To Thine Own Self, Be Food

Why does summertime make me think of potato salad? Eh, no matter. But...my love of the mayo-based concoction has waned in recent years.  I don't know why - maybe I'm getting older.  Or getting fatter.  Or maybe I just don't like mayonnaise much anymore (except on sandwiches).  Whatever the reason, I usually bypass the heavy, creamy salads...and that includes potato salad. Until today.  For your pleasure, I present a new take on a old favorite. 3 to 4 cups of peeled potatoes, cut into 3/4" dice Bring water and potatoes to a boil in a medium saucepan for 5 to 8 minutes, until potatoes are tender, but not mushy.  Drain water from potatoes and lay the cooked veg out on a cookie sheet. 1 cup peas (fresh or frozen) Bring peas and salted water to a boil for 4 to 8 minutes (peas will be tender).  Put 1/3 cup of the cooked peas into a large bowl and mash thoroughly.  Whisk in the following ingredients: 3 Tbsp olive oil 2 1/2 Tbsp red wine ...

It's good to know, in these difficult tween-age times, that the apple fritter doesn't fall too far from the tree. My daughter is eleven...and that means every day brings something different.  Every hour, for that matter.  Sometimes she's sweet and kind and beautiful, and sometimes she can be the opposite. Last night, though, she was looking through this book, A Baker's Field Guide to Cupcakes , which I'd checked out from the library (not so much because I wish to actually create the cupcakes, but because I like looking at the elaborate pictures and dream of a day when I can masterfully work with fondant and edible plastic).  And she then asks me: Mom, can I make the Crumb Cake cupcakes?   She further presses her case: We have all the ingredients.   Of course I will let her. Thankfully, the recipe wasn't too complicated.  She made the crumb topping first, then the cupcake batter, and I assisted only at the end, pouring the batter into the muffin tins...

With Chocolate-Chip Scones!  A scone is classified as a bread, but to me, they seem more of a biscuit...which technically...is a bread too.  Scones originated in Scotland and southern England...and they are not to be confused, according to Wikipedia, with tea cakes and currant buns.  But, stupid me, I can hardly resist clicking the lateral links there at Wikipedia, and after reading entries for both tea cakes and currant buns, I can't be anything BUT confused. Anyway, back to scones.  As you know, the Summer Olympics are being held in London this year.  And the Queen's Diamond Jubilee was celebrated this year too.  In commemoration, then, with two events that I am largely disinvolved with - it's scone time! I happened to have an extra half-bag of chocolate chips sitting around, and that's why I chose to add them.  However, I've also got in a request from my daughter to make scones again, this time with frozen blueberries (also available to me a...

This is a tough question.  It's similar to asking the epic question: Favorite wizard - Gandalf or Dumbledore? For me, though, it's: Favorite Dairy Product- Cheese or Yogurt? And while I love the versatility of yogurt as a breakfast food and a baking ingredient, I must, in the end, opt for cheese.  For the endless variety. But here's what is a little sad to me: that for us Americans, cheese is SO limited.  I know I was fully grown before I knew that "fresh" mozzarella was not that semi-dried, shredded, bagged stuff produced by Kraft, et al.  And I know I was inexcusably old when I discovered Parmesan cheese's natural form. I know.  I know.  Please pick your jaws up off the floor now.  It's shocking, but not surprising, I think.  As a child, we ate such exotic, foreign foods like tacos and La Choy chow mein.  I cannot imagine my mom buying a block of Gouda...and I cannot imagine my dad being willing to try it.  I don't intend to li...