Last Friday, I wrote Dinner Stories: Eating Out at Home, which is about using ideas from restaurants to help you figure out "What's for dinner?". Here’s another yummy example of how to draw inspiration from restaurants and gain more confidence in the kitchen. Plus, a tip on how to get children and other family members involved […]
If I could meet you in person instead of writing to you, I’d invite you over for a little apéritif and tell you a Dinner Story. Maybe we’ll meet one day, but for now, today’s story is about the beauty and practicality of the apéritif. It is more than merely a delightful social custom. The […]
“What’s for dinner?” This question follows us every day, and everywhere. Even during our stay in Florence while my son, Alessio, is taking a design class, I still have to figure out what’s for dinner. Wonderful restaurants surround us, but we can’t eat out every night. So I am still cooking dinner most days—for myself […]
Cooking for kids can be complicated. They can be picky and don’t always want to eat the same meals as the rest of the family. I hear this complaint often, and that many parents' go-to solution is to make something simple for the kids to eat and to serve them first, such as microwaving chicken […]
Eating out is a wonderful treat, and you can create the same experience at home. Imagine making a simple meal and feeling like you are dining at a Trattoria in Italy! My son and I had a wonder meal at Trattoria del Pennello in Florence yesterday evening. We ate outside and the setting was beautiful. […]
Yesterday, I was reading a popular food publication’s post about back-to-school lunches. The article featured a gorgeous spread of school lunch ideas—all picture-perfect. There were sandwiches cut into various shapes, with expertly sliced vegetables and other ingredients used to create smiley faces and intricate designs. While the ideas were inspiring, they seemed to require a […]
A topic I write about often is The French Paradox. It's an intriguing “phenomenon” about how the French, in general, maintain good health and weight despite consuming a diet rich in croissants, cheese, bread, cream sauces, and butter – not to mention those delectable desserts! You can read more about the French Paradox here. But […]
Sunday is market day here in the summer. A trip to the farmers' market is a weekly routine, even when I don’t feel like going—like today. I’m busy preparing for a trip to Florence, and it's really the last thing I have time for. Normally, I buy almost everything I need for the week at […]
Even though I enjoy cooking, some days, it just doesn’t feel manageable. That’s when I call in my “sous-chef.” My husband, Pierre, loves helping out in the kitchen, and I’m grateful I can step aside and let him take over. Sometimes he comes up with an idea, or I share what I had planned, give […]
A secret to always being prepared with a dinner plan is to think about what you can cook and have on hand as a versatile ingredient. There are so many things you can prepare in as little as ten to fifteen minutes that can be used in multiple ways. This routine has saved me a […]
Have you ever opened your calendar to find your day packed with meetings, leaving only slivers of time for essential tasks? It feels like one wrong move, and you'll drown in the day's demands. And then there's the inevitable 'What's for dinner?' dilemma. That’s today. It's a work-from-home day, which, pre-COVID, for many, was often […]
It was my birthday the other day, and while I love dining out, we usually choose to stay in. I find it’s the perfect time for a treat like champagne and king crab legs, which are ridiculously easy and quick to prepare and cost a fraction of the price of going out. While I’m all […]
