Check Mate

Roasted Pork Empanadas with Gruyere Cheese

Roasted Pork Empanadas with Gruyere Cheese: My grandfather taught me how to play chess at a very young age.  He would without fail always win and then would say – “Christopher, you need to be thinking three moves ahead.” As … Continue reading

Macalatern

Pumpkin Mac & Cheese with Smoked Gouda

Pumpkin Mac & Cheese with Smoked Gouda: Growing up in Florida with Halloween night at 80 degree temperatures seems foreign to me now having spent the better part of twenty years enjoying the crisp New England Fall weather. There’s a … Continue reading

Spaghetti Western

Chicken Parmesan with Pan-Roasted Tomato Sauce & Spaghetti Squas

Chicken Parmesan with Pan-Roasted Tomato Sauce & Spaghetti Squash: Irony in general, let alone in cooking, can be most entertaining. Much like watching a 1960’s Clint Eastwood movie, with the unmistakable music background contradicting the story that unfolds between cunning … Continue reading

Sharp as a Tack

Baked Zucchini Cups

Baked Zucchini Cups with Sharp Cheddar: Unconsciously or not, it’s sometimes without fail that the original plan or intention gets lost in translation as you come face to face with not having an ingredient that you thought you had. The … Continue reading

Over the Rainbow

Swiss Chard & Ricotta Cups

Swiss Chard & Ricotta Cups: I had a dream I was on a train that was moving so fast, it missed every station. I felt the same question repeat as we flew by the blur of faces standing idly – … Continue reading

Spring Ahead

Thai Chicken Enchiladas

Thai Chicken Enchiladas with Spicy Peanut Ginger Sauce: Everything about this dish screams Thai – except for the fact that they’re rolled in tortillas and covered with smoky cheese. I often find myself at crossroads. The preverbal crossroads in cooking … Continue reading

Some Assembly Required

2012_Lasagna-Rolls_prep06

Spinach & Mushroom Lasagna Rolls: Growing up on wheat germ and lentils in the 1970s, I didn’t really know the comfort food that most of my friends experienced regularly until I consciously revisited my childhood as an adult. In doing so, … Continue reading

Evil Is What Evil Does

Macaroni and Cheese with Crispy Capon: As I sit quietly gazing through the window, light snow is falling slowly on a beautiful New England morning. That kind of fluffy slow-motion snow that instantly beckons for a cozy fire, warm blanket, … Continue reading

If I Was a Ravioli

Butternut Squash Ravioli with Caramelized Onions: I thought to myself – if I was a ravioli, what flavor ravioli would I be? This is a profoundly spiritual question in every regard, whose analogical flexibility can be applied in such a … Continue reading