What is it about chicken soup? There is a series of inspirational books titled Chicken Soup for the Soul, John Steinbeck mentioned it in East of Eden, Moshe ben Mainmon, a twelfth century Egyptian physician and philosopher, recognized it as a remedy for cold symptoms and his advice has been supported by evidence from a scientific study done at the University of Nebraska.

My resolution to cook simple food that tastes even better the next day and the first verse of Chicken Soup with Rice, written by Maurice Sendak and set to music by Carole King, inspired me to make my favorite chicken soup.

In January it’s so nice
While slipping on the sliding ice
To sip hot chicken soup with rice
Sipping once, sipping twice
Sipping chicken soup with rice.

Cooking chicken soup can be an all day affair but by beginning with chicken broth and a rotisserie chicken from the market, I had a full flavored, body-and-soul warming soup ready in less than an hour.  Here’s how I did it: … read more

Dinner was going to be breaded turkey cutlets.  Unfortunately I had run out of my favorite Italian seasoned bread crumbs and it was too cold and too late to go to the market. I put the turkey back in the fridge and rummaged around in the vegetable drawer. I found one semi-wilted zucchini and a couple of broccoli tops that needed to be used right away.

My head is filled with thoughts and plans for cooking in Sicily. What would a Sicilian cook make?  I had linguine, a Sicilian spice mixture, olive oil, onions, garlic, half a stale baguette, and a chunk of cheese.

I  sliced an onion while I tried to figure out how to pull things together.  The results were terrific and unlike any pasta I’ve made before.  Here’s how I did it:

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I just got a phone call from Herb of the Recipe Police Force.

He issued a citation because I had neglected to include Thyme in any of my chowder recipes.  He  said I wouldn’t have to serve time if I corrected the record and served thyme in my chowder.

Record Correction: Thyme added to any chowder recipe will make the Recipe Police happy, at least Herb will be happy.

I have been in the kitchen since Thanksgiving except when I was at the market gathering food to refill the fridge and pantry.

The week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve was a marathon of mixing, stirring, slicing, dicing, creaming and blending. It was time to make a change. I have resolved that until I get to Sicily in February, I will make meals that are simple to prepare, have a limited number of ingredients and are even better the second time around. Corn Chowder was my course changer.

Chowder is defined as any of a variety of soups, made with milk, enriched with salt pork and thickened with flour. It has been around since the sixteenth century when it was considered “poor man’s fare”. The word chowder may come from the French chaudiere, a pot used by fishermen in France to make a hearty fish stew by cooking fish with milk and vegetables, or it may come from jowter the Old English term for a person who sells fish.

Made with bacon, potatoes, corn and milk, the soup I made was chowder without fish because the closest fish to my pot was a twenty minute drive through the snow and eliminating trips to the market was part of my new resolve. I’m confident that the recipe police will not come to my post holiday kitchen to give me a ticket. Here’s how I made it: … read more

In November, I decided to try my hand at creating a recipe that featured Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry for a contest. I have never thought of myself as a competitive cook but decide to give it a whirl.

I signed up, got a coupon in the mail that I redeemed for one package of Puff Pastry. I opted for sheets rather than for the shells primarily because I had absolutely no idea what I was going to make.

The pastry waited patiently in the freezer for about ten days until lightening struck and I was inspired by the food in my fridge and a recent visit to Sicily. I had fresh cranberries and fresh ricotta cheese – hmmm, how about Cranberry Cannoli Puffs, a simple dessert made with a minimum number of ingredients.

I submitted the recipe and I thought that the contest rules required that I not tell a soul what I had made until the contest was over.  I got an email last week that said that I was free to share my entry so –  Here’s how I did it:

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