Do you have a recipe that you turn to repeatedly, one that you can whip up effortlessly when you are utterly exhausted or simply craving a comforting meal? For me, THIS chicken with anchovies is one of those dishes. It’s like culinary comfort food, a warm hug on a plate. I could practically cook it in my sleep, and truth be told, I’ve come pretty close during my recent bouts of jet lag and busy schedules ..read more

Buongiorno from Sicily. ? It’s early AM and the sun is just beginning to peek over the buildings. After a restless night of sleep, I have my first espresso in hand and am sitting on a tiny balcony overlooking the harbor in the seaside port of Castellammare del Golfo in western Sicily. The weather has been a bit temperamental with rain and quite the windstorm over the past few days but this morning, the sun is finally shining again ..read more

My sister Michele wrote in our last post that springtime is coming into focus. Judging by the plants leafing out here in Southern California, the birds chirping (one bird family has built a nest on top of our porch light), and longer days coupled with the arrival of daylight savings time, the only thing we’re missing is the official spring equinox. There are really great recipes to cook all year round with ingredients of each season, but spring offers more surprises ..read more

Suddenly it is March! ? Winter is almost behind us. The weather is warming up; the sun is shining; the birds are singing (and driving my cat, Luna, bonkers as she races up and down the steps, from window to window as the birds fly higher.) Soon we will be cooking lighter – gone will be the stews and braises and soups. Don’t get me wrong – I adore all the winter food but it starts to feel heavy and same-same by this time every year ..read more

My hands down favorite winter vegetable is cauliflower. It’s crunchy when raw and slightly sweet. When roasted, it becomes this delicious caramelized side dish that goes great with almost anything. When we were in Sicily last summer, I was again reminded of the interesting varied flavor combinations that can make the simplest ingredients come alive. My sister posted a delicious orange salad dressed up with the flavors of this island and it comes alive because of the additions ..read more

The sun-kissed hues of winter citrus can turn the dreariest of winter days into a pure ray of sunshine.,,,and blood oranges are the brightest of rays.☀️ January was a loooong dreary month here in Pennsylvania with only 4 days of sun making everyone rather sad and grumpy – but thanks to these little beauties, the sun shone brightly in my kitchen. Blood oranges are in season! Their beautiful vibrant flesh can’t help but bring a smile to your face ..read more

Baby, it’s cold outside! ❄️? No matter where you are in the US, it’s cold right now. My sister will probably share her adventures of travel to and from Bozeman, Montana last week, where the temperatures were 34 degrees below zero at night and which due to the cold and snow involved flights to four different airports to get home. Here in LA, it felt that cold–so we said–still, our self-acknowledged wimpiness for cold weather has everyone all bundled up when the temperatures drop below 50℉, so despite our complaining about the “freezing” temperatures, they never got below 45 degrees ..read more

As I type this post, snow is falling lightly outside the window – the first of the season. We haven’t had much appreciable snow for years and this storm is to be no different – our forecast calls for it soon to turn to rain. A soup pot is warming on the stove; a constant since my first run-in with Covid on Christmas Day. (Luckily, a very mild case which gave me a few very welcomed days on the couch.) Now these January days offer another opportunity to reset from the excess and whirlwind of the holidays – and for us, that means big ‘ole pots of soup on repeat ..read more

Christmas 2023 is almost here! We’re all thinking about who will be coming over when, what we’ll be cooking and baking, and what we’ll serve. When Michele and I were growing up, our family celebrated Christmas Eve at our Uncle Nelson’s place with fried smelts and the NYC WPIX Yule log. We also had a big Christmas day family meal at my Aunt Mary’s house, everyone gathered around a big table eating and loudly talking over each other (with an occasional fight thrown in for good measure.) I somewhat shamefully admit that the family and food aspects of Christmas were way more important than the ar ..read more

‘Ooooh, they have parmigiana di melanzane on the menu’ said I, mouth watering, sounding somewhat surprised as if I hadn’t eaten my favorite comfort food for months. Yet, on our recent two-week trip to our cousin’s wedding in Sicily, I ordered my favorite dish at (almost) every restaurant we visited. To my delight, it was usually listed as an antipasto or first course, leaving plenty of room to indulge in other Sicilian delights from the menu ..read more