Chinese Celery Salad

My colleague Amy Bertrand made this recipe as she prepared to interview Lucinda Scala Quinn, author of Mad Hungry: Recipes, Strategies & Survival Techniques. You might not think of celery as a side dish, but Bertrand, her husband…

Tapas are served on small plates

Here’s another recipe inspired by my recent trip to Spain. Actually, it was inspired by a few of my souvenirs  — cans of oil-packed tuna and piquillo peppers, which are large, sweet red peppers with…

In this week’s Readers’ Recipe Exchange column, I’m reprinting a fabulously easy recipe for artisan bread. The dough can be made in advance and isn’t kneaded. Keep it in the refrigerator, breaking off as much or as little as you…

Photo by Steve Adams/"Room in the Bowl"

One of the keys to gumbo is roux, the mix of fat and flour cooked and stirred until it turns the required shade of brown.

Roux is used in many recipes, not just gumbo. Some…

S'mores Bars. Photo by Steve Adams

I just received an advance copy of Cookie Swap: Creative Treats to Share Throughout the Year (Gibbs Smith, $19.99, 158 pages), and despite the heat wave, it makes me want to turn on the oven and…

Sweet, smoky, salty, spicy — this recipe from “Serious Barbecue” by Adam Perry Lang (Hyperion, $35) has it all.

You’ll need a patience when you make this, because the bacon cooks for at least an hour and a half. The result? According…

This recipe is adapted from “Great Year-Round Grilling in the Midwest,” by Ellen Brown (The Lyons Press, $19.95). The original calls for fresh kielbasa, which is hard to find locally. You can substitute kielbasa links or use other fresh sausage links.

Kielbasa…

Caramel-Lacquered Wafers

Here’s a clever and simple heart-shaped cookie perfect for Valentine’s Day. The main ingredient is purchased puff pastry. In fact, the recipe is from “Puff” (Chronicle Books, 2008), by Martha Holmberg, which offers 50 recipes that use what she calls…

Meyer lemons

I think of lemon meringue pie as a summer dessert, but with lemons at their peak in winter, why not whip one up for a Super Bowl dessert buffet or even a family dinner.

And I do mean whip —…

Portobello "Cheese Steak"

Whether you’re trying to eat less fat, enjoy more vegetables, cut down on red meat or simply are looking for a hearty sandwich to serve during the big game, this recipe might appeal. It swaps healthy portobello mushrooms…