cooking at home

  • Rice With Black Beans

    Rice With Black Beans

    Here is a very simple and versatile side dish recipe for rice with black beans. It’s a good accompaniment for meat, chicken and fish or seafood dishes and can also…

  • Shrimp Ceviche

    Shrimp Ceviche

    During warmer spring and summer weather, I tend to turn to lighter dishes that don’t require heating up the kitchen. One such dish is ceviche, in which raw fish and…

  • Maryland-Style Chicken Fingers

    Maryland-Style Chicken Fingers

    Here is a spicy take on fried chicken fingers that kids like as much as adults do. I use Maryland-style spices to kick things up a notch –  the type…

  • Jamaican-Style Jerk Chicken

    Jamaican-Style Jerk Chicken

    This Jamaican-style jerk chicken recipe got some heat from Scotch bonnet peppers, but is also sort of sweet, thanks to nutmeg and allspice.

  • Shaved Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta

    Shaved Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta

    As a kid I hated Brussels sprouts, as I imagine many kids do. Partly that’s because we were always served the sprouts whole. One way to get kids (and some…

  • Beer-Braised Short Ribs

    Beer-Braised Short Ribs

    If you’re looking for something delicious to cook this St. Patrick’s Day that isn’t corned beef & cabbage or shepherd’s pie, here’s an easy solution: beef short ribs braised in…

  • Gnocchi with Brown Butter & Sage

    Gnocchi with Brown Butter & Sage

    Gnocchi in brown butter and sage sauce is a wonderful autumn/winter dish and it is easy to make at home.

  • Basic Marinara Sauce

    Basic Marinara Sauce

    Here is a very simple, but quite tasty all-purpose marinara made with canned tomatoes. It freezes well, so you could double or triple this recipe to make a big batch. 

  • Shrimp Creole

    Shrimp Creole

    I’ve tried dozens of different recipes for shrimp Creole in the past. However, this one – which is based on a NY Times recipe – is my wife’s favorite, so…

  • Butter Chicken Recipe

    Butter Chicken Recipe

    Butter chicken is a very popular Indian curry dish that is also called murgh makhani. The chicken is smothered in a creamy curry sauce made with vindaloo spice mix, which…

  • Seared Sea Scallops

    Seared Sea Scallops

    I love the slightly sweet and tart flavor of seared sea scallops – those are the large scallops; the small ones are bay scallops. They are super easy and quick…

  • Pork Cutlet Piccata

    Pork Cutlet Piccata

    Most of us are familiar with the popular Italian dish called chicken piccata, typically served with a side of pasta. Well, you can easily change up your piccata by using…

  • Beef Lo Mein Recipe

    Beef Lo Mein Recipe

    Chinese dishes like lo mein are pretty easy to make at home. The secret is organization. Be sure to have all of the ingredients prepped and ready to rock before…

  • White Beans with Sausage

    White Beans with Sausage

    Whenever I’m in France, I always enjoy visiting cozy little bistros that serve comfort food dishes like sausages with beans. When I’m not in France, here is the recipe I…

  • Chicken Thighs with Black Beans & Rice

    Chicken Thighs with Black Beans & Rice

    This is a terrific one-pot recipe from cookbook author Diana Henry that appeared in the New York Times. The key to success – as with many recipes – is to…

  • Simplified Devilish Shrimp

    Simplified Devilish Shrimp

    Most often, recipes for Mexican-style devilishly hot shrimp – camarones a la diabla – involves destemming, deseeding and charring dried peppers, then reconstituting them in water, etc. This version is…