Through recollection and tradition, food connects us to the past. But food can also be a means of tracing culinary habits and preferences of the culture at large. [Read more…]
now in season: golden beets
At the Union Square Greenmarket on New Year’s Eve, I noticed a clear shift from even the week before. Freezing temperatures have finally settled on the region and the Greenmarket offerings have accordingly dwindled. [Read more…]
parsley and orange salad
I usually cling to the holiday season, and while our Christmas tree is still flickering away in our little apartment for a few more hours at least, this year I am thrilled to have arrived in January with its bone-chilling winds and cool, bright light. I think of this parsley orange salad as my first tribute to winter unadorned. [Read more…]
blackberry swirl cheesecake + a gingerbread house
I spent Christmas Eve building a gingerbread house with my oldest daughter and it was an absolute joy. I made this gingerbread recipe, drew up my own plans, and went for it. Then, with the help of two containers of very cheap grocery store frosting and lots of candy, we constructed a pretty charming little cabin. I liked making this one with minimal planning, but already I can envision a future in competitive gingerbread house building. It fulfills my 9 year-old self’s dream of being an architect, except with frosting. So very much frosting. Then, I made a cheesecake for Christmas dinner. [Read more…]
a merry little christmas
I set out this morning to share a recipe my good friend Lily and her mom Judy created for lovely homemade cookie ornaments but I ended up passing a rainy day fruitlessly rifling through boxes, drawers, and stacks of paper. Lily was nice enough to share her family recipe and teach our oldest daughter and me how to make them last year, and although I have a distinct memory of placing it somewhere special so I wouldn’t forget it, I can’t remember where I put the card with the recipe. [Read more…]