A Guy Who Loves to Cook!

“He can never leave well enough alone.” I heard this pretty much constantly throughout my childhood. (They were talking about me!) I...

Whether you prepare Consommé, Bisque, Chowder or just Soup, you’re making something that just about everyone loves. 
Some soups, espec...

Number one on the list of the simplest things you can make in your kitchen is boiled water. Tap, pot, heat, done. Number two has got t...

Most potato salads have a nice, “linen” color. This one does not. Looks however, can be deceiving. Instead of boiling the potatoes we gri...

If a root vegetable is going to be cooked, in my opinion there’s no better way to do it than roasting. Any vegetable that can stand up to...

Served as an appetizer, fish course, main course or mounded on a buffet, ice cold shrimp with a spicy seafood cocktail sauce is loved by e...

How many times have you passed over this extremely versatile, albeit odd-looking, vegetable while strolling through your lo...

Giardiniera is a staple condiment found anywhere in Chicago where you can get an Italian Beef sandwich. You can usually choose a hot ...

It seems that cheesy biscuits have become a “signature” item at every chain restaurant. They’ve become so popular that several chains now...

Sweet potatoes or yams are really good for you. But letting them simmer for an hour or more in a bath of brown sugar syrup is a little co...

Sometimes when trying out a new recipe for a main course dish, you devote all of your concentration on the new comer and let the sides, we...

The Italian word “Orzo” translates literally as “barley”. It is also the name of a small cut pasta roughly the size and shape of a...

Too often, the only time Cauliflower is eaten by most people is as part of a crudité platter or smothered in cheese sauce. I have nothin...

Sometimes you are asked to bring “something simple, like a salad” to a cookout or potluck. Please, please make it yourself! Unless you ge...

Fresh Ravioli are not at all difficult to prepare and your guests never need to know that! The combination of Spinach and Mushrooms and B...

Most scalloped potato dishes do not incorporate cheese; that ingredient is usually reserved for au gratin recipes. So maybe this should b...

If you can get fresh, and I mean farm fresh not super-market fresh, Sweet Peas - buy all you can carry! And then use them within one or tw...

Potatoes and onions are a naturally perfect combination; they just fit together in so many dishes. Scalloped potatoes without onions woul...

This is a side dish loaded with tradition. Creamed Spinach is a steakhouse staple found virtually everywhere. This side dish is also load...

Growing up in the southwestern burbs of Chicago, pickled beets were everywhere. The canned variety was always included on every holiday re...