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Hello there Reader, Thanksgiving doesn't have to leave you cursing like a sailor. (Although, if you ever heard Mama Leite muttering in Portuguese while wrestling a 22-pound turkey into submission, you might think otherwise.) As someone who's hosted more holiday dinners than my youthful countenance would suggest―some of which ended with me hiding in the basement, clutching a bottle of wine, and questioning my life choices―I've learned a thing or two about keeping my sanity intact. The One will back me up on this, especially after That One Year We Shall Never Speak Of Again when I nearly burned down the house. But I digress. What I've learned is mastering Thanksgiving is all about strategy. And, unlike how I usually cook―which The One likens to a tornado in an apron―this requires that dreaded word: planning. Allow me to share with you my hard-won five-day plan that'll keep you from ending up in the fetal position behind the washing machine. (Not that I know anything about that.) My Free Foolproof Five-Day Countdown
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Hi Reader, Rhubarb always looks slightly alarming to me.Those long pink-red stalks show up at the market looking like celery in lipstick, and I immediately start making plans. Crisps. Compotes. Cakes. Pies. Something with strawberries, because I’m not made of stone.The beauty of rhubarb is its edge. That tartness is the reason we love it. Without it, rhubarb would just be another pretty ingredient waiting around for purpose. But cooked with sugar, fruit, spice, citrus, or custard, it gives...
Hi Reader, Not long ago, I made my Pasta Al Limone with the windows open and felt briefly, dangerously elegant.The water was boiling. Lemon zest and Parm cheese were piled on the cutting board, and for once everything I needed was within reach instead of hiding behind the capers like a wanted fugitive.This is the kind of pasta I want when warm weather arrives: quick, fresh, bright, and just indulgent enough to satisfy without weighing down the evening.So in spring I reached for lemon, peas,...
Hi Reader, I don’t trust recipes that call for “2 tablespoons chopped parsley” and then expect applause.Two tablespoons? That’s garnish thinking. That’s fear talking.Fresh herb season requires a different spirit altogether. A more generous one. The sort that reaches into a bunch of dill, basil, cilantro, mint, parsley, chives, tarragon—whatever’s looking vivid and alive—and uses enough so you can actually taste it.Because herbs don’t merely decorate food. They wake it up.A bowl of potatoes...