The Crabby Cook - by Jessica Harper

It began at a cocktail party in Baltimore, at which three couples had a lively discussion about which of the husbands present was the laziest when it came to domestic work. None of the men cook, only two can handle a screwdriver, all are chore-phobic. After a few martinis, the guys offered to make up for years of slothfulness by preparing an elegant dinner for their long-suffering wives. Read More

My daughter Nora is tweeting from Florence, with pics of her wine tasting in Tuscany, eating local pastries, partaking of her Italian mom’s home made jam and sampling pasta in local restaurants. This is giving me a bad case of Eater’s Envy. My most recent brush with Italian cuisine was in a restaurant in Sherman Oaks called La Dolce Vita or something whose menu featured “Spaghetti a la Bb Hope.” Read More

Here’s a product that comes in very handy when a family member suddenly decides to try a dairy-free diet. This “buttery spread,” which is concocted from a variety of oils and other “all natural” ingredients (with no dairy or gluten involved), turns out to be a totally acceptable sub for the real thing. Read More