The other morning, my dear friend Angel directed me to a story on Yahoo! News about a town in Italy that is banning any foreign flavors from emerging in their walled Tuscan center. The new rule doesn’t impact the restaurants that are already there, but it prevents new, foreign restaurants from opening in their city limits …

Lucca, the aforementioned town, is a Tuscan town that is obviously becoming (or maybe just is?) as walled in their perceptions as they are with the actual walls around their town.

Preserving classical dishes, preparations and cuisines is a noble cause to pursue. It’s important that we hang on to these things since it’s through them that chefs learn distinction in flavors, techniques, preparations and, most importantly, traditions. But time presents an opportunity for food to grow, develop and change — for the better, and closing off from such change is madness.

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What is it with all of the food allergies and sensitivities in the world today? Back in my day, peanut butter and jelly was a mainstay on the cafeteria menu and no one thought twice about serving fish (at least in the stick form) to kids. Things were just different.

These days though, as a parent, it feels like you cannot help but worry. We are surrounded with messages warning us that this, that and this are going to hurt our kids and how dare we think of that? It’s harrowing. So what that I’ve banished all things anti-bacterial from my home and ate all the nuts and fish I desired during pregnancy? So what that no one in my family has any sort of food allergies? So what? I can’t help but worry. The what ifs are so hard to silence …

So for months, I have been holding off giving Paige fish. My doctor gave the okay back in November, but I just wasn’t ready. Not Paige, me. I wasn’t ready. As irrational as I knew my concerns were, I just couldn’t bear for something to go wrong … so I waited. And waited. And waited some more. Finally, a few weeks ago, I caved and had Shawn give her some tunafish. I don’t eat it, but I figured a few bites would clue me in if I had something to worry about. We discovered that Paige loves tunafish (how she got that love, I do not know), and nothing else.

Tonight, I was finally ready to take the plunge and give her fish myself. After weeks of research, I chose cod as the first fish. It’s low on the allergen scale and is a good starter fish … As it turns out, this tasty meal was easy, quick and perfect. All is well … Read the rest of this entry…

In my single days, a mainstay of my cooking was stir fry. It is just so easy. Chop up a few veggies, toss it in a pan with a little oil and stir, stir, stir until the vegetables are done, then add sauce and serve over rice. If you are feeling particularly ambitious, you might add a hint of meat too, but it’s certainly not required. It’s high on taste, low on fat and calories and just good eating …

However, over the past few years, I have stopped making stir fries as often. Why? I really don’t know. Maybe I’ve been too seduced by other meals I have learned to make or maybe the chop, chop, chop just didn’t seem as fun anymore …

The other day though, when I was considering what I could possibly whip up with the sparse contents of my fridge, I decided to make a stir fry. By cutting all of the veggies into bite-sized portions before cooking, this meal becomes super easy to eat alone or with kids. Once finished, it can be just dished up and served, no further cutting required.

The sauce is a star in this dish. The nuances of cinnamon and allspice give the soy and garlic-based sauce a depth of warm flavor. It reminds me ever so slightly of a Moroccan chicken dish I make about once a year. Ever. So. Slightly.

So how’d the kids like it? Well, when I heated up leftovers the next day, they demanded more … I’d say it was a home run here. Read the rest of this entry…

When I am not musing about food here or taking care of my kids, I am a freelance writer. I seldom mention where else I am writing or what I am writing about because I think it interrupts the flow here. But I am making an exception today because I attended an exceptional event last night. The Outback has unveiled a new menu with 15 items under $15 and they invited several New York-area bloggers to have a special tasting with the mastermind behind their food.

Let me preface this by saying that I absolutely love my job, which involves writing about all different subjects from food to parenting to technology to local politics. It’s a really fun job that let’s me do my very favorite thing everyday. And sometimes as a writer I get to do some amazing things. I have covered a Super Bowl (in the pouring rain) and stood feet from the Vince Lombardi trophy while it was being presented to the winners. I have shaken Cat Cora’s hand and watched her give a private demonstration to just a few bloggers. I have gone backstage at television shows. I have also covered national  news from the front lines. Obviously, not everything I write about is this cool or sexy, but I love it all. I absolutely, positively love my job.

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This year, I have made a commitment to living healthier. There are simply too many negative effects and risks associated with being overweight to do anything else. And being that I am surrounded with folks who have made similar commitments with double digit results, it’s hard not to follow suit … I just wish more people would.

