This past Sunday I hosted a live streaming event from my home kitchen, a class on incorporating your Thanksgiving leftovers into savory dinner pies. Thought these might come in handy, what with holiday guests coming and all. I had a great time doing this event. It’s a little scary working without a script because you never know what might fly out of your mouth, or what you might drop on the floor, or cut yourself with. It can be embarrsing,…

The next time you’re in the market for a new good friend, I’ve got a suggestion: shop around for someone who grows his own asparagus. Or her own asparagus. Gender’s not the point. The point, if I may state the obvious, is that asparagus friends are worth their weight in, well, asparagus. While the rest of the world cringes and shells out exorbitant sums for a handful of the precious spears, friends of asparagus growers – or FOAGs, as they’re…

Just in case you haven’t figured this out by now, I’m a sucker for virtually anything wrapped in a pastry dough. Cornish meat pies, hand pies, empanadas, turnovers sweet and savory, Indian samosas – if you’ve got a filling and a flaky, crusty wrapper, you’re probably one of my BFFs. A few years back I made the acquaintance of a new friend in this category, the Natchitoches meat pie. I know, I couldn’t pronounce it either – it’s nack-a-tish –…

In 1976, the year I got out of the Navy, I was living in my hometown of Plainfield, New Jersey and working at my brother’s print shop (which, incidentally, is where I printed and self-published my first three cookbooks – long story for another day.) I was having the time of my life. I grew my hair, joined a food co-op where I cooked for big events, went to free rock concerts in Central Park. And I took yoga. The…