Kitchen Diva

Over a decade ago, I was given the wonderful opportunity to work with King Features Weekly Service to create “The Kitchen Diva” food and lifestyle column.

If you’re looking for a way to change your favorite fish recipe, try adding salsa. The word “salsa” really just means “sauce” in Spanish.

Camping! Just the word evokes many feelings. If you already love it, you might fondly remember trips of the past — recreation with friends and family, or quiet time communing with nature. If you’re new to it, you might be excited about the mysterious forest or vast ocean vistas you’ll see.

Entertaining in the summer often means finding ways to keep cool while feeding a crowd. The best way to feed a large number of people is to find recipes with simple preparation and low-cost ingredients.

I don’t know why fried chicken tastes better when it’s served on a picnic table. The beauty of deep-fried yard bird is that if it’s cooked properly, you don’t need silverware, a plate or a napkin.

A Fourth of July picnic, an ice-cold watermelon, patriotic songs and lots of loud, brilliantly hued fireworks are my idea of a wonderful holiday celebration. Watermelons serve two purposes on a hot July day — they’re a sweet finish to a meal, and a source of nutritious hydration.

Do you love potatoes, but think they’re fattening? Potatoes are good for you and have one of the highest nutritional values in the produce department. At just 25 cents per serving, a medium potato, 5.3 ounces, eaten with its skin on, has just 110 calories.

While Betty Crocker is often associated with 1950s happy homemaking, she originally belonged to a different generation. Created in 1921 as a “friend to homemakers” for the Washburn Crosby Company — a forerunner to General Mills — in Minneapolis, her purpose was to answer consumer mail. “She” was actually the women of the Home Service Department who signed Betty’s name.

Fajitas were invented by the vaqueros and cowboys of the Southwest and northern Mexico. During cattle roundups, they were given the less-desirable parts of the cow — the head, hide, entrails and meat trimmings such as the skirt steak — as part of their weekly pay.

Nothing says spring like a beautiful bunch of crisp asparagus. While asparagus is available year-round, it’s much better when purchased locally.

If you’re bored with the same vegetable and tuber routine, it’s time to try something new — like Jerusalem artichokes, also known as sunchokes. Think of it as a culinary treasure hunt with a delicious reward for your palate.

My favorite comfort meal, no matter what the season, is a vegetable-packed bowl of homemade soup. Soup is a simple, unapologetic dish that is a culinary classic with primitive roots.

My husband’s culinary skills begin and end with making a great pot of coffee. With that in mind, I’ve created a simple Mother’s Day dinner recipe that even a non-cook can successfully follow.

Artichokes are strange and lovely. It’s a thistle, a flower and its pale green blossoms are one of the first signs of spring. Artichokes are in season, so it’s time to go to the market and get some thorny deliciousness for yourself.

I was looking for a new spring vegetable to explore — move over asparagus and spring peas — and discovered a wealth of information about radishes. I should have titled this article “Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about radishes but were afraid to ask.”

I’ve been preparing, eating, reading and writing about avocados for more than a decade. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that avocados would rise to their current heights in the culinary world.

There’s nothing like the intense flavor — or the smell — of an onion. Wild onions were among the first foods that mankind gathered and ate and are one of the first signs of spring. Onions are in the allium family, along with garlic and shallots. Spring onions are one of my favorite varieties.

The tenderness and variety of cuts of lamb opens up the opportunity to serve lamb all year long, not just in the spring. I love slowly braising lamb shanks, marinating and flash-frying lamb chops and using ground lamb in stews, sauces and forming them into patties.

Years ago, when bags and bins of spring mix lettuce greens first appeared in the grocery stores in early March, I must admit, I was skeptical. To me, spring mix looked like small leaves of multicolored lettuce mixed with lawn clippings.

My first love is culinary history. Researching, reading and writing about the history of food and recipes is what fuels my passion to share what I’ve learned in my cookbooks and the articles that I write for newspapers, blogs and magazines.

Whether you live in an area that has been hit with pandemic quarantines and lockdowns, work and school closures, bad weather, power outages, frozen pipes and water cutoffs, or you just need to stock your pantry for the times when you’re unable to shop, here are some ways to create an emergency pantry using canned goods as staples.

Winter squash are prominently displayed at grocery stores in the fall and winter months, but many shoppers pass them by because they don’t know how to make them. Winter squash are easy to prepare and are a healthy addition to any meal.

I was looking for a baking pan in the back of a cupboard and inadvertently discovered I have quite a collection of casserole dishes. I started thinking about all the casserole recipes I’ve collected over the years. When I was a newlywed and novice cook almost 46 years ago, preparing a casserole was my “go-to” dinner recipe.

The Mediterranean diet is in the news again, not only because it’s the start of a new year, but also because it was named as one of the most popular and healthiest diets by several publications.

Is chocolate a guilty treat or a great-tasting, heart-healthy indulgence? Do you use chocolate to boost your mood, or reserve it for special celebrations?

One of the best things about writing a food and recipe column is the opportunity to introduce my family, friends and readers to something new. I also enjoy experimenting with new ingredients and products.

January is National Soup Month, and I’ve been busy making homemade chicken stock in my slow cooker and using the flavorful broth as a base for several belly-warming bowls of soup. I’ve also enjoyed exploring new soup recipes, starting with a unique new cookbook.

Despite my best efforts, I often get a little “under the weather” during the month of January. This year I’ve decided to work on ways to boost my immune system before the worst part of the cold and flu season hits.

Eggs are a great way to start your day because they’re an almost perfect food. Whole eggs are nutritious and contain almost every nutrient you need to maintain good health, and they keep you feeling full between meals.

If you’ve resolved to take charge of your health in the new year, a nutritious breakfast is one of the best ways to start your day.

Dr. Mehmet Oz asked me to create a recipe containing foods that help to naturally reduce stress and to do a cooking demo on his TV show.

If you want to change things up a little for your Christmas dinner, try modernizing an old traditional recipe.