Just Baking

 
“En Papillote”: A posh denomination for a fun and easy way of cooking. Often applied to fish, it can also be used for chicken or vegetables on their own.
All you have to do is slice the vegetables thinly, wrap all the items in a piece of parchment or tin foil, and cook the parcel in the oven at […]

I was getting off of work and was thinking, “I would love to have pulled BBQ pork sandwiches for dinner.” On the way to the store, I thought, “Why not do something different?” So at the store, I bought boneless country pork ribs, boneless, skinless chicken thighs, and some beef.
I was planning to throw it all in […]

Choice is good; too much choice is  bad. For that reason pizza can be the most annoying dish on earth. I find going to a pizza restaurant quite traumatic: after much hemming and hawing to choose which topping I would prefer, I invariably change my mind when the waiter is about to leave the table with my order; and I will stay […]

Empanadas, or hand-held meat pies, are common to many South American and Hispanic cuisines. Close cousins to the British meat pasties, the Australian meat pies, and the Indian samosas, their widespread popularity is no doubt due to their portability and their versatility.  
Easily customized to cultural flavor preferences, the empanada is a perfect way to incorporate whatever bits […]

Impressive centerpiece for dinner parties. Quick and simple to make, this is the perfect recipe for beginners. This is a dish often suggested for pre-Christmas parties, but served with a fresh green salad, we could almost imagine that spring has arrived. In fact, this dish is all about tremors of excitement and anticipation. At […]

When I was thirteen, I started writing recipes in an agenda that my father had given me. The agenda wasn’t my favorite. When I think about it, I should have chosen a prettier one, a real recipe notebook; yet I’ve decided to go with this one. A small blue agenda with aluminum covered corners and […]

Even though we all seem to only over-indulge in turkey during this time of year, by the third or fourth day, most of us don’t want to see it again, so we’re left to getting creative.
On a recent episode of Rachael Ray’s talk-show, she turned Thanksgiving Day leftovers into a Thanksgiving Stromboli. Of course with […]

I gave up trying to keep up with my younger brother’s slang. I avoid employing the ones that used to be trendy at the time when I was in high school, because he would laugh at me. He makes me feel “outdated” and he is only three years younger than me.
When I was about sixteen […]