A favorite way to make chicken salad, especially for spring and summer. It starts with gently poaching chicken breasts in lemon water, leaving them moist and flavorful. ~ Skip Straight to the Recipe ~ Who Else Is Tempted By Kitchen Gadgets? Every few weeks, a new kitchen tool catches my attention. Rarely however, does attention budge from just looking to buy now . I’ve learned the hard way, you see, to be cautious with both dollars and space, for over-hyped kitchen tools deliver as much utility as cure-all cough remedies. I once fell so hard for a middle-of-the-night infomercial that I bought two juicers, one for my parents who had planted citrus trees at their place in Florida. Both were soon relegated to the dust bin. Ooops ... But the microplane grating products that appeared awhile back do deliver on their promise. In just seconds, a microplane creates piles of weightless lemon zest and grated Parmesan. Others rave about grating nutmeg, coconut, onion, ginger and c

The Recipe: A simple sorbet, just four ingredients! The Conversation: Honoring Charles, the farmer who raises ruby-red rhubarb. Not just vegan, Vegan Done Real . The farmers who deliver produce to farm stands deserve grateful tribute. Here, the Scharf farm has the sun and soil to deliver the year’s first spears of asparagus and the smallest, sweetest strawberries shortcake can conjure. Nearby a stand sells grape tomatoes to pop like candy, another dusky, fragrant blackberries. And then there’s Charles. Charles is getting on, you could say. Over the years of my weekly stops at his stand, his back has become a bit stooped. Still, his steps remain sprightly. And while his eyes have turned bleary, still, they sparkle with recognition. There will come a year, I’m afraid, when Charles, like his sister awhile back, will fail to appear in the spring. Each week, I will check, hopeful of his return. And then I will mourn his loss, my loss. So thank you now, Charles, for the r

Do you ever want a light ending for a rich meal? even a light meal? Just something slightly sweet but not heavy, definitely not packed with calories? That's when I turn to my lightened-up versions of the French custards called "pots de crème" – that's pronounced poe-duh-KREM. To keep the calories low, I use whole milk instead of the usual cream and liquids with virtually no calories but a real flavor punch, lemon for Lemon Pots and triple-strength coffee for Coffee Pots. You know how jazz singer Dinah Washington croons, What a difference a daaaaay makes? What a difference one ingredient makes! While COFFEE POTS are dark and mysterious, LEMON POTS are sunny and good-natured. Either would be a perfect close to a Mother’s Day brunch. Make them up before church. By the time the food is served, they’ll be thick and creamy and luscious. And to all the mothers round the world who will be fêted with family festivities on Sunday? Yes, What a difference a day do