Posts by joanne
Wedding reception: How can you plan a special yet affordable wedding reception menu?
Last week I received an e-mail from the mother of a bride asking for help planning the menu for her daughter’s wedding reception. She wanted the meal to be one that everyone would enjoy but needed it to stay within a moderate budget. My suggestion is to create a theme…
Hope you tuned in to see me on Rachael Ray!
I was on the Rachael Ray Show on March 19th talking about how to save money by making the most of your freezer. Here is a link to the video.
Grilled Polenta with Mushroom Ragout
It seems to me that mushrooms must mean to vegetarians what steak means to carnivores. They are both stick-to-your-ribs, center-of-the-plate comfort foods. These days our supermarkets always boast a huge selection of mushrooms, many of which were terribly exotic a generation ago. My advice for this hearty vegetarian entree is…
I travel to Turkey for Episode 310.
Every country has its own weeknight food. For Episode 310, “Turkish Home Cooking,” I take a special journey to Turkey to discover how home cooks use its abundant natural resources to cook delicious everyday meals. We’ll travel to remote farms to cook from the land – kebabs, meatballs, pumpkin fritters and…
Hope you caught me on Rachael Ray on March 7th!
On March 7, I appeared on the Rachael Ray Show for a chat about how to make your food last longer. Here is the video.
March 22 and 23, you'll find me in Palm Desert!
I’m returning to Palm Desert, California on March 22 and 23 for the annual Food & Wine Festival Palm Desert. The event is uniquely educational and benefits the Friends of the James Beard Foundation, The Culinary Institute of America’s Endowed Scholarship Fund, and Les Dames d’Escoffier Scholarships. On Friday the 22nd, for…
In Episode 309, I raid the pantry to make three quick dinners.
Though some of us imagine that the pantry went out with the hoop skirt, most of us keep a steady supply of dry goods somewhere in the kitchen. When I talk about a pantry I mean not only the dried goods in your cupboard, but the vegetables you keep in…
Brussels Sprouts: What is the best way to cook Brussels Sprouts?
Theresa e-mailed the Kitchen Shrink that the Brussels sprouts in the market look especially good this year but she doesn’t know how to cook them so that her family will like them. Too many people have memories of Brussels sprouts that have been boiled until they are gray. There are…
Here's where you'll find the recipes I made on Rachael Ray on Friday, February 22nd.
I was on Rachael Ray on Friday, February 22, making braised short ribs of beef in the slow cooker and then short rib ravioli with the leftovers. This was a part of Rachael’s Slow Cooker Week as well as a bonus “Cook Once, Eat Twice” idea, which is the theme…
In Episode 308, I prepare double dinners that appear in entirely different roles on consecutive evenings.
My easy strategy for quick meals in Episode 308 of Sara’s Weeknight Meals is to cook once, eat twice. Spicy Roast Pork is a simple and delicious meal any night, but a visit with my brother to a Vietnamese food joint inspired me to turn that pork into delectable pork…