There was a point in time when I “Liked” Food & Wine Magazine on Facebook; I don’t remember when, but I’ve been noticing their updates on my feed lately. A recipe for a lemon upside-down cake contributed by a certain Cal Peternell accompanied a cool-looking photo, and a stamp of approval that indicated it was…

I’m more of a savory dessert fan rather than sweet, and one of my favorites is black sesame ice cream especially after a Japanese dinner. (Green tea and earl gray flavors are included in that list.) The best black sesame I’ve had is from il laboratorio del gelato in Manhattan’s East Village, followed by whatever…

Francine was coming over from Connecticut for brunch so I wanted to bake something that would bring back the Stockholm memories we shared together earlier this year. This traditional Christmas bread, or lussekatt, gets its yellow-orange color from saffron threads and is baked into S-shapes with raisins. They’re yeasty–a big plus to me–but also sweet…

A few weeks ago, I decided that the only way I would bake more is if my heavy KitchenAid mixer is actually taking up real estate on top of the kitchen counter. That way, it can stare and taunt me: Bake, bake, bake! I realized that whenever I have the urge to bake, I fall…

Shauna introduced me to this Paula Deen recipe last year. I had invited her to come down for dinner and she brought a ceramic pot filled with batter and peaches. Because I’m not a baker, I always welcome guests bearing desserts. It was delicious with vanilla ice cream as soon as it came out of…

When Sheena sent me this recipe from Design*Sponge, I thought of it as the ultimate savory cookie. The process read easily enough so I decided to try it on Sunday and bring them to the office the next day. They were a hit, even for those who thought they wouldn’t be able to stomach the…

I’ve never heard of blue eggs until I saw them from Holton Farms’ Web site the last time I ordered my CSA produce. Curious, I ordered a dozen even though they cost $7. After some research, I found out that the blue eggs come naturally from these Chilean chickens called Araucana that look like they…

This recipe was republished by The New York Times from A Good Appetite: Ripe for Autumn’s Hearth and it was one of those recipes I saved because it just sounded so deliciously savory. While I was in Raleigh, North Carolina for the weekend, I picked up a pint of figs from the farmers’ market and…

While walking in the Andersonville neighborhood of Chicago, Anna and I stopped by a store that was lacking in spirit but selling every spice imaginable from Africa, Central Asia and the Mediterranean. My pantry is stocked up with spices I smuggled from our Tunisian trip, so I was in no hurry to buy curries or…

Lisa brought two more zucchinis for me from her garden. This time I ended up making zucchini bread since I had an entire Saturday free. It was pouring outside so as soon as I switched to cooking mode, I couldn’t stop. I ended up staying in the kitchen all day baking. For fun, I used…

For our first barbecue, I wanted to serve a simple summer dessert that everyone would enjoy after eating all the pork belly and chicken. I don’t know how heavy watermelons are in your area, but in Harlem, a quarter of a melon is good enough for this recipe–it fed five people with second servings. And…