For busy-day cooking, or spur-of-the-moment simple satisfying suppers, fried rice is my go-to good-food-fast solution. For me, fried rice is as easy as making a sandwich! You may or may not get to that point in your kitchen journey, but even if you cook fried rice as an occasional item, you'll find it's a fantastic template to enjoy and vary to ...
Main Course
Farewell to A Chef’s Life
Tonight you can watch "A Chef's Life" Harvest Special, celebrating the Series Finale for this beloved PBS television show. Chef Vivian Howard welcomes us to her kitchen, restaurant (The Chef and the Farmer), and Eastern NC home to remember five fabulous seasons and toast the memories with friends and family. Airing 9:00 pm Monday 10/21 on ...
Southern Tomato Pie from Chef Ashley Christensen
Savory and satisfying, Tomato Pie brings the smiles and why not? When you pile summer's ripe, juicy tomatoes, fresh basil, mayo, and gooey cheddar cheese into a buttery, flaky piecrust, people feel hungry and happy fast. Easy, cheesy, and simple to prepare, it's the best make-ahead party recipe I know. You bet it's on my go-to spring-and-summer ...
Good News from Thailand: Chaiyo! for Cave Rescue
What joy in hearts, all around the world, to see the terrifying, seemingly hopeless ordeal of the Wild Boars soccer team members, trapped deep underground with ever rising dangers and few reasons to hope for a happy ending. And yet....and yet...so many people, from the boys and their coach, to the local and national community of Thai ...
Slow-Cooker Red Curry Lentil Stew with Sweet Potatoes and Cauliflower
This slow cooker red curry lentil stew with sweet potatoes and cauliflower is winter dinner gold. Easy to put together on a winter night, it's enough to feed a crowd with plenty to freeze for later. So good you won't mind adding it to your weekly meal plan to enjoy on more than one evening. Lentils are lovely --- I enjoy them in every form, and ...
Sunday Suppers: Cynthia Graubart’s Cookbook Shows the Way
Do you have good memories of regular family meals, gathered around the table, but find it difficult to make that happen nowadays? For many of us, it's a scene we'd love to see, but the logistics, the preparations, the decisions and the details sink the idea before we even get started. That's why Cynthia Graubart wrote her latest cookbook: Sunday ...
Red Beans and Rice
When laundry was a weekly task done by hand, it took all day and then some, so the astute cooks of New Orleans tended to start a big pot of red beans cooking low and slow, so that a low-fuss feast woud be ready when it came time to eat. People still love red beans in New Orleans and environs, and enjoy this satisfying classic on other days and many ...
Red Shrimp Curry over Instant Ramen
I love instant noodles, from their curlicue shape and economical price to their adaptability and quiet, time-insensitive presence on the pantry shelf. I like how the square stack unravels and swells up in boiling water, turning from serious square to tempting tangle of chewy goodness. The not-so-great part is the soup packet enclosed, which is ...
Italian Sausage Soup with White Beans and Collard greens
So many good things come from my visits to the farmers' market --- and the fresh, local produce and products are only the start. This substantial, supremely satisfying soup recipe came home with me on a bright, golden-colored piece of paper, shared with me at the Carrboro Farmer's Market by my friends Portia McKnight and Flo Hawley, the ...
Chicken Legs with Tomatoes and Basil, the Jamie Oliver Way
I This recipe caught my attention recently when I was noodling around on Food 52's Genius Recipe section. So much goodness there: Simple, straightforward do-able recipes yielding excellent results, usually without fussiness, ingredients challenges, or demand for extensive attention. Translation: Busy weeknight gold. This one came from Chef ...