When I moved to Aurora, Colorado, in the early 1980s my first job was at Wag’s Restaurant in the Aurora Mall. Like Woolworth’s, Wag’s had a soda fountain. We had […]
Category Archives: Ask Chef Phyllis
Ask Chef Phyllis While traveling in Germany and France many years ago, we had the good fortune to eat in a small town near the French border. Their specialty was […]
It’s summertime, and some of us are still in self-quarantine. On a happy note, this is a wonderful opportunity to cook and nurture our bodies and our souls. Life is […]
When I receive more than three emails from readers on the same subject—especially when they’re requesting recipes that go beyond mac and cheese or beans and rice and want more […]
It’s been ages since I’ve even thought of making Christmas breads. But now, with our world turned upside down, many of us have been making our own bread—so I thought, […]
When it comes to leftovers, it often seems that the husbands rather than the children don’t want to eat yesterday’s meal. (But as I’m fond of saying, this is the […]
I will be the first to admit it. Before this pandemic, I hadn’t made a meatloaf in years. Perhaps I think of this dish now because I long for the […]
Ask Chef Phyllis My family loves a good chicken dish. They demand chicken breasts, although my mother always bought whole chicken and used every part. I usually make chicken breasts […]
Here’s a novel idea: a sumptuous dessert from your already depleted pantry. And it’s easier than you ever imagined. Did your mom ever make fruit cobblers? Or perhaps a baked […]
Practice is “the actual application or use of an idea, belief, or method, as opposed to theories relating to it.” What can you put into practice? If you are of […]
Ask Chef Phyllis What can you tell me about whipping cream that I’ve already opened and has been in my fridge a little past its “best use” date? In this […]
I woke up Wednesday morning with the notion that all was well. But then in a New York minute, I remembered that I’m living through a pandemic—never before known by […]
This year of 2020 is a particularly difficult time in the world. Indeed, it’s a time of crisis. Just a few months ago, this hysterical news would have sounded like […]
In a post from about six years ago, I wrote about feasting (and I do mean feasting) on paella at a restaurant called Trader Vic’s in Puerto Rico. It was […]
This post is about a treasured recipe: the best pomodoro sauce ever! Pomodoro translates to “golden apple,” although we know it is the Italian word for tomato. This sauce, which […]
Ask Chef Phyllis It seems like just yesterday it was New Year’s Day, but as I glance at the calendar, I see that we’re already at the end of February! […]
Now that we’re already into the second month of 2020, perhaps it’s about time that I write one of my “that’s-the-makings-of-yet-another-post” post, as I’m fond of saying. (My regular readers […]
Ask Chef Phyllis It’s the time of year that my husband goes fishing in British Columbia with his buddies. He comes home with great fish, but I’m tired of making […]
I could have just as easily titled this blog post “Why No One Turns Down a Dinner Invitation in Italy.” That’s right—no matter the hour, no one in their right […]
Ask Chef Phyllis This is the time of year I start thinking about turkey. I roast a large bird for our family (about 22–25 pounds), because they enjoy seeing a […]