Robin: Picadillo is made in slightly different versions all over Latin America, and usually it consists of ground or minced meat cooked with onions, tomatoes, and perhaps other vegetables. It is seasoned a little differently depending on the cook’s location and inclination. This particular version includes a variety of dried fruits and nuts that make…
Gluten-Free
Rhubarb Ice Pops
Robin: While I was growing up, rhubarb wasn´t really part of my life. I´d heard of it, tried it a time or two in pie (and hadn´t thought particularly highly of it), but it just seemed like a boring olden days thing that old timers talked about. I guess it didn´t help that said old…
Victoria’s Tuna and Potato Salad
Ed: To me, a comfort food is like a hug from my mom in any season of the year. Eating this dish feels like getting a big embrace from her. Mom´s middle name was Victoria, and she would serve this salad as a first course. It’s one of my favorite foods, and I am excited…
Coconut Merengue Cookies
Robin: I love the way that these cookies are familiar-feeling, yet different. They are a cross between a macaroon and a merengue, and as such, are both light/crispy and sweet/chewy. Their bright white color makes them a striking addition to an assorted cookie tray or dessert table. They taste good, too, of course! You might…
Easy Ham and Potato Chowder
Robin: If you’ve eaten baked ham for Easter, Thanksgiving, or Christmas, you’ve participated in an American tradition with centuries-old roots in Europe. When I was a kid, we’d most often have turkey on these occasions at our house, since my mom (the one who cooked) had had more than her fill of hams during her…
Grandpa Foley Special (Smoked Sausage Dinner)
Robin: My grandmother, Grace, was the only grandparent I ever knew. She was my maternal grandfather’s second wife and not a biological relative, but that didn’t make any difference to her or to me—she was my Grammy! Looong before I came into the picture, Grammy’s dad, Grandpa Foley, worked at a factory in their small…
Mexican Meatballs (Albóndigas)
Robin: If your experience of “taco meat” so far has been pretty much limited to a seasoned ground beef mixture, you can be excused for thinking that Mexican food in general calls for a lot of ground meat. The truth is, this ingredient is not overly abundant in traditional Mexican cooking; in fact, it’s used…
Turkey Broth (for Soup-making and Other Uses)
Robin: Please don’t discard the carcass left over after carving a roasted turkey; it is extremely valuable! Cooking the turkey’s “skeleton” will yield a rich, delicious broth that can be turned into soup or any one of a number of other yummy delights. Turkeys are native to all of North America, from Canada through Mexico,…
Sweet Potato and Cinnamon Gelatin
Robin: Inspired by the multitude of sweet gelatin dishes I came across in Mexico, I came up with this easy-to-make and somewhat sophisticated-looking dessert that might remind you a little of a crustless sweet potato pie. The gelatin is creamy and mousse-like in texture, but firm enough to hold its shape when cut into slices….
Autumn Vegetable Chili
Robin: Ed and I moved back to my native Indiana in the spring of 2022, but before that we’d lived several years in places (South Florida and Costa Rica) that don’t really get an autumn, and I missed that season most of all. I did my best to enjoy pretending to cycle through the four…