Sometimes you need a showstopper.  Maybe you are trying to impress a date with your cooking skills, maybe you need to show up some food snobs at your next dinner party, or maybe you’re just having an old friend over.  Recently for us, it was the latter.  Our good friend Joel hadn’t been over in a while so we thought we’d wow him with my new favorite way to have a steak (that doesn’t require a grill).  The only condition for him was that to earn his meal, he needed to be... more

Remember the scene in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation where the turkey comes to the table, browned and glorious, and then as Clark goes to carve it the whole thing deflates? Here, let me refresh your memory. This doesn’t have to be you. Roasting a turkey can be easy, and it doesn’t take as long as you think. This is a no-fuss, surefire way to get a perfect holiday turkey. Of course, for inspiration, I looked to Ina. When in doubt, look to Ina. Hungry? Ina. Confused?... more

We try to maintain active social lives, and even though the O6 are a busy family, we usually are able to cram all of our family commitments in and still have time for the occasional show at First Ave. , movie with the gang, or random gathering at a local dining establishment.  This was not the case last week.  We were invited to a happy hour at The Lyndale Tap House, a bar in Uptown Minneapolis which specializes in a classic Baltimore cuisine (yeah, I know, that sounds like an oxymoron) – pit... more

Around our house, chicken rules. Beef is king, but due to the higher fat content, we try to limit our red meat intake. We eat plenty of fish, but with the cumulative toxins that can come with it, we hold off on going overboard. Sure, there’s pork, but the only way Shaina is not a fan and will only occasionally allow it in some smoked varieties – you know: bacon, ribs, pulled pork. So, by default, we are left with either more exotic meats like lamb and ostrich or we fall back on the most... more

It’s summer in Minnesota, and that can mean many things to many people.  For me, it’s not really summer until the road side stands pop up offering cucumbers, melons, potatoes and, of course, sweet corn.  Now, it can’t be just any kind of sweet corn.  You see, I grew up spoiled.  My Uncle Duane had a farm in Southern Minnesota where he raised beef cattle, soybeans and sweet corn, and when the corn was ripe, he’d call my dad and we’d grab a stack of paper bags, head... more

I like tuna. Really. I do. I like it as a big, ol’ tuna steak, sliced raw on my sushi, seared and dipped in wasabi-infused sauce. I do NOT, however, appreciate what most American households are likely to have as their tuna standard: Chunk Light Tuna…at least in most cases. You’ve seen it in cans of various sizes. It makes appearances in casseroles, pasta salads, on sandwiches all across the country for lunch, dinner, potlucks and snacks. There are benefits to chunk light... more

I made my first cheesecake when I was 15. My grandma always made cheesecake for Sunday dinner. She would keep it hidden in the guest bedroom or downstairs on the coffee table, but I knew it was there, thick and baked, topped with cherries (always cherries) and with a perfect graham cracker crust. Waiting until everyone had their fill of noodles and gravy, roast and jello mold. When she passed away, I needed that cheesecake, in part because I was longing to hear her call me Schatzi or Schätzchen... more