Many people have asked me over time how I manage to “not eat out” around the clock. Just what am I eating when it’s not one of the recipes published on this blog? (Much of the time, the plain answer is noodles — spaghetti, noodle soup, fried noodles; noodles.) It’s true that I don’t broadcast [...]

This Christmas dinner, I was preparing a meal for nine people including myself. At least one of them was lactose-intolerant; at least one was kosher. And the main course for the evening was unquestionably rich — a prime rib of beef, to be exact. But I still wanted to make a soup that was heady [...]

My favorite nut (besides, perhaps, my mother) is the buttery cashew. For a long time I thought there was no better way to enjoy them than alone, roasted, straight out of the can and without the pesky accompaniment of lesser nuts mixed in. A little coat of salt, maybe. But that was all. This may [...]

What could be a better fetch this holiday season than this fetching kitchen apron? At $10 a raffle ticket, no less? You got me there. Tomorrow, December 21st is the last day to try your luck at winning this and other prizes through Chez Pim’s Menu 4 Hope charity event. Check out Serious Eats’ list [...]

It’s all over, those of you — and there are many of you out there — who missed the third installment of the Manhattan Chili Takedown. Fifteen chilis, two judges, one unpredictable host, a swank club called The Plumm, a motley crew of both carnivorous and vegetarian chili-making characters, their friends, one small child, and [...]

Inspired by the classic Mexican dish pozole, this chili combines dried chipotles and anchos for a deep, earthy tomato-based sauce complemented by the sweetness of pumpkin. The smokiness of the chipotles is increased here by adding ground chorizo sausages; browned at the beginning of the cooking process, they meld invisibly into the sauce, adding a [...]

Last year marked one of the least snowy winters that New York City has ever not enjoyed. This year is shaping up to be a little better, but let’s face it, we haven’t had reason to call the whole day off in more than two years, and that’s a shame. The absence of the pure, [...]

If it’s the season for cuddling up with hot toddies and passing family reunions by in a drunken haze, then I’ve just sampled two very merry ways to embrace the holiday “spirit.” Local author and cocktail expert David Wondrich paid a visit to Lenell’s liquor store last Saturday, and I was not alone in imbibing. [...]

My co-worker proudly marched down the hall yesterday with a bag of Burger King “Ketchup & Fries” Flavored Potato Snacks (for lack of any more specific word such as “chips” or even “crisps”).
“Look what I got from the vending machine!”
Look we all did. Two whole aisles of us emerged from our pod-like cubicles to take [...]

Ding-aling… Ring-aling… it’s Christmastime in the city. And what do city girls do to get into the spirit? Well, if you’re like half of the informal poll I’ve taken of my favorite ladies, you actually go out and buy a medium to large-sized tree to drag back to your apartment. That’s right, a suburban family-oriented [...]

Prize UE17
When Serious Eats wrote me an email requesting my participation in Chez Pim’s honorable Menu for Hope 4 charity raffle, there was not a doubt in my mind that I was in. But there was some trepidation. As a holiday-themed fundraising event, Menu for Hope asks food bloggers from around the world to become [...]

I first made this meal a few weeks ago when I came home from running errands to a living room filled with three friends (including my boyfriend). I was starving. But I tried to play it cool, pouring myself a whiskey on ice like they were all drinking, and calmly bringing out a tray of [...]

Want to give a gift that counts as a tax write-off? Sick of seeing Old Navy commercials and glossy DeBeers ads? Just because nonprofits can’t buy ad spaces in major magazines or prime-time commercial slots doesn’t mean you can’t throw your money at them this holiday season, too.
I know, I know – if your [...]

“Was that banana?”
Went the first question from everyone who’d tried these, once they unglued their mouths enough to ask. Next:
“I’m getting caramel… nuttiness… chocolate…”
Sounds almost like we were tasting vintage wines. To their credit, it was dark in the bar where we sat. Half turtle bar, partly inspired by the chocolate monkey drink, these lovable [...]

You know what time of the month it is? No? Reason for Not Eating Out rant time?… Well, that’s okay. I don’t even know when the correct time of the month to post one of these things is myself, and I think I may have skipped a month altogether sometime in the summer. But hey [...]