This is my salad dressing hack, and I got it from Adele Davis, who wrote cookbooks back in the 1960's. I do not mix up vinaigrette in a jar. I put the oil directly on the salad and toss it, then add the other ingredients. The reason for this is that the oil coats the surface of delicate ingredients, like lettuce…

I always thought you couldn’t freeze milk, but I recently froze some organic 2% milk, after buying a 3 pack of half gallons from Costco. And it was just fine. Shook it up and used it on breakfast cereal, and in coffee, and I can’t tell the difference. Is it possible whole milk gets grainy because of the additional fat…

A close friend of mine lives on Clinton Rd. and I’ve also gone hiking in the woods many times off Clinton Rd. It’s true that it’s very dark at night, no houses or street lights for a long way, and there are some sharp turns you have to watch out for. But other than that, nothing spooky. And yes, that is a terrible…

The Catskills/Hudson Valley has amazing fall color. Great spots to see it include the pedestrian bridge at Poughkeepsie, or any one of the big Catskill reservoirs. Much better than the Poconos. 

We throw the plain raw corn on the grill as you suggest, and it’s so tasty you don’t even need butter or salt. The leftover corn is great in chowder, or a corn/black bean salad. We experimented with freezing the raw ears to see if we could save some past the end of the season, and while the taste was still there, the…

For a relatively small amount like 10K, you can also just keep it at home, and use it to pay cash for things like restaurant meals, gas, food, clothes, vacations, etc. It’ll be gone in no time! 

Yes, if you like to brew a pot of loose tea, Asian markets have the best green tea, jasmine tea, and other varieties. Even the canisters are so attractive, you’ll want to keep them and repurpose them.

I think you probably had an arepa. You might be able to find them in the dairy or frozen section of the supermarket, if your area has a big Latin American population.

OK. this was truly inspirational. 

Hedges do take time to grow, but once they do, they look nice, provide privacy, and last for many decades. Arbovitae, hemlock, yew, and holly are all evergreen. I don’t recommend terrible invasive plants like bamboo, burning bush or Japanese barberry(which also harbors ticks).

I will try this but skip the sugar. Lord knows there’s enough sweetness in the syrup and any fruit you might eat with the pancakes.

The New Jersey trip is actually a great choice. Jockey Hollow has lots of interesting Revolutionary War history, and miles of great hiking trails. It’s especially gorgeous in the fall. Morristown has many great restaurants too.

None of the things I mentioned had anything to do with revolutionary Americana. Except maybe the cobblestones. 

I have to say, the ancient city of Petra really IS everything it’s cracked up to be. Plus, the site is so huge, it’s hard to get overcrowded. And it has to be accessed via a narrow canyon, which is over a mile long, and only wide enough for pedestrians or a donkey cart, no cars allowed, so that kind of limits the…

Totally disagree! There is so much to do in Philly. Once you climb up the steps, the Museum of Art itself is great, and so is the Benjamin Franklin Institute. The Barnes Institute has one of the greatest collections of Impressionist art anywhere, and there are several other museums worth visiting. The Reading Terminal…

I’m a fan of paper maps, and I have a 50 state road atlas that I always take on long road trips. It’s a great way to find scenic or interesting alternate routes, where the best vacation adventures happen. 

It doesn’t have to be often, just one or two winter storms or hurricanes a year, and you are still able to cook food-which you definitely want to be doing if you have perishable food in the fridge or freezer that needs to be eaten.

lol, I’ve been cooking all my life, and almost all serious cooks agree that electric stoves suck, whatever Consumer Reports says. It’s funny that they think gas ovens have the edge, because baking is the one thing that electric stoves are good for. I’m willing to give induction cooktops a try, if I have to go all…

I’ve never visited Cleveland, but I’ve had a couple of long weekend vacations in Ashtabula County, staying in Geneva-by-the-Lake. There are nice beaches on Lake Erie, which is actually clean now. Plenty of other low-key stuff to do in the area, fishing, canoeing and other water sports, great antiqueing, wineries,…

Sun dried tomatoes are a little too chewy for me, but I love substituting cherry tomatoes from my garden that I slow roast in the oven with olive oil.