Jump to Recipe Every year during Halloween I make a curry. Something very cozy, and stick to ribs that I can nosh on between tossing Starburst to the local ghouls and goblins. This year it was this Curry Braised Delicata Squash. This vegetable-forward dish features thick slices of squash, chunks of eggplant and parsnip, and wedges of boy choy braised and bathed in a lemongrass heavy red curry broth. The dish is served with rice and finished with cashews and red chilies, and yes, it is a dream come true. I’m sure it will see many repeat performances in the month of November alone. So let’s mak ..read more

Jump to Recipe Eggplant and I have an uneasy relationship. When I was a kid, I hated the vegetable with a fiery passion. And that opinion stayed with me into my teen years. But my mind started to change when I was served an order of Thai green curry with eggplant. I began to see eggplant for what it truly is. A flavor sponge that when cooked to perfection takes on a silky almost buttery consistency. And so my mind started to change. True, I still can’t say I’m in complete and total love with the vegetable, but I’m well beyond tolerance. I actually kind of like it now. And if I can say that, t ..read more

Jump to Recipe Hummus is a staple food in this house. My fridge feels naked without it, truth be told. And no, it’s not always a from-scratch gourmet situation. I’m not above grabbing a tub at the grocery store, particularly when I make the mistake of shopping while hungry. But when my stomach isn’t roaring and I have the gift of time and forethought, I prefer to make my hummus from scratch. And if I’m feeling adventurous, I like to fiddle with it quite a lot. Not all my hummus adventures are noteworthy. Some of them are noteworthy for less than positive reasons.  But today’s Curried Red ..read more

Jump to Recipe I think brunch is the most difficult meal to pull off. I know that may sound surprising but I think any meal centered around eggs becomes a race against time. Cooking is a lot like comedy, it all comes down to timing. And this is especially true when it comes to brunch. Poached eggs, fried eggs, bacon, and pancakes. All of these classic brunch items have different cook times and are difficult to make in bulk on a four-burner stove. Perhaps this is why we have to wait in those ponderously long lines for brunch at our favorite spot. Pulling off a delicious brunch at home can be a ..read more

Jump to Recipe I don’t make tomato soup from scratch often. There’s a certain red can I reach for instinctively when I’m hit with a tomato soup craving. And I don’t want to disappoint my tastebuds by giving them something they did not ask for. I have similar feelings about homemade ketchup. There is no way to replicate the manufactured flavor I have so much nostalgia for in my kitchen. But what if I took my beloved tomato soup just far enough off of the beaten track to make something different? Perhaps I could make a different sense memory and make something I would be proud to serve without ..read more