-
Novelty Eats Review
Actually, you might want to look some gift horses in the mouth. Over the St. Patrick’s Day weekend, The Mister and I had occasion to sample a variety of odd foodstuffs. In the interest of science, we said yes to each opportunity. In the interest of saving your taste buds, I’ll share our thoughts. Truffle…
-
A Delicious Read
If you’re looking for bran muffins fit for an heiress, Bert Greene’s got you covered. My father gave me my first Bert Greene cookbook, “Greene on Greens,” back in the mid-eighties. I’m pretty sure this was the result of his forgetting to send in the postcard rejecting his book club’s selection of the month, but…
-
A Good Sandwich
One of these days I’m going to splurge on that pretty jar of anchovies. There is something special about a sandwich someone else makes for you. Even if they use the same old ingredients you have on hand, the sandwich somehow winds up tastier. Especially when that sandwich is made with love. Rochester has plenty…
-
Reading Round Up
Somehow, the more books I read, the more books I add to my “to read” list. OK, I have a quick confession to make. I have technically broken my New Year’s resolution not to buy any books. I am not calling it a full-on break because the book I bought is definitely not for pleasure.…
-
That’s a Lotta Bologna!
Meat sauce is another local food phenomenon I’m still wrapping my head around … I don’t have much of a history with fried bologna sandwiches. As a kid, a bologna sandwich in my house was generally served cold, on white bread, and slathered with bright yellow French’s mustard. They weren’t my favorite lunch, but every…
-
Feasting Before Fasting
If we drive to Buffalo for fresh paczki, can we justify a trip to NOLA for King Cake? You probably already know it’s Fat Tuesday, the last hurrah of fatty feasting before the Lenten fast begins on Ash Wednesday. But you might not know it’s also Paczki Day! If you’re of Polish descent or from a…
-
Some Books Worth Devouring
Thumb through these cookbooks that nourish creativity. Ever since I was a kid I’ve loved to read about cooking. My father used to bring home copies of Cook’s Magazine and I’d pore over them for recipes that cried out “make me!” I especially remember making little chicken salad-filled cheese puff pastries and a salt cod…
-
Cured
Making time for date night. Date Night It was a fairly quiet weekend in these parts. The Mister and I started out with a Friday date night. So often our going out focuses around a concert, which is always nice, but this evening we centered around plans to check out a new restaurant. We started…
-
Managing
Learning to let the kid take the lead. This past Saturday was the annual tribute concert in honor of my late first husband, Tony Cavagnaro. Tony was a fixture on the local music scene in Rochester, NY for the 19 year I knew him. He played in all kinds of bands from heavy metal to…
-
Sauced
Perfecting our pizza crust and playing with paper. I met my mother for a lovely lunch at the Highland Diner this past weekend. I used to live right around the corner from this Rochester landmark and spent many an evening there. The menu has changed quite a bit since those days, and I think the breakfast…