Mom's Kitchen Handbook

I’ve got big plans in store for heading headlong into a healthy 2013. I’d love if you’d join me. No, it’s not a juice fast. I’m not fixing to go vegan, or freegan, gluten-free, or casein-free, or raw, or paleo, or any of the other popular diets of late. I’m planning simply this: 10 Days [...]

The week between Christmas and New Year’s is usually a big Week in Food around here. This year didn’t disappoint. It can be entertaining to see what kind of magic happens when kids are left to their own devices in the kitchen. Mine pulled out every fruit from the freezer, whirled up these breakfast smoothies, [...]

By the time New Year’s Eve rolls around, I’m plum out of steam in the kitchen. Guessing that maybe you are too, I thought I’d share this festive hors d’oeuvres — Creamy Blue Cheese and Persimmon Crostini — a recipe that requires just three ingredients and can be assembled in a snap. Here’s what you’ll [...]

Today’s post should be renamed MY WEEK IN CARBS considering the dietary imbalance in our household at the moment, something that became quite clear looking back at the assorted snapshots from the week. The carbathon began with a mad scramble to pull together a quick dessert for friends coming over for some holiday cheer. Virginia [...]

It feels like a miracle suitable to the season that pomegranates come into the marketplace just when the color red is most in vogue. I love to arrange a big bowl as a centerpiece in lieu of flowers since they’re not just beautiful to look at, but delicious to eat. They’re also mega-nourishing, like tiny [...]

The eggnog recipe featured in the New York Times last Sunday sounded positively divine, but at over 500 calories and 27 grams of fat a serving, it also sounded like a holiday deal breaker. I’d have to trade out too many other goodies at the Christmas buffet to make room for just one boozy glass [...]

Each December, Oprah comes out with her annual “O” list: her gift-giving picks for the year, showcased in the glossy pages of her magazine. Well, here you’ll find the Mom’s Kitchen Handbook version of the “O” list, only in this case, it’s all about kids and cooking. Spring boarding off of my “kids in the [...]

Some months back my friend Pam, one of the best bakers I know, made a plate of deep, dark chocolate bark studded with roasted nuts and seeds for a casual cocktail party. It was the hands-down hit of the evening. I ate my weight in chocolate that night and made a mental note then and [...]

It’s getting chilly here, which always makes me want to retreat to the kitchen. Here’s what I snapped with my phone this week on the food front. Started off with this arriving on my doorstep: Volume 2 of the Food 52 Cookbook featuring my friend Humaira and my Afghan dumpling recipe: tender scallion dumplings topped [...]

December is all about busy weeks in food. Here’s what I got up to… in the kitchen, and out…snapped with my iphone. Escaped for a few days on a mom’s getaway with some girlfriends. Left Mr. Mom’s Kitchen a giant crock pot of chili with instructions to eat it crowned with sour cream the first [...]