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I adore Christmas. It’s my favorite time of year. I start my Christmas shopping in April and by November my gifts are usually wrapped and my handmade cards addressed and ready to be mailed. This is right about the time that I start making my gifts for the masses. Envy me or hate me, but at least I’m willing to share some of my secrets.

The one thing that kills me about Christmas is that I usually end up spending money on people I don’t know all that well. By the time my credit card bill rolls around in January, I’m no longer feeling the love for Santa. This year, I’m making gifts for the people to whom I’d like to pass a little “cheer” without depleting my savings account. I debated a few options. Knitting scarves was a fleeting thought. I would have needed to start that in September. Bottles of wine seem cliché, and some of my colleagues don’t drink…

Buffalo Rising and Slow Food Buffalo have partnered to bring you Sunday Suppers, a regular feature that provides readers with the opportunity to prepare a meal that is simple and delicious highlight­ing some regional ingredients and items that can be purchased from small, local businesses.

Slow Food Buffalo is the local chapter of the international Slow Food movement, an organization that espouses the belief that the benefits of preparing meals from fresh, local ingredients and sharing them with family and friends is a way to invigorate the local economy, retain cultural food traditions, and bring people “back to the table” in a way that is no longer part of our daily lives.

We know that many of you will be entertaining out of town guests during the holidays and have plenty of preparation …

On Sunday I asked YUM readers to help me track down good fruitcake that is made somewhere in our region. Somehow that turned into a conversation about panettone, a popular Italian cake-like bread that is traditionally served around the holidays. You know it's panettone season when you encounter towering displays of the large colorful boxes around every corner at your local supermarket.

Here's a quick overview of the conversation that is still taking place:

“Why can't people ditch this profoundly ponderous slab of holiday ballast [fruitcake] and revel in the youthful thrills...of Panettone?” -RisingDamp666

“mmmm...panettone, the only downside is it goes thoughtlessly from table to tummy...” -dougk

“I j…

Last May I wrote an article for Buffalo Rising about tostadas, a delightful and versatile Mexican dish. Within that article I touched on tortillas and how they are--by their own right--not only a staple of Mexican cuisine, but a culture unto themselves. I also mentioned that I have never used corn or flour tortillas to make any dessert, and I didn't know anyone who had...until now.

This past July, I traveled to my homeland with one of my children and my dear friend and photographer Scott. My special agenda was to compile all of the information I needed including interviews, ideas and pictures, in order to finish writing my cookbook. We traveled to many places within the Mexican Republic, and needless to say, we had no down time. A month later, after having compiled everything we thought we needed, my son Patrick and I …

Carottes Vichy is a classic French dish, both simple and delicious. The minor efforts required easily enhance the beauty of the carrot's natural flavor. This dish is named after Vichy, a spa town in France famous for its hot mineral springs. The carrot, which is now commonplace, was then considered somewhat exotic, and the preparation of this dish called for Vichy's mineral water. Today it is simple to replicate the flavors by using soda water. The result is a tasty, lightly glazed carrot.

A popular American take on this dish uses 7Up or other lemon-lime flavored soda in place of soda water and sugar. I prefer the more traditional method, as I find that the version which uses soda decimates the flavor of the carrot itself, turning it instead into a dish more akin to dessert. Additionally, the use of 7Up adds almost 6 teaspoons of high fructose corn syrup to the recipe. …

In Italian, “pepato” simply means peppery. An Italian sheep's milk cheese, Pecorino Pepato is a classic pecorino speckled with whole black peppercorns. Pepato is salty and sharp and the bite of the occasional peppercorn only adds to its intensity.

Pepato is not a protected name, which means that any pecorino producer can add peppercorn to their cheese and call it Pepato. I suggest that you look for a piece that has some age, something firm that can be cut into paper thin slices, which is my favorite way to use pepato. Shaved into a salad with a good olive oil, over eggs, fava or white beans, asparagus, or cauliflower, Pepato is a real winner. It's also a nice addition to mashed potaotes or pasta.

A younger, softer Pepato is milder and less salty and therefore more suited to snacking, especially with olives or cured meats. Even in its milder state, it can easily o…

By now you've seen squash start to take over an entire corner of the produce section. Likewise, if you belong to a CSA, you've probably been getting squash for four weeks straight now. Winter squash can be intimidating, but truth be told, they are wonderfully easy to prepare. There are multitudes of squash recipes, and squash can be added to just about anything you're making: stir fry, soup, pie, etc.

But the focus of this series is to bring you incredibly simple ways to prepare winter squash. This brings up another point; the commonly used delineation of summer squash versus winter squash comes from the fact that there used to be two distinct growing seasons. And while winter squash is now available August through March, they are best during the months of October and November when they are in season.

Th…

A few weeks ago Yumsters gathered in the BR office, their picnic seemingly spoiled by the inclement weather and the few that had been lured away by the Bills’ first game of the season.

