Jersey Salsa
It is time. Sweet Jersey corn and the champion of the harvest—the Jersey tomato—have arrived. Husks are torn and silk is scraped away from the cobs as they are prepped to be submerged in boiling water or roasted on the barbecue.…
Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing
When I was in high school, Friday and Saturday nights meant driving up and down Route 46 in New Jersey with friends deciding where to stop for late-night snacking. We’d cram into booths at Friendly’s or diners after basketball games,…
Springtime Halibut
I recall the first meal I cooked for my husband Adam and myself when we moved into our first home—a simple marinara over spaghetti. It remains the most memorable meal of my life. We crouched down to eat it at…
Fennel & Orange Salad
The sharing of a meal with family and friends is truly one of my greatest pleasures. What is it about conversation combined with good food and wine that binds us? I recall with fondness the many family gatherings on holidays…
Chocolate
Miss Fitzpatrick, my seventh-grade teacher, who we endearingly referred to as “Miss Fitz,” stood about 4’10, had a mop of graying hair, a significant gap between her teeth, and more energy than all the kids in the school put together.…
Isabel’s Mac and Cheese
Isabel lived next door when my husband Adam and I bought our first home on quaint North Summit Avenue in Chatham, New Jersey. Isabel was friendly, yet never overt. Her clothes and jewelry were soft yet eclectic, always boasting magnificent…
Boursin
During my time as the managing editor of a local magazine, I worked closely with the art director Joe. While merging editorial and art, Joe and I became dear friends and confidants. Think Anne Hathaway and Stanley Tucci in The…
Friday Fish Salad
As a child, I never ate meat on Fridays. This was surely due to my parents’ Catholic upbringing when in their youth, the Catholic Church forbade meat consumption on Fridays. The reasons for this are somewhat muddled. It was most…
Fall Carbonara
I did not grow up eating brussel sprouts. Never once were they served at any meal, at any time in my childhood or adulthood. We Italians love our broccoli rabe and string beans with tomatoes and escarole, but a brussel…
