Is there anything more comforting on a cold winter day than soup?? A hearty minestrone, fresh tomato basil, and a good old fashioned chicken soup are all satisfying, but my favorite has always been French Onion. Is it the soup or the crusty melted cheese over a slice of French Bread (or Sourdough) that makes …

Back in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, the hottest chef in Boston was Todd English. He initially had two restaurants in Charlestown, where he and his family lived. Figs was the more casual pizza place that my friend Leah and I loved and frequented on our girls nights out. Olives, however, was the flagship …

Those were the exact words my friend Joe commented on my first post after a long hiatus! Really, who decides to embark upon a major renovation in the midst of a pandemic and a severe disruption in the supply chain resulting in LONG delays in furniture and appliances? Well, we did, that’s who. As if …

I haven’t written much recently because I have been in project management mode in preparation for our move from Chicago to Houston. Since mid January, we have purchased a new home in Houston, Dennis started a new job, we embarked on a renovation project involving a gut rehab of the kitchen, and have been preparing …

Last, but not least, it was Timmy Lynch’s turn to spend the day in the kitchen with me. As the youngest at 8 years old, (and 11 and 8 years younger than older brothers Billy and joe) “the Caboose” is not very adventurous about food, so I wasn’t sure what we were going to cook. …

After the Spaghetti and Meatball factory closed, it was nephew, and Dennis’s godson, Billy Lynch’s turn to spend the day in Ktina’s Kitchen. As a sophomore in college on break, I thought getting him to commit to a day might be a challenge, but he enthusiastically committed to the Sunday following Joe’s day as a …

One of my first memories of cooking when I was young was helping my father make and roll meatballs to add to a huge pot of simmering tomato sauce on a Sunday. It was the perfect thing to make on a cold New England winter day, as it was a big project from the trip …

A few weeks ago I received a text from my friend Jenny saying that she “left a small present” on my front steps to thank me for the dinner I had prepared the evening before. I was expecting perhaps some flowers, as she had given me a gorgeous rosemary plant back in the spring when …

As I mentioned in one of my early posts “A Taste for Thai Food”, I began experimenting with making Thai Curry Pastes when we lived in Argentina due to the lack of availability of tasty Thai food. Thai Curry Paste is a blend of aromatic herbs, spices and chilies that are pureed to a fine …

Pimento Cheese is another retro item that seems to be in vogue right now. Long a southern staple, and indeed the first time I tried it was a number of years ago when friends of my parents were visiting from LIttle Rock, Arkansas and Kathy whipped up a batch for a snack with crackers during …