As guests trickled in, both strangers and longtime friends, the spread on the table grew increasingly varied. Each person who attended brought a favorite dish, keeping convenience and ease in mind. The dishes (two recipes of which are below) were all delicious, and every one of them was suitable to tailgating at the game or for a gathering of friends and family at home, while partaking in the all-American tradition of televised football.

Despite the foodie reputation for using eclectic ingredients or difficult preparation techniques, these recipes are relatively simple and the necessary ingredients are readily available at your local supermarket. The recipe that gathered perhaps the most ad…

For the past month or so, I have been diligently working my way through my garden’s harvest. The first tomato of the season, sliced paper-thin on a bagel, was magical. I was equally enthralled when I grilled some of my zucchini and dressed it lightly with olive oil, vinegar and mint. But this has grown somewhat tedious.

I have made zucchini bread, zucchini-tomato quiche, zucchini-tomato quesadillas, green bean pate, caramelized green beans, zucchini-tomato pasta, baba ganouj, caponatina and so on and so on. I have also oven-dried several pounds of tomatoes. I have given my friends and co-workers extra produce, even those who I know have their own overflowing gardens.

After several weeks of eating meals composed of the same ingredients, I was yearning for something a little different. I pulled out my go-to cookbook for fresh ideas. Sheila Lukins' All Around the W…

Farm fresh peas and eggs, a healthy dose of pancetta and a pot of al dente orecchiette are all you need to make one of Italy's most simple and satisfying dishes. Carbonara is a dish with many interpretations, some of which use cream, though it is not a traditional ingredient. I, however, always on the look out for ways to bring a little more dairy into my life, am more than happy to use the American adaptation of this classic recipe by adding a little crema.

I also chose to wilt some raddichio, adding color and a little bitterness to the dish. I felt that the bitterness was a nice way to cut through the rich sauce and salty pancetta, and I enjoyed it very much.

The raddichio and peas came from a local farmer's market, both of which are in season now. I also went for farm fresh eggs and cream from the Lexington Co-op. The eggs in the sauce are generally undercooked, so yo…

It seems that every Saturday during the summer you have receive one of four types of invitations that require you to bring a dish; a barbecue at the neighbor's, a graduation party, a company picnic, a friend's dinner party. It's mid-August. By now you've probably lost your zest. How many crudites can you bring along, and more importantly, how much baked ziti should one person be forced to consume within 3 months?

While I can't restore your enthusiasm, I do have a quick and easy recipe to simplify your social calendar. This colorful cold salad is a wonderful summer dish. Most of the ingredients can be found at the Downtown Country Market. You know, the one that adds vibrancy to Main Street (between Court and Church Streets) every Tuesday and Thursday? The one that only sells products from New…

The Bidwell Market has been well stocked with cherries for the past few weeks. They've looked absolutely gorgeous, but I procrastinated buying them for two reasons: one, I had no idea how to pit those little stinkers, and two, even once I had pitted them, I didn't have a clue what I'd make with them. Cherry pie was an obvious choice, but seemed so cliche.

On a recent Friday afternoon, I strolled through the front door of a suburban retail cooking store where lo and behold, there was a cherry pie kit for sale. Pie plate, recipe, and cherry pitter all included! Heaven knows I don't need another pie plate, but I couldn't resist the cherry pitter. The next weekend at the Bidwell Market, I picked up a pint of sour cherries (mainly because I like a culinary challenge) and took them home to play with my new pitter.

Cooking with really good, fresh ingredients makes life so easy. …

Regular BR readers know that we recently invaded the audience at a performance by Shakespeare in Delaware Park of All's Well That Ends Well. We peeked in your picnic baskets and picked your brains. We also had a lot of fun. Fortunately for you, two of the best recipes were happily provided to us by eager participants, and we have them here for you.

Both are good rain or shine, indoors or out. That said, they also happen to travel well and are suited to most outdoor occasions.

The first, provided by Diane McGuire (who gives all of the credit to Mary Clare Breidenstein), is for the rhubarb squares YUMster Courtney Bajdas had the opportunity to sample. “Unique and yummy” were how Courtney described them- two words we can't get enough of here. We imagine that you probably feel similar…

One of the reasons why July is one of my favorite months is because its sunny days and breezy evenings inspire me to create great food for the grill and simple, tasty desserts. Guercio's is one of the best places to pick up produce in the city, and that's where you'll want to head for today's main ingredient—the watermelon.

For the past 3 years, I’ve been hosting 4th of July celebrations in my backyard. I go crazy preparing salads, marinating meats and vegetables for the grill, baking beer bread, and of course, making my favorite 4th of July dessert: Watermelon-Tequila Granita. It somehow always ends up being one of the evening's icy-hot topics of conversation.

Granita is a refreshing and flavorful dessert that closely resembles sorbet or Italian ice. The difference between granita and these other flavored-ice desserts is texture. Granita is made of coarse, crunch…