recipes

As the temperature dips, our palates start to crave heartier dishes with strong, warm flavors, like the ones delivered by Chef Jon Kohler’s pan-roasted duck

When the mercury drops and the leaves start to change, farmers’ markets fill up with an exciting new batch of fruits and vegetables.

Move over, crab cakes. There's a new favorite in town: shrimp and grits.

The turning point for me to enjoy cauliflower was when I started roasting it. Drizzle it in some olive oil and sprinkle on some salt, then roast it at a high temperature until it starts to caramelize and develop desirable flavors. I wouldn't say I get excited about cauliflower yet, but after reading these two recipes, I just might.

It's nice that this is the peak of local summer bounty, so at least side dishes are easy to come up with, and easy to prepare. This week I want to highlight heirloom tomatoes, which are available in a glorious rainbow of colors at the farmers markets and farm stands.

It may not seem like it now, but Baltimore was once a booming peach town. An article in The Sun from July 20, 1886 estimated that 2.581 million baskets of the

It's the middle of summer and I feel a certain pressure to cook and eat as many of the delicious foods in season as possible. I don't want September to roll

While the deviled egg is a staple this time of year at picnics and summer holiday celebrations, it has become a year-round menu item at many area restaurants, from a "cheeseburger" variety at Bookmakers Cocktail Club in Federal Hill to a blue crab preparation at Wit & Wisdom in Harbor East.

So far this summer I've been focusing on a lot of the summer produce that it's great to catch in a timely fashion, but I would be remiss if I left out one of our great seasonal proteins: crabs.

At Bamboo Garden in Bel Air, Chef Chen Lin Chang draws inspiration from across Asia. In his crispy beef dish, he focuses on the cuisine of Thailand. Thai food

This wonderfully light and moist chocolate cake was created, according to food legend, by the wife of a Hellman's salesman to help increase his sales.

A few years ago, Janet Plum of Kingsville wrote wanting help locating the recipe for a favorite chocolate cake from her childhood; it was made by a German

Ancient grains like farro and spelt are popping up on today's restaurant menus and on grocery-store shelves in increasing numbers as Americans become more health-conscious and concerned about what's on their plates.

At One Eleven Main in Bel Air, Chef Bryan Boessel pays close attention to the seasons; the restaurant¿s menu changes frequently.

Don't get muddled by the selection of infusions at area bars. With the growing season kicking into gear, the fruit and herb liquors will be making frequent appearances to customize cocktails to the season.

Rainbow cake is an iconic Baltimore food. While somewhat similar to the tricolored Italian almond cake, the Baltimore version often consists of four or six layers of thin, moist cake — each a different bright color — with a thin layer of jelly or fudge in between.

One of the joys of living in Carroll County is observing wildlife close to home. Creatures great and small ranging from chipmunks, deer and even black bears visit yards to seek food, water and shelter. They dine on what nature provides, as well as what we humans often do to "set the table" for them with bird feeders, bird baths and salt licks. However, wild critters can also empty garbage cans and invade garages, sheds, and even homes, creating a nuisance for us and a danger for pets.

Travis Marley, the executive pastry chef for the Foreman Wolf Restaurant Group, which owns Petit Louis, graciously shared his recipe for the special little cake-like cookies he makes for the restaurants.

You might remember from past columns that my husband and I have a second home — in our hearts — in Savannah, Georgia.

You might remember from past columns that my husband and I have a second home — in our hearts — in Savannah, Georgia.

The recipe for a rum raisin carrot cake with cream cheese frosting that I tested from the website Foodista.com produced a moist and delicious cake, chock-full of raisins and nuts.

A single mother of two daughters, Leonora 'Peachy' DiPietro Dixon broke the mold as one of few women to own a business in Baltimore in the 1980s and early 1990s.

It can be very nice to have an extra meal or two in the freezer for when you haven't planned ahead or just can't bring yourself to go to the grocery store one more time.

In search of the recipe for the chocolate-topped cookies from the old Silbers in Baltimore, I uncovered binders filled with old recipes at the Baltimore Museum of Industry.

On a map, the distance between the western edge of Germany and central Russia looks enormous. But in the kitchen, the countries that make up that broad expanse have a lot in common.

The arrival of March means there is a glimmer of hope on the horizon ¿ warm weather will, one day, return. But for right now, the evenings are still cold and dark.

One of my classic go-to dessert-snacks is chocolate chip cookies.

Like so many other food specialties, it seems fudge has a long history in Baltimore

I think the unofficial theme of this month has been comfort food, and one of my categories of comfort food is Chinese food.

This is a basic but deliciously wholesome-tasting, old-fashioned peanut butter cookie. Sadly, the days of finding homemade cookies like these in any public school cafeterias are long gone. So why not bake up a batch and take yourself back to those good old school days.

For many Americans, Middle Eastern food means kabobs, and their knowledge of the region's cuisine doesn't extend much further. But Middle Eastern cuisine encompasses far more than skewered meats.

This is a no-frills recipe that yields a comforting and delicious sausage pie.

Nancy Eakin of Linthicum was in search of the recipe for the Cacao Lane pie that was served at the restaurant of the same name in Ellicott City back in the 1970s and '80s. She said the pie, made with pecans, coconut and raisins, and was absolutely divine and she has never tasted anything quite like it.

These deliciously moist, cake-like cookies are quick and easy to make, and the recipe yields a large batch, which is great considering the baked cookies freeze beautifully.

I've always loved pictures in magazines of foods prepared in ramekins. I have a penchant for petite things in general (like tiny flowers and miniature furniture), so the idea of having individually prepared servings of meals? It makes me swoon.

Soup season has arrived in Maryland ¿ and The Jarrettsville Pit¿s smoky chicken corn chowder highlights the best flavors of early winter.

Thanksgiving may be a traditional feast, but that doesn't necessarily mean you have to eat like a beast and totally disrupt your diet plan, according to nutrition experts. Some simple substitutions, strategies and recipes and allow for ample holiday repasts with necessarily adding ample pounds to your frame.

This dish can be prepared in advance and served warm or at room temperature. The recipe is easily adaptable to larger quantities.

At 510 Johnny¿s in Bel Air, Chef Minas Georgakis celebrates this season with savory crab mac and cheese made with a sumptuous sauce of cheddar cheese and colossal lump crab meat. Georgakis draws on decades of restaurant experience in Baltimore and Harford County to create a dish that is a satisfying taste of what Maryland does best.

The German chocolate pie is not available frozen, but thanks to this easy copycat recipe, you can whip up this luscious pie at home in no time.

I hope you enjoyed a fun gathering during the weekend, and I wish I had gotten these grilling recipes in before your festivities. Then again, there's nothing to stop you from continuing to have cookouts. I don't think it's going to get cold anytime soon.

Serve them up on a lightly grilled bun garnished with some pickled ginger and a dollop of wasabi mayo, and I'll bet no one will miss the red meat.

The first day of school is right around the corner, and while that means very little to my 2-year-old and I, I have some sympathy for all you parents that are trying to find interesting lunches to send your kids to school with week in and week out.

In my opinion, these are closer to cookies then cupcakes. The sweet-lovers in my house thought they were delicious, but perhaps somewhat too large.

I didn't set out to make this week's column about cucumbers, but I made a main dish last week that was so refreshing I knew I wanted to share it, and cucumbers were definitely the supporting actor in the film.

It's not surprising that this recipe for black rice salad originally came from a spa resort, as it is visually appealing, tasty and healthy — the very definition of spa cuisine.