I had no idea the juice was supposed to taste awful. What was wine, and was I in trouble? It was Christmas Eve 1965 and for the first time in my ten years (or for as long as I could remember) we…

For a moment, we can be in their kitchens, standing in their shoes, and sharing their stories. This holiday season, there are fewer gifts to buy and cards to mail. There are empty chairs at dinner tables and gaping holes…

As for spices, I may own three. (Do salt and pepper count as spices?) “Hey, what’re you making?” My older son had wandered into the kitchen as I was browning some breaded chicken for dinner. “Chicken with bread crumbs and…

Americans would say I’ve developed a green thumb; the Brits say I have green fingers. Someone once said, “Gardening is cheaper than therapy…and you get tomatoes.” I think that pretty much sums up why I do it – all those…

I mean, really, how many of us have buttermilk hanging around in our refrigerator waiting to feel needed? My love of cooking came from my maternal grandmother, who seasoned the meat, whipped the potatoes, and kneaded the dough with the…

They are until one day you find yourself standing at the kitchen sink, gazing out the window, spooning soup directly from the saucepan or mindlessly eating a sandwich out of hand. I remember the sad face, a tear plopping –…

Not that I had intended to forego chocolate altogether, but I had hoped to be satisfied with a square or two of a Hershey Bar – not a meal consisting of a pound bag of peanut M&Ms. I made a…

Because I know her parents don’t approve of her having candy, I took her aside and in a conspiratorial tone, I said, ‘Georgia, if you poop in the potty, Ama will give you candy.’ My college roomie from 45 years…

I asked my mother why she broke the spaghetti. I expected some culinary explanation that had evolved from years of experience in home cooking. I was cleaning my home office for at least the fifth time in a month. How…