I think lots of nice foods teeter on the knife edge between salty and sweet. None, however, has made me quite as happy as this recipe did. These muffins are neither definitively savory or sweet, which might give you pause once you realize they have feta cheese and parsley in them. Feta doesn't scream "sweet!", but consider that these muffins are basically cornbread in sneaky muffin form, and we all know how cornbread can handle molasses just as well as it can spicy chili and cheese.
Read moreSQUARE BISCUITS
I'm sorry, I didn't see you there. I was busy getting involved with these biscuits -- and once you're in their buttery, flaky clutches you really can't be distracted by things like work or friends or vegetables.
You see, these are almost too easy to make. So easy, in fact, that after you bake them once, you will forever be thinking: Oh, I have a spare 10 minutes, I guess I could sort through the mail or call my mother or do a quick 7-minute New York Times calisthenics workout...or make some biscuits.
Read moreGRILLED CHEESE WITH RELISH
Last week, I wrote about my dad's grilled cheese for Cup of Jo. When I told my dad I had written about him -- touting his rare kitchen appearances as enough to make a French chef weep -- he claimed I may have oversold his talents.
But I really didn't. His trick for adding relish to a grilled cheese sandwich is smart and addictive and makes other grilled cheeses seem lackluster.
Read moreBLACK & WHITE COOKIES
On the corner of most New York City blocks sits a bodega. You duck inside to find a veritable food wonderland: The contents of an entire grocery store crammed into a tiny room with narrow, high shelves. You can buy everything from ice cream to tomato paste to cornstarch. Perched above the cold drinks case are stacks of crackers in every shape and flavor. Boxes of Asian snacks line one wall. Tiers of neatly arranged chocolate bars flank the cash register.
Read moreRoasted Potato Salad
The weather in July is postcard-worthy on the farm. Everything is lush and full and vibrantly green. The sky is a bright primary blue; fat white clouds drift across it, looking close enough to touch. I take a bike ride in the morning. I cycle past wide fields striped with perfectly geometric lines of tall corn, white painted farmhouses, horse pastures bordered by weathered gray fences that sag in the center.
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