Question for Mom

Some recipes tell you to “cover the pot or casserole during cooking.”  Others say, “Do not cover.”  And some don’t say anything about covering or not covering.  Did the recipe writer just forget to say what to do, or does no mention of covering mean “do not cover?”  I’m confused. –Deirdre K.

I sometimes get confused too.  Why do I cover Lasagna when it’s baking but not Eggplant Parmesan?  Here’s my reasoning: 

My Endless Hunt for Chocolate Desserts

Chocolate Pecan Bars (right)

One of my main missions in life is to find good chocolate desserts.  Yes, when I’m desperate I’ve been known to lay out a few handfuls of chocolate chips on a plate.

But that’s for my personal consumption.  I can’t really end a dinner party with a bowl of chocolate chips. 

My latest go-to chocolate dessert comes from my friend Rukhi,

Improv in the Kitchen

My friend Ellen loves to improvise—both on stage and in the kitchen.  She’s fearless and successful in both arenas, although she doesn’t tell me about the flops.

Unlike some cooks I know, Ellen is willing to go off recipe because 1) she doesn’t like one or more of the ingredients, 2) she avoids certain foods for health reasons or 3) she just feels like it.

A Weird Kitchen Crisis

All kinds of things can go wrong in the kitchen, but what do you do when the knob handle on your biggest pot lid falls off?  I had used this lid, which fits on my largest pot as well as a large frying pan, for several decades.

I tried to fix it, but

Leftover Lamb

I came to roasting a leg of lamb quite late in my cooking life.  Mainly I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to carve it properly. Unlike a prime rib of beef, which has one big bone, a leg of lamb has 2 major bones that present themselves at odd angles.  Most recipes make a big deal out of how to carve this cut without making a fool of yourself.

Since a leg of lamb is expensive, it was highly unlikely that I would ever buy one just for Bart and me.  There would be way too much meat for the two of us.  What would I do with the leftovers?

Sriracha: What Is It and How Do I Use It?

Start the year off with a taste bud bang with this super-spicy hot sauce.  Popularized by David Tran, a Vietnamese refugee who emigrated to the U.S. in 1979, Sriracha Hot Sauce is the most in-demand condiment Tran created in his Southern California factory.  No one knows exactly what else is in this sauce, but sugar, salt, vinegar and garlic are likely ingredients.

How Big Is Julia Child’s Shadow in My Kitchen?

French Onion Soup

Every once in a while I think about Julie Child and wonder how much she influenced me.  She began her world domination before I started dabbling in the kitchen.  And when I did start, I was so intimidated by her reputation that I avoided her famous 1961 opus, “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.”