Perfect butter-roasted potatoes.

Sliced potatoes, perfectly roasted with butter and bay leaves. Get the recipe!

Stunning orange-almond tart.

Having company for dinner on Saturday night gave me the perfect excuse to fuss. Except I didn’t. Let me explain: I love the planning and execution of making a great meal in equal measure. I love …

Holiday food gift: fig-thyme jam.

For several deeply held reasons, I am attempting to scale back the scope of Christmas (at least the spending and gifting parts of Christmas) in favor of a quieter, simpler, more loving approach. Because I have …

In praise of: the mortar and pestle.

Both my mother and brother, excellent cooks both of them, own a mortar/pestle set. Huge stone bowls with hefty pestles—these sit prominently on the counter in their respective kitchens, mostly used for grinding fresh pepper. I, …

Couscous with roasted vegetables.

This easy recipe for couscous spotlights flavorful roasted vegetables. This is a terrific side dish for chicken or grilled fish.

This week at the farmers’ market: SF edition.

… and, we’re back … Funny: For a food blog, writes4food was unexpectedly quiet last week, arguably the most food-focused week on the U.S. calendar. A couple of reasons for this: One, we don’t do Thanksgiving. …

Avoiding kitchen disasters.

Even accomplished home cooks feel the pressure of preparing a big feast for family and friends on Thanksgiving Day. It’s a perfect storm of anxieties: Beloved traditions, high expectations, a huge menu and a big crowd …

The Findlay Market Cookbook

My cookbook, The Findlay Market Cookbook, is Cincinnati’s local cookbook — a celebration of local food as it’s best represented by Cincinnati’s historic public market.