Ask Chef Phyllis: All I’ve been reading about—and hearing about on food TV shows—is that we should eat less sugar and cut out all artificial sweeteners. The new sugar-free products I don’t understand. I drank Diet Coke for years thinking it was good. What can I do to begin making healthy choices in my life? […]
Author Archives: Phyllis Quinn
05
Apr
Apr
Ask Chef Phyllis: It’s popular today to make pizza crust out of cauliflower rice, and I’ve seen it for sale in the produce section of my supermarket. I’ve tried sneaking vegetables into many of my children’s favorite foods, such as mac and cheese, with some success. Though cauliflower rice worked, cauliflower pizza crust didn’t fool […]
28
Mar
Mar
Ask Chef Phyllis Our neighbors stopped by recently around lunchtime, and all I had in the house was eggs. I know that frittatas are so popular today, but what proportions make a good one? What kind of pan is best? My guests said that a cast-iron skillet is a good choice. Can you help? —Christine […]
08
Mar
Mar
Ask Chef Phyllis: Many years ago, my grandmother and great-aunt Theodora made a southern dish they called Deviled Autumn Pork Chops, For lack of more information, I know they used spicy mustard (maybe even more than one kind), country ham, and collard or mustard greens in it. In late autumn, when the pigs were slaughtered, […]
08
Feb
Feb
Ask Chef Phyllis: It’s almost Valentine’s Day, and although this is supposed to be a holiday for sweethearts, I always celebrate it with the children and some lady friends too. I send little heart candies and homemade chocolates or treats with a cute little Valentine’s card. I know when I get something like this, I […]
16
Jan
Jan
Crock Pots and slow cookers came to the table a long time ago. They have a history, and I know you’ve used and loved one or the other. Now the newest craze is the Instant Pot, a pressure cooker that boasts seven functions in a single appliance (or even eight, depending on the model). While […]
10
Jan
Jan
Ask Chef Phyllis: You’d never guess that one of the most frequently asked holiday questions people ask me (and also the second most asked question of all, right after ideas for skinless boneless chicken breasts) is about…cheeseballs. That’s why I’m writing this day about a seriously good cheeseball recipe with a decidedly different twist. Years […]
28
Dec
Dec
Ask Chef Phyllis: I was at a class (kind of a party) where you were teaching cheese-making. I didn’t think about it until now, but you made dinner for the class using the cheese we’d just made. You prepared the meal while teaching the class and made it look easy. The lunch was Chicken Parmesan […]
21
Dec
Dec
Ask Chef Phyllis: It’s been awhile since I made homemade gifts, such as scented pine cones, zucchini-nut breads, and salted nuts, for Christmas. But I’m really finding that gift-giving has gotten out of hand. It’s frustrating and loses meaning. I’d like a good recipe for salty or spicy-sweet nuts to put in a glass jar […]
14
Dec
Dec
Ask Chef Phyllis: It was interesting to see other bread recipes on your website. I love bread, and I liked the recipe for Portuguese sweet bread, which is famous in the Boston area. But I noticed not a mention of many other American breads. Have you ever heard of a Sally Lunn? My grandmother, who […]
07
Dec
Dec
Ask Chef Phyllis At Christmastime, I make a huge three-cheese, three-meat lasagna. I admit that it’s a lot of work to prepare, but when all done, it’s done. Put it in the oven, relax with my guests and family, and pour a glass of wine is all I want to do. An antipasto is an […]
29
Nov
Nov
The description of a new TV show says, “Friendship isn’t a big thing, it’s a million little things.” Well…yes. You can say the same thing about a life, and a marriage. But I wish to mention here that there’s so little information about the third stage of a girl’s life, widowhood, that I decided to […]
26
Jul
Jul
How about a recipe for savory chicken and lentils in a mouthwatering wine-mushroom sauce? Did I get your attention? I’m the first to admit that a plate of lentils didn’t used to thrill me. Post-WWII, my mother made rather plain lentil soup/porridge at least once a week. Though my taste buds have since become much […]
29
Jun
Jun
Before I begin this story, I should tell you that I wrote a previous blog post about a Cuban Pork recipe that I discovered during a trip to Puerto Rico many years ago. It was February, and New York City in winter is a dreary affair. So my husband and I, being young and adventurous, […]
15
Jun
Jun
Ask Chef Phyllis So many stories are told of the dish prepared for Napoleon in celebration of his victory against the Austrians at the Battle at Marengo in June 1800. Legend or food history? Here’s the real lowdown! Though the French were victorious in the battle, as luck would have it, their food carts had […]
08
Jun
Jun
Ask Chef Phyllis I know from your book, Udderly Cultured, that caprese salad and pizza are your first choices for fresh mozzarella. Can I put the fresh cheese I make in a casserole? Are there other uses for fresh mozzarella, which melts so well? Summer is coming, and life should be easier. To me, that […]
31
May
May
Ask Chef Phyllis I haven’t made stuffed cabbage in a long time, even though my family has been asking for it lately. It takes more than 2½ hours in the oven, plus maybe another hour preparing the cabbage leaves. Besides that, I only remember making it with canned tomato soup, which gave it an almost […]
25
May
May
Ask Chef Phyllis: I recently watched celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck stop by Late Night with Stephen Colbert. He presented a very expensive gift to the host—a tiny truffle that was worth $300! Colbert smelled it and took a bite, but he didn’t seem to enjoy the taste (although he did like the aroma). Even for […]
11
May
May
Ask Chef Phyllis: I need something special that kids (ages eight, ten, and twelve) can help prepare on Mother’s Day for our mom. She loves pancakes, but I don’t think I can manage frying all those pancakes without help. Is there a big pancake that’s easy and special too? Any suggestions? —Mariead Q. from Cambridge, […]
27
Apr
Apr
A lady friend came to my house for lunch last week. I was serving my version of Waldorf Chicken Salad (a recipe inspired by the nearly forgotten and long-closed Schrafft’s restaurants in New York City). When she spotted what I was serving, Julie commented that my chicken salad was the best and asked me to […]