Basic Cooking: How to Test a Cake for Doneness with a Toothpick

Years ago now, I used to hang around a little cafe that a friend of mine owned. One day, she charged me with keeping an eye on a couple of cakes that were in the...

How to Make Homemade Marshmallows (And Chocolate Covered Marshmallows)

Hello, Willy Wonka! Making candy is just delightful. There's no two ways about it. And making marshmallows? From scratch? That's downright magical. I mean, take a handful of regular old ingredients through a few very simple...

Rib of the Week: Guinness-Braised Short Ribs (Plus a Quick Primer on Braising)

We woke up to more snow this weekend. It put me in serious cooking mode, so The Angry Chef dug out the car and intrepidly made his way to McKinnon's, our local butcher shop. He came...

Basic Cooking: How to Make Simple Syrup

We're kicking off our Basic Cooking series with a toast! (The makings of a toast, to be more precise.) Simple syrup is gloriously useful stuff. It's one of the building blocks of many cocktails—from classic...

3 of My Favorite Ginger Treats (Hello, Ginger-tinis!)

I think ginger has to be one of my all-time favorite flavors—from ginger ale to the ginger in my Chinese food, and everything in between. While my favorite way to enjoy ginger is undoubtedly in...

Happy New Year!

Wow. 2009! I'll take my flying car and silver jumpsuit now, please. Hehehe... Hope everyone had a fabulous evening last night! The Angry Chef and I had an unexpectedly quiet night. We had planned to go...

Goat Cheese & Black Pepper Truffles

Looking for an extra, last-minute appetizer for New Year's Eve that's easy and delicious? These goat cheese & black pepper truffles fit the bill—and then some. The combination of tangy goat cheese and green herbs is...

Christmas in the Country

We spent Christmas day in the country at my folks' house. They live a few hours from Boston, in a warm house that's nestled on the edge of a pine forest. It was a...

Cookies for Santa

The Angry Chef and I are heading out soon for Christmas Eve dinner with our dear friends the Lady Otter and D. Bunnyhunter. Many key members of the Mouse Empire, however, have turned up to...