Scalloped potatoes – gotta love ’em.

Potatoes, butter, and milk, baked into a bubbly, golden pan of “I’ll have some more of those potatoes, please” – what’s not to like?

When’s the last time you made scalloped potatoes? Last week? Christmas?

Never?

read the rest of this entry »

Q. What do you call a savory bread pudding, made with sourdough bread, asparagus, ham, cheese, and eggs?

read the rest of this entry »

What IS it about hot, melty cheese, anyway? I mean, you see a picture like this, and you NEED THAT PLATE IN FRONT OF YOU RIGHT THIS INSTANT.

From Gruyère Stuffed Crusty Loaves and Garlic-Herb Mac & Cheese to Sausage Cheese Biscuits and the meltiest cheese dish of them all – Cheese Fondue – some of the most popular recipes on this site feature hot melted cheese.

All involve cheese that goes into the oven (or onto the stovetop) solid and stolid; and comes out a glorious, lava-like, aromatic mass of pure oozing cheesiness. Cheddar, Jack, Swiss, mozzarella… doesn’t really matter what kind, does it? So long as it’s warm and soft and on your plate. read the rest of this entry »

The Easter ham.

It’s not a given, you know. Just because everyone else serves ham (or, for real traditionalists, lamb) on Easter, the Food Police won’t come knocking at your door if you dare to defy tradition and serve something else as the main dish.

Like lasagna, as my Italian in-laws often do.

Or roast turkey. After all, where is it writ that turkey can ONLY be served at Thanksgiving?

read the rest of this entry »

Here we are, less than a week before Christmas (and Kwanzaa); post-Chanukah; and just prior to any solstice-related celebrations. (Bear with me, folks, I’m being politically correct and trying to cover all of the bases here!) This is a frantic time of year, to say the least; read the rest of this entry »