Food

A recipe that makes me look like I know what I’m doing

As a new adult, (and by new adult, I mean I’ve been out of college for a year), I don’t have a ton of cooking experience. I always assumed people just learn to cook without trying once …

The kryptonite-proof fridge cleaner: Frittata

Every cook has some kryptonite. Mine is an omelette. I love ‘em. Light, fluffy, with lots of stuff inside. I’m particularly fond of mushrooms, cheese and whatever I can find in the …

Gator gumbo: An adventure without the danger

When one is just this side of 60, “adventure” takes on a new meaning. No longer is adventure an impulsive climb above the tree line, or that dip in a lake that was covered by ice …

A Lenten meal without giving anything up

My wife, The Brain, likes to point out to me that the most environmental thing a person can do isn’t to recycle, or to buy a hybrid car, or turn the lights out. It’s to eat a plant-based …

From homebodies to 'Homebody'

  What started as a project to document family recipes turned into a year of photographing, editing and designing a cookbook. Christine and Margaret Gutchess of Cortland have published their original cookbook “Homebody,” which they describe as “simple, delicious recipes for the homebodies like us.”

Dining with memories: With this cake, I thee wed

Chefs often say that we eat first with our eyes, a reminder that appearance matters. I disagree; I think we eat first with our memories. The date was July 6, 1990. It had been a hot, busy day, …

Scoring honey without risking a divorce

  I perused the cupboard a few weeks ago and announced to the spousal unit: “I need to find someone to score some honey.” “You know, if you said that to anyone else, …

A look into mom’s cookie hotel

My mother, Lisa Byrne, makes more than 1,400 Christmas cookies every holiday season. Every Columbus Day, she bakes her first batch of cookies, and stashes them in one of my dad’s recent …

Sweet dreams are made of cheese

The extended family would troop across New Hampshire every Christmas Eve when I was a boy, alighting somewhere between sunset and bedtime to fill the living room with noise and gifts under the tree. …

It’s sort of Greek, right?

Every Friday is pasta night. Every. Damn. Friday. The little guy (Even though he’s nearly 3 inches taller than me, he’ll always be shorter) likes filled pastas: ravioli, …

A breakfast to remember, unless it’s Christmas morning

A breakfast to remember, unless it’s Christmas morning It was the most underappreciated breakfast in history. Families have their holiday traditions: warm cinnamon buns and …

Black beans don’t have to look like asphalt

The most prolific, tasty beans from my garden present a challenge. They’re black. A nice Boston baked bean dish or my go-to maple-garlic baked beans look like asphalt, regardless of how …

A potion to sweeten the most bitter beast

We were nerds incarnate. We’d spend a Sunday afternoon, or maybe all day Saturday, and sometimes on a weeknight, surrounded by 20-sided dice, lead figurines and the detritus of a bad …

Get to the root of vegetable storage

Higher energy and labor costs in producing, processing and transporting food has led to increasing prices at the store. Cutting food costs and concern for the wholesomeness of food have led many …

Will the real riggies please stand up?

 Every family has a spaghetti sauce recipe, and of course, that’s the best spaghetti sauce recipe ever. Who has a better apple pie than your mother or grandmother, except, …

I have to admit, I recently played pickleball. I usually don’t go for fads. I don’t do social media challenges because everyone else seems to be doing them. I don’t feel a need …

The Cortland Repertory Theatre’s early bird renewal drive will continue through Oct. 31, offering a discount to the theater’s 2024 summer season. A five-show subscription costs $180 …

Mexican food in Upstate NY

I’ve been asking around the newsroom for recipes since it’s always interesting to see what others are eating. I like seeing a recipe and modifying it to my dietary needs. Sports Editor …

Air fryer is handy for a quick meal

Air fryers have been a recent craze and I bought mine in 2020 when Best Buy had an early Black Friday sale to order online and pick up from the parking lot due to COVID. It was only $30 so it’s …

Easy fudge recipe that can be reserved

Mackinac Island in Michigan is famous for its fudge. Pretty sure that’s the only fudge I’ve tried until I realized I could make my own, too, and it’s super easy. Recently I had maple fudge …

Craving sweet traditions

I love having traditions, whether it’s making the same food every time or doing something together that you don’t get to do often.But sometimes we outgrow things.For Eid-Al-Fitr, a …

Making use of mishap ingredients

A couple of months ago, when I meant to buy whole-kernel corn, I accidentally grabbed a can of creamed corn. I’ve used creamed corn before, for making corn casserole, but haven’t really …

A stromboli to warm the depths of your soul

Until a few weeks ago, what I knew about stromboli is that it starred Ingrid Bergman.Bergman was more handsome than classically beautiful. Her face was a littleround, and the blackand- white films …

Fried tradition that never goes away

Ramadan, a month of fasting from sunrise to sunset with no food or water, observed by Muslims around the world, starts this evening. Or it might be tomorrow evening, depending on the moon …

An Irish tradition for a mother’s son

Dad was always a bit of a mama’s boy. His father had died when he was 7, leaving his mother with six children ranging from 5 to 23. My grandmother wasn’t terribly indulgent — single …

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