Dinner with Kirsten

Me: “Do you think we can get a smoker?”
Geoff: “We can’t really smoke inside!”
We went on to debate smoking meat in the park or propping a grill out on the fire escape, but for now, indoor oven-braised baby-back ribs are the closest I’m going to get to home-made BBQ.
I’ve had my eye on the Fairway […]

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I love meatballs, but I hardly ever make them. Left to my own uninspired devices I’m more likely to quickly brown beef, add a jar of marinara sauce and call it dinner. It’s my Midwestern version of “Pasta Bolognese” – my “again!?” dinner that Geoff is continually forced to veto. So, I decided to put […]

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I first heard the name “Clementine Paddleford” last year, as I uploaded old article to the Gourmet Web site. She wrote a column called “Food Flashes” in the 1940’s. Today, they’re great to read because of the history – the country was a very different place back then. You can check them out here.

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Years ago, as an undergraduate, my roommates and I threw many a meal into the crock-pot before classes. Then we would returned home to succulent scents of dinner, ready and waiting. I loved it!
When I bought a new New York crock-pot, I couldn’t wait to show off the magical wonder of slow-cooker dinners to Geoff. […]

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An evening alone. . . Sigh. . . I love being alone sometimes. There’s no pressure to “do” anything, there’s no struggle for the remote, there’s no need to brush my hair or take a shower and, most of all, there’s no need to compromise over dinner. So, when Geoff made last minute plans to […]

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My family knows how to pull together a great Thanksgiving. Sure, the dog may have helped herself to mashed potatoes and my Dad called the security company to keep the firefighters away in case of an alarm (how many years in a row have I set it off?), but everything came together for a beautiful […]

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When I buy groceries, I like to pick at least two or three types of meat for weeknight meals, and I usually don’t have a clue what I’m going to do with them. But I never thought that my Trader Joe’s pork chops would end up floating in noodle soup.

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No matter how elaborate a feast my sister and I prepare every Thanksgiving, there are those in our family who will mutiny if there are any traditional dishes (like green bean casserole) missing. Unfortunately for them, my sister and I love to experiment (and hate using cream-of-anything soup). So I’m always on the lookout for […]

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I love minestrone soup, and this version is quick, easy and healthy, making it a perfect weeknight meal. You can mix and match different seasonal vegetables and make it with or without meat, but don’t leave out the kale.
I didn’t even realize I liked kale until I tried this recipe. This member of the cabbage […]

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My family lives life one October at a time – always working towards it, somehow surviving through it, and recovering after it. My parents own a pumpkin farm in Nebraska. For two years after college, and then on-and-off since, I worked as a food and beverage manager at Vala’s Pumpkin Patch, developing the 14 or […]

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