipping Sauce
from Simple Vegetarian Pleasures.
I have seen the thin veneer of civilized behavior crack when my guests were angling for the one remaining spinach ball on the platter.
Chicken Breasts in Walnut and Pomegranate Sauce
from Recipes 1-2-3 Menus Cookbook.
Trust me. This is not just another chicken-breast recipe.

Frosted Butterscotch Cookies
from Better Homes and Gardens 75 Years of All-Time Favorites.

Apricot Butter Bars
from The Complete Cookie.
If you're going to fuss about fat grams, don't even bother with these. (But you'll be missing a swoon-worthy experience.)

Oatmeal Cookies
from The Golden Door Cookbook.
If you are going to fuss about fat grams, eat a low-fat cookie that's worth eating.
Pork Chops with Cabbage and Apples
from The Yellow Farmhouse Cookbook.
This is the only pork-chop recipe I have ever made that didn't result in chops as tough as rubber doorstops.
Bulgur Salad with Walnuts
from An Invitation to Mediterranean Cooking.
This is one of those recipes where ordinary ingredients magically come together in an extraordinary way.
Nantucket Cranberry Cake
from Simple Vegetarian Pleasures.
And you thought cranberries were only for relishes and tea breads.
Almond- Butter Cake
from Learning to Cook with Marion Cunningham.
You'll probably be so grateful that I directed you to this recipe; you may want to remember me in your will.