Dining on DumplingsThe layman's term for gyoza (gyoh-ZUH) is potsticker, those little meat-filled dumplings you can order steamed or fried as an appetizer at your favorite Asian restaurant. Gyoza originated in China and found their way to Japan in the late 17th …
The Perfect ReubenSwiss cheese melts atop the chunks of roasted corned beef. Under the buttery grilled marble-rye bread, Thousand Island dressing and sauerkraut mingle majestically. I take the first bite. Sweet tangy dressing balances strong sauerkraut. Chewy chunks of salty meat complement …
Guinness and GritsFor the past 13 years, I have marched with the O' Tux Society in Mal's St. Paddy's Parade, save for one when I had to attend a Boy Scout camping trip with my son, Stuart. It is a high point …
Luxe LeftoversShopping in my favorite specialty market recently, I stumbled upon an Asian foodie's grail: crispy whole Chinese-style duck. I enjoy relying on serendipity to deliver such delicacies into my path, and my prized possession rode in my lap on the …
Nice and SlowThat's it; I've had it. Today is not the day.
Advice for Gents on Valentine's DayTrust me, guys, you need to learn a new dish. Lucky for you, I have just the answer. This recipe has everything you need to sweep your lady off her feet. It has drama, excitement, fancy French words and, most …
My Hero the GyroMy affair with the gyro sandwich (pronounced YEER-oh, not JI-roh) began as a small child. I remember my father taking me to a small family-owned storefront inside a shopping mall 30 miles outside of Chicago.
Party Food, New Orleans StyleThe Super Bowl. It is the High Holy Day for football fans across the world. It causes a statistically significant increase in the consumption of chicken wings and avocados that can be tracked and quantified. It turns casual fans into …
Bowl of RedWhen the weatherman started talking about snow in Jackson, my wife got busy gathering up blankets and throws. Nine-year-old Zak sat by the window keeping a keen eye on the night sky, straining not to blink and miss catching a …
Tea TimeIt may be surprising to learn that one of the more widely consumed beverages on the planetsecond only to watercame about by accident. According to legend, as Chinese Emperor Shen Nung boiled his drinking water over an open fire, a …
Ice Cream Sandwiches for Grover"Sesame Street" used to have a segment in which über-friendly voices sang a little song about a group of objects.
Adventures in GingerbreadMy mother spoiled me with books, and my prized possession was a gilded copy of "Grimm's Fairy Tales," which I pored over with all the twisted earnestness of Wednesday Addams. The details never lost their punch between readings: the revelation …
The Hanukkah Oil ClubOil. It's in nearly everything we eat. We use spritzes of oil to sauté and roast, drizzles of it to toss with salads and puddles to deep fry, well, everything else. Oil is made from olives, corn, a variety of …
Kids In the KitchenOn Black Friday, while others pushed and shoved their way through crowds of shoppers, my son Mateo and I made our way to the Viking Cooking School in Ridgeland to create a gingerbread house. The class, designed for guardian-child interaction, …
Love in a Bottle: Edible GiftsMy experience with Secret Santa has been a never-ending cycle of gag gifts and prepackaged hot cocoa in holiday mugs. Two years ago, I received a parcel that changed my mind, filled with exquisite jellies and preserves, like rare gems …