Even the carb-loving (dominant) part of me has to admit that there are few things as delicious as braised meat…fork tender and swimming in a shallow bath of aromatics, it’s a one-pot wonder. For many people, it conjures up memories of family kitchens from childhood and it makes the taste all the more satisfying. Continue Reading
Simple to do…and simply delicious! There’s not even that much to say, but please scroll down after photos, ingredients and kabob tip for 3 personal messages at the end.
This is a dinner totally made from leftovers and kitchen staples but it’s one that is worth planning for…especially if you’re looking for a vegetarian alternative. Continue Reading
I don’t recall anyone in my family — or neighborhood — making pasta sauce (“gravy” as we used to call it) with anything but canned tomatoes. Big super-sized cans of crushed or plum tomatoes mixed with a little can of tomato paste. 
It was customary and it was expedient. Continue Reading
Puerto Rico, La Isla del Encanto (the island of enchantment), has had me under its spell my entire adult life. Although, like life, the trajectory of ‘our’ relationship has peaked and ebbed and taken a variety of turns over the years.
I thought I’d leave you with the story – in words and photos – as I board a plane for San Juan. Once again.
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I’m not a traditionalist. Never claimed to be. Not in my beliefs, not in my life’s decisions and certainly not in my kitchen. I stand squarely against doing things a certain way (or any specific way) just because that’s how they are/were conventionally done. It may be a controversial stance to some who hold tradition dear, but for me to do otherwise would be contra my mind’s eye. Sure, I’m influenced and guided by prevailing wisdom and ‘tried + true’ experiences, but I adhere to the view that every.single.thing in life could – and should – be routinely revisited, questioned and perhaps reinterpreted with the passage of time. That goes for relationships, behavior, beliefs, politics, style…and food!
First, I’m going to tell you what this dish is not…it is not difficult to make, it’s not time-consuming, it doesn’t require any special expertise or technique and, except for the fish, it’s not expensive.
But, it is multi-layered in bold flavors, it’s colorful on the plate — and 2/3 of it can be repurposed the next day for an equally delicious dish.
This is my first editorial post. No recipe. Not even one photo. It’s a RANT!
I believe ‘food as entertainment’, specifically TV shows, started years ago with PBS broadcasting a few top chefs on a somewhat limited basis. Coincident or not, as the years passed, the global population became very food-centric or shall we say obsessed? The resultant interest passion in all things ‘food’ gave birth to celebrity chefs, food bloggers, food photographers and terms like “foodies”, “foodgasms”, “food porn”.
And it catapulted the concept of ‘food as entertainment’ into a force to be reckoned with. Today there are as many food shows on TV as there are of any other genre of entertainment. In the U.S. they’re on 2 dedicated cooking networks 24/7 and are featured on other networks like Bravo, Fox, Travel and PBS.
This is not the rant.
While “life” has gotten in the way of those regularly scheduled Family Food Fights, we’re still a family that loves to eat together. And, even if we’re not competing, you can bet your bottom dollar we eat well. Welcome to Saturday’s crab boil at my son and Julie’s house. 
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