Spending the day at my sister's apartment is always like a staycation for me. (That's what happens when you live with three other roommates.) Situated in a roomy apartment in Queens, I went over one day to cook us lunch.... More

My cousin who lives in Flushing has the luxury of a backyard that's grown to become about fifty percent garden, one hundred percent fun times. This leads to an inevitable feast (or famine, if they're not ripe yet) of zucchini,... More

Creamed spinach from Boston Market is quite possibly one of my favorite things in the world. The key is to mix it with the corn, mashed potatoes, and gravy sides to create the über side dish. Anyone else do that?... More

Puff pastry is one of those indispensable pantry staples. It keeps forever in the freezer, thaws in a snap, and can be used in both savory and sweet applications. It's perfect for throwing an elegant appetizer like an asparagus and... More

What to do with two limes on the verge of expiration? Seriously, they didn't even look like limes anymore, but more like deformed green balls of death. Not to worry—they still turned out to be exceptional in this Key Lime... More

I needed a quick and easy meal to make for my cousin last night and this Balsamic Pork with Shallots from the March issue of Cooking Light definitely fit the bill. Easily a 30 minute meal, the recipe is straightforward... More

If you like cream cheese brownies, you'll love these Chocolate Cream Cheese Cupcakes, from the March issue of Bon Appétit magazine. They have a deep chocolate flavor with a tangy cream cheese and chocolate chip filling. They weren't too sweet,... More

Lately I've grown a little tired of store-bought hummus. Many of the flavors are bordering on bizarre (dill? French onion?), and often I find the taste of tahini overwhelming. And commercial hummus is always pureed until it is super-smooth. I... More

Instead of eating the traditional string beans with slivered almonds for this year's Thanksgiving, why not try something more unique? This recipe from Bon Appétit is in the running to be one of my Thanksgiving side dishes. More

Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jameson are two of my favorite cookbook authors, so when I saw that they had created the cover recipe for the October issue of Cooking Light—Walnut-Crusted Pork Chops with Autumn Vegetable Wild Rice—I knew I... More