macedonian salmon soup

The Joys of Cooking in a Crisis

Dave DeWitt Chiles and Health Leave a Comment

Story by Sharon Hudgins A century from now when historians look back at how we coped with the 2020 pandemic, two things will stand out: toilet paper and home cooking. During the past three months, many of us have “sheltered in place” at home, willingly or not. Early into the lockdown, bloggers began posting stories about how they planned to …

scottish cottage

Stir Crazy | Cooking to Cope with Cabin Fever

Dave DeWitt Chiles and Health Leave a Comment

By Sharon Hudgins Recently, as the Covid-19 pandemic has spread and we’ve been asked to follow strict “stay-at-home” directives, I’ve been thinking about other times in my life when I’ve been isolated in a house or apartment building with other people, sometimes voluntarily, sometimes unwillingly but of necessity. And I remembered how cooking and sharing meals together was one of …

Pickled Peppers in Market

Best of the Balkans

Dave DeWitt Europe Leave a Comment

Story and Photos by Sharon Hudgins Balkan food is some of the most complex in Europe. Although firmly rooted in simple peasant cooking, the foods eaten in the Balkans reflect a wide variety of influences over a long period of time: geography and history, ethnicity and religion, wars and invasions, and new ingredients brought from other parts of the world, …

grated horseradish

Hungry for Horseradish

Mark Masker Other Spicy Ingredients Leave a Comment

Story and Photos by Sharon Hudgins Humble horseradish has become a hot seasoning among trendy cooks in America. But in the Old World it’s old hat—an ingredient that’s traditionally been used to spike up bland dishes long before Columbus brought the first chile pepper seeds back to Europe. Horseradish, both wild and cultivated, grows in many parts of the world. …