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Do you ever get home from work and crave a homemade meal ready in minutes? Many of us have a love-hate relationship with home-made food: we love to eat it, but hate the fact that we don’t always have the time to make it. But we don’t have to suffer from time constraints any longer. The next time you have the urge to cook, seize the moment (and this book!) and whip something up, then pop it in the freezer! You will soon become a huge fan of your freezer once you see how it allows you to make home-made meals on your own time frame. Let the freezer become your friendly, ready-made pantry.  More

In the agrarian communities of the rural South, food feeds the soul as much as it strengthens the sun-drenched bodies that work the land. It seems that those who remain intimately connected to the fields that provide their daily sustenance are also nourished in meaningful spiritual ways. For these folks, fresh food is part of daily life. Yes, their dishes tend to be simple, but they are delicious, glorious creations, indeed. It is no wonder that for all its modesty and informality, traditional Southern food ranks among this country’s most celebrated cuisines.   More

When I was growing up in the Black Forest, delicious, thoughtfully prepared food was always at hand. My mother’s cooking, though most often fairly simple, was fresh, flavorful, and satisfying. Cafés offered specialty pastries and artfully presented savory bites well worth a day’s hike. Gasthaus restaurants prided themselves on basic hearty fare and daily specials we often waited all week to savor. And then there were the hotels. They were in a different league altogether. Hotels were, and still very much are, paragons of elegant dining, where serious culinary connoisseurs and the social elite celebrate classic menus and refined hospitality.  More

Even though a standard dictionary defines the word entertain as “to keep pleasantly interested” or “to extend hospitality towards,” many potential hosts and hostesses often have an unpleasant reaction to the word. When entertaining is mentioned, my sister immediately feels intimidated, and my mother stresses as she begins creating numerous lists. I personally enjoy entertaining at home, whether I’m hosting a casual, last-minute gathering or an elegant cocktail party. My sister-in-law also loves to throw a good party, and whenever she has one in the works, she calls me enthusiastically for recipe suggestions. Everyone approaches entertaining and party planning in their own way, but whether you look forward to having company or feel pressured just thinking about it, you can always use an easy, practical source of menu suggestions and decorating ideas.  More

I teach bread baking at the largest culinary school in the world and every time I get a new class, we talk about the history of baking and milling. I tell them that Oliver Evans is often credited with inventing automated milling sometime around 1785, but he was just a link in a long lineage of anonymous millers who advanced the process from the early days of smashing wheat kernels with a stone, then on to grinding grain between stones, one of them moving while the other remained stationary. Later civilizations harnessed the energy of animals and humans to increase productivity until water and wind mills came along to move that big turning stone. Milling is a long and noble profession, I tell my students, just as is baking.  More

Of ancient origin and rightly celebrated in myth and art, the pomegranate is regally beautiful. A native of Persia (now Iran), the pomegranate is one of the seven fruits mentioned in the Old Testament (including dates, figs, olives, grapes, barley, and wheat). Ruby-like multitudes of shiny seeds have made the pomegranate the symbol of fertility in legends around the world. The plump, round dappled scarlet fruit is also a symbol of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love.  More

Cookie decorating has the ability to breathe life into your most creative fantasies. One cookie will transport you to a beach chair in the south of France, while another might take you to the side of a frozen lake, old fashioned ice skates in hand. You can be the designer of haute couture or a little kid in a candy shop. After enjoying the many places cookie decorating has brought us, we wanted to create this book to enable you to let your imagination take you to fabulous places!  More

People seem surprised—and impressed—when I mention that I make homemade treats for my dogs. It’s as if baking something for your dog is a huge extravagance, or a lot of work, when it is actually easy and inexpensive. Sometimes people will say, “I don’t even bake for my family, I can’t make treats for my dog!” However, these same people enjoy giving treats to their dogs. What they don’t realize is that by purchasing ready-made treats, they’re spending more money for what is more than likely an inferior product.  More