Reason For Not Eating Out #64: To Cook Things You Didn’t Think Were Possible

Cooking is empowering. And it’s unique, in that this simple exercise provides you with one of the few daily necessities for survival—food. You can’t say that for going to the gym, or writing a brilliant essay, as empowering as those activities may be. It’s not always the case that whipping up a plate of dinner gives you a great sense of personal accomplishment. But when you cook something that surprises, impresses even yourself (and as a bonus, your friends or … Read More

Reason For Not Eating Out #63: Because It’s Cold Outside

The lyrics to the classic wintry song, “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” did not age too well. Sung as a male-female duet, the woman repeatedly insists “I really must go,” to which the male singer retorts, “Baby, it’s cold outside.” But you can tell from the smugness in his voice that he’s really not that concerned about the cold. He wants to get her into his bed. And maybe she sorta wants to be there, which would make this scenario more … Read More

Reason For Not Eating Out #61: Because It’s Been 10 Years

This month marks ten years since I’ve been writing this blog. Ten years of scribbling, cooking and ranting about not eating out. 607 original recipes, 60+ Reasons For Not Eating Out, scores of profiles, ruminations and home-cooking events totaling 971 posts. Dozens of Huffington Posts and writings elsewhere. Two books. And seven years and 279 episodes of podcasts on Heritage Radio Network. It’s been 10 years.

Reason For Not Eating Out #60: Solving the Puzzle of ‘What If You Don’t Have An Amazing Protein?’

We live in blessed times. I mean, seasonally. It’s late-spring, and we have things popping out of plants that are incredible and edible (and not edible, but fragrantly incredible, like wild lilacs, too). I recently had the plum privilege of being a judge for a cookoff held by GrowNYC, where I got to observe the making of, taste the outcome of, and help decide the winner of two very excellent dishes prepared by local restaurant chefs. Held in partnership with … Read More

Reason For Not Eating Out #59: For Creativity’s Sake

I have a friend who takes classes on just about everything and anything that’s interesting in the world. Bollywood funk dancing? Sign her up. Grown-up pottery workshops? Let’s make a date of it! she says. She’s a typical New Yorker, Type-A personality, where every learning opportunity is seized, and funneled into bonding sessions with good friends, new date persons, or chances to connect with strangers. In short, she is totally awesome and this is the way we should all be. But we don’t always … Read More

Reason For Not Eating Out #58: To Rewrite the Dating “Rules”

The first rule of dating is that there are no rules. But hopefully you know that already. So why should you read this, from a person who probably knows less about the secrets to dating success than any given stranger on the subway? Because if you’re reading this, then you probably like to cook. And that in itself holds some powerful dating potential.

Reason For Not Eating Out #57: Because the Imperfection Is Yours

It takes guts to own imperfection in the digital age. When Instagram and Tumblr accounts are being reviewed in job applications and by ex-partners alike, not to mention potential partners, it’s easy to throw in the towel and hide under sight, lest your imperfections be deemed boring at best. But I think that apps and tools, and other ways of expressing oneself to friends, are getting wise to the imperfect theory of presenting oneself perfectly as we progress. Be it over … Read More

Reason For Not Eating Out #56: Because You Can Cook Instead of Watch TV

There’s been talk about how cooking is in the elites-only club. I’ve heard plenty of this sentiment anecdotally, and I’ve seen it expressed in so-called studies—especially since last fall, when a report was released that said cooking made women (yep, just women) more stressed out. These findings created a ripple of headlines in the news, prompting many to agree with said notion that cooking at home—at least nowadays—is usually reserved for the privileged, for the wealthy, for those who simply have more spare … Read More

Reason For Not Eating Out #55: Because You Can Pile Up

This weekend, I’m going apple picking at an orchard a little ways Upstate. I’ve never gone apple picking at a U-pick farm before (as lamented in this post two falls ago), so I’m pretty excited. I’m even more excited about all the fun opportunities for using the apples afterwards–in addition to just plain eating them, I wonder how I can smush them into more soups and stews, and envision being loved by all my co-workers for the apple tarts and … Read More

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