HYMNS IN THE KITCHEN

I've recently been asked where I get the majority of my meal inspiration, and my reply was "At the grocery store!" It is not unusual for me to venture out to the store with the main necessities in mind (milk, eggs, sugar) but with no actual shopping list in hand. I'll walk through the aisles and look for food items that are new-to-me and think of the different ways I could turn them into a delicious dish. And (obsessively organized people, look away), I actually enjoy shoppin

A loud drone will indicate the machine awakening, next the grinding of the beans and the trill of the dark juices dripping. The seething howl of the steaming wand and finally, the swish of the frothed milk into the hot black coffee. Spoonful of sugar, stir and sip...and sip. From that first day when my husband brought home that shiny Breville Barista Express espresso machine, this has been an almost daily routine. I've never ground my own coffee beans before that day; my occa

A dish that is considered to be "comfort food" is something different in every culture, every household. My mother's kitchen would smell of poppy seed rolls and sorrel borscht in the colder seasons, and this to me became the ultimate comfort food growing up. Now I am a mother myself, and I'm slowly building my own collection of recipes, tried and true. My hope is that, as my children grow, they will remember meals I served and also think of them as "comfort food, just like Mo