Of course, the commitment has changed things a bit in my kitchen. While I seemed to cook with a “better with bacon” philosophy last year (and still have some bacon grease in the freezer to prove it), this year, I am turning to healthier oils and fats. As a result I am rediscovering the joys (and health benefits) of trading oils for spray oils. You use less. (TIP: buy an oil mister and put canola oil in it for a cost-cutting spray. Be sure to label it if you use one for olive oil as well.)

Unfortunately, some of my very favorite recipes are not waist friendly (like my mouthwatering Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Shallots. Mmmmm). However, Brussels sprouts are still very good for you, and I do love them, so I couldn’t possibility give them up entirely. The solution: a healthier, flavor-packed recipe that uses a quick cooking method and delivers excellent results. This is it for Brussels sprouts.

When I served these at a recent dinner, they were polished off in no time (in fact, a few adults, ahem, made sure that no scraps from the kids went to waste either. They are that good). Read the rest of this entry…

This past week was a welcome reprieve from the dreary winter days that have been a constant recently. Seeing the sun has done a lot to chase away the dread with which I have been approaching the weather. And (knock on wood) we finally had a snow-free week. I never thought I would be this happy to see snow melt away, but I am … I could do without the quicksand that suddenly appeared on my driveway though. Seriously. If it’s not one thing, it’s another.

The heightened temperatures (take that you silly old groundhog!) have given way to thoughts of  summer foods. Sweet, juicy tomatoes that explode in your mouth, strawberries so juicy that one nibble sends streams of pink down your chin, a sprig of vibrant basil, fresh English peas for shelling, peeling sweet corn, garlic scrapes … Oh, how I miss summer produce. And try as I might to eat what’s in season, I sometimes need a reprieve too. So, when I smelled the vibrant, unmistakable scent of basil in the grocery store the other day, I had to have it. The big bunch looked so fresh and perfect, I simply couldn’t leave without it.

So I didn’t. Read the rest of this entry…

I feel so vindicated.

I’ve moved at least a half dozen times between three states over the past 12 years between dorms and houses. And with me, that whole time, I moved a half-used box of Dr. Seuss valentines. They weighed next to nothing and were easily shoved into the bottom of desk drawers and organizers. I swore I would use them some day. For what, I wasn’t sure, but I just knew I would use them someday.

Peter Walsh wouldn’t be so happy with that reasoning, but this week I proved that I really can use some of the stuff I have dragged from home to home … not that it means that I will ever do something so silly again though. Still, I feel totally vindicated.

Yes. That’s right. I actually used my more than 10-year-old valentines. We’ll just say they are vintage.

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“Hey, I have an idea,” Will said, scrunching up his face the way he does when he is very, very serious about something. “Why not make blueberry pie?”

This came after a lengthy discussion about why we wouldn’t be making pancakes for dinner because we’d already eaten them for breakfast. For several days in a row. I blinked a few times … “Blueberry pie?” I repeated. I was hoping he was kidding. Blueberry pie isn’t something I have ever made (or wanted to make). Where do you even start?

“Yes, I think is a good idea, Mommy.”

Sigh. How could I say no to that? Read the rest of this entry…

Earlier this week, Glamour Magazine’s Storked! blogger Christine Coppa asked readers what they like in salads. The responses were plentiful with ideas. Me? I like lots of veggies, a bit of cheese and usually a protein. Mmm. But that got me thinking about how my salad style has really changed. I used to think that salad was an afterthought — something that you tossed quickly into a bowl and hope people eat. But it doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, it shouldn’t be that way.

Obviously, it’s easy to toss lettuce from a bag in a bowl, sprinkle cheese and dressing and call it a salad. I’ve done it many, many times. When you are busy, bagged salad seems like the perfect option for a quick side or a speedy lunch. But what you gain in speed from a salad like that is lost in taste. The lettuce in bagged salad tends to have a harsher, more bitter flavor than fresh lettuce. Often, you will find a fine, white coating on vegetables in a bagged salad too … not exactly appetizing.

I implore you: if you want to make a good salad, buy real heads of lettuce. I love Boston bibb lettuce, personally, and romaine hearts have a delicious flavor. But try out different lettuces until you find one that appeals to you. There are so many options out there from red leaf to iceberg to mesclun. Read the rest of this entry…

Things change. People change. A friend said that to me years ago, and it’s incredibly true. We spend our lives growing and changing and adapting.

Developing cooking skills is a lot like growing up. You start off uncertain and overcompensating and try to find your niche. It’s a lot of trial and error, often with less than ideal results. But before you know it, you are making souffles on a lazy afternoon and borrowing tips for fantastic cooks. You grow into cooking. Read the rest of this entry…