by Chrysa SmithPaula Deen, the 'Queen' of southern cooking, is now under fire. 'Hiding' her Diabetic diagnosis for three years has now led to criticism: and that is, that she waited until her partnership with a major drug company to tell the world.Y'all know that Paula's middle name comes in a yellow stick in the dairy section. She was criticized for that (not in my circle), and now, scrutinized for waiting until she [...]
by Chrysa Smith Nothing says Mid-Winter like Balsamic Vinegar & Soy Sauce. Well, maybe a box of chocolate truffles too. But like the canned tomatoes and the chicken stock, these condiments will take you a long, long way.Most obviously, I like olive oil and a little Balsamic vinegar on my salads. I don't know what the experts suggest, but I do about a 3 to 1 ratio of olive oil to Balsamic. Some [...]
by Chrysa SmithWe've all had those unfortunate memories of bad meals, bad behavior, bad times at restaurants. Some were the result of the kitchen, some the wait staff, some our fellow diners and maybe even ourselves. Some were bad enough to make us stay clear of the place altogether.Well after some recent poor service and mediocre food, I got to thinking: As far as restaurants go, I've had some incredible experiences and some [...]
It's a new year. A new start. So obviously, the perfect time to get your kitchen affairs in order. And that would begin with a clean sweep of the pantry. Could yours ever look like the above? Hmmm? My guess is not if you have a life. You needn't be an anal librarian who has alphabetized her spice bottles. But you can clean out those who've crossed the line into adulthood: those 20 [...]
by Chrysa SmithLike a kid in a candy store, I enter the Williams Sonoma store in my local mall---then I go wild.They've got about every nifty, trendy necessity I could ever need for my kitchen. I just stopped in for their great espresso maker sale: 40% off Nespresso machines---just what my husband wanted this year. And for good reason. The end of an old machine has left him drinking instant espresso. And that, [...]
by Chrysa SmithI'm not sitting in my basement playing Super Mario. I'm sitting here thinking about my recent meal at Luigi's; the small, unassuming Italian restaurant in Jamison, PA.The look on little Luigi's face is not shocking in a bad way. It's shocking in the fact that I didn't know about it sooner. Because not only is it in my backyard, but it is owned by a great guy who we know from [...]
by Chrysa SmithThere they are. A motley group for sure--especially the guy with his signature orange clogs: Mario Batali. He's not only a celebrity chef in his own right, but is the maitre d' of ABC's newest talk show appropriately named The Chew.Unlike the Food Network or Martha Stewart shows, the atmosphere on The Chew is interactive and engaging. For one, the audience sits behind the Chew crew. I don't know how the audience [...]
