CUORE FELICE

Once my father married my stepmother, Columbus Day was spent at an unsuspecting "resort" in West Virginia. Yes, I heard it - " resort in West Virginia ." Some of the main events included the flag raising and anthem every morning at 7 am right before the breakfast bell, a large community room with metal puzzles, cider, and snacks right before the dinner bell, and a nightly bonfire with camp songs and roasted hot dogs. (It cracks me up remembering Uncle Craig acting out the mot

As promised, a white out last night, but miraculously roads clear enough to head to our lake walk. Well, almost clear enough - got dicey in the park (There's only one Jeep.). So the boys are now tuckered, and the stew is on. SLOW COOKER BEEF STEW ( adapted from one of three America's Test Kitchen recipes ) 4 pounds boneless beef chuck-eye roast, pulled apart at seams, trimmed, and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces Salt and pepper 2 T vegetable oil 2 onions, cut in large chunks (see

So Rip saw his first snow yesterday, and just as quickly as it blew in, the sun melted it off today. (See left and right above.) What he...

Two recipes for the price of one here (actually three. . .), since they all complemented each other so well I don't think I'll ever make one without the others. All inspired by Ryan who allowed me to be his sous chef for the night. Whenever I visit Vail, we show each other recipes we have found - excited to try new things. It was a 14-hour drive with the dogs this visit, but sure enough, the next morning Ryan pushed his phone in my face to reveal our Saturday night projects:

I have two memories of ribs as a kid. The ONE TIME - ONCE - that my Korean mother made them in the oven and told people for two weeks how she made them so tender. (Why she never made them again irritates me, but it certainly made them memorable.) But once she left, there were so many nights of take out. When my dad would suggest "The Rib Rack," my brother and I would cheer every time. I can see the pile of fried onions on top of white bread served alongside the best ribs ever

My Bread and Butter has been tweaked both by my shock at how much sugar was in the original recipe and by a dear memory of my grandmother. Between 10 and 12 years old, I was shipped off to my grandmother's for spring break. "Shipped off" has a negative connotation, but who could complain about spending time with your namesake one on one in Winter Park, Florida of all places. It turned disastrous one year when it was the week my boyfriend dropped me for my best friend, but the

In the middle of June, I found myself with 10 lbs. of peaches, 5 cups of basil, and 7 cups of mint (Some beans and new potatoes too!). I knew I would make basil pesto since I am curing all the garlic that I grew. But what to do with 10 lbs. of peaches??? PEACH MINT JAM! Three years ago, my neighbor brought me her homemade strawberry jam, and it was the best jam I've ever had. She offhandedly texted, "It's made the old-fashioned way - without pectin." I had NO idea what she w

At the farm, Sunny makes a rosemary honey chicken that I love so much. One night I told her I think it's my favorite, and Nana chimed in,...

Chicken Parm, Arugula Salad, Homemade Pasta Don't get me wrong; I love the chicken parm recipe from Cook's Illustrated. I've made it hundreds of times and gotten restaurant reviews. HOWEVER, when I lucked into Garth Brooks concert tickets five years ago, I called Taylor and Courtney to see which one wanted to go. (And I love that Courtney told me to take her husband and have a blast.) Taylor and I met at The Palm since it's across the street from the Arena. He used his frequ

Greeting cards have all been sent, but the Christmas rush certainly isn't through. After a whirlwind trip to Southampton, England hours after giving my exams, a near brush with Eclare Cassidy Stoot and her boys, and then boarding the Queen Mary 2 for a cross-Atlantic voyage, there was a day walking my old NYC haunts and Hugh Jackman in Music Man on Broadway. All this, only to have a flight cancelled and a train to Philly to catch a flight home for Christmas . It's ok, of co