The Crabby Cook - by Jessica Harper

Okay, I’m a little obsessed with shortbread. Don’t know why really, but possibly because of my Scottish ancestry and also it tastes so damn good. So maybe I’m projecting too much when I assume that my mother would like nothing better than this for Mother’s Day. Read More

After eating more Easter cookies than any human I know of–my dog Oliver outdid me at 6 but only barely–this is my new favorite LIGHT springtime lunch. Read More

When people drop by unexpectedly, it’s nice to be able to offer them a refreshment of some kind, like, say, tea and biscuits. When I say “people,” I mean, of course people you know. Do not let just anybody in.

Red flags would be: 1) The have mistaken your house for the one where they are shooting a porn movie, 2) they are wearing a Nixon mask or 3) they are selling (ill-gotten) steaks  door-to-door. I have had all three of these types knock on my door at various times and did not offer tea to any of them, although I did buy steaks from #3. (More on that story here.)

Anyway, if you think someone might show up who you actually want to sip tea (or drink sherry) with, keep this biscuit dough on hand. You can whip up delicious savory cookies in 20 minutes.

Cheese and Pecan Biscuits

Yield: about 18-20 biscuits

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon salt

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

6 ounces grated, sharp cheddar cheese

½ cup finely chopped pecans

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and pepper. In a separate bowl, combine the butter, cheese and pecans. Add the flour mixture and mix until ingredients are well combined, forming large crumbs. (I do this with my hands.)

2. Dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough in two parts, and shape each part into a log about 8 inches long. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or for a couple of days. (Or freeze the dough for up to six months.)

3. When you’re ready to bake the biscuits, preheat the oven to 350 F. Cut the log into slices about  ¼ to ½ inch thick. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment and bake for about 10-12 minutes, until they just start to turn golden.

Cool and serve warm or room temperature.

1. Hungry. Lunchtime. If have to assemble one more turkey sandwich, might puke. Read More

In the unlikely event that you have not yet broken your New Year’s resolutions regarding calories, sugar, chocolate, dessert and general self-indulgence, now’s the time to do it. This recipe from Ina Garten makes it easy. Read More

Although I spend almost no time watching sports on television, I’m always gung ho for the Super Bowl.

I’m probably the most irritating person at a Super Bowl gathering; I merrily show up and ask,”Okay, so who’s playing?” I am completely clueless. As I’m writing this, I, a Chicago native, can’t even remember the name of my birth city’s football team. (Are they the Chargers? The Jazz? The Zebras? It’ll come to me…) I know they used to have a player whose nickname was The Refrigerator, which caught my attention.

But if I’m short on info, I’m long on enthusiasm. I’m even willing to cook for  the Super Bowl, especially if we go to my brother’s house and all I have to make is an appetizer. It gives me an excuse to revisit my recipe for Bean Dip.

Bean Dip is the perfect choice for the occasion. Chips are involved, which are a mainstay of the S.B. cuisine, and the dip is served warm, which works well on a cold February day (which in L.A. means it’s below 70º).

I have sometimes served this on other random occasions, like when I was too lazy to make a real dinner for the kids. I’d give them Bean Dip with a bowl of soup and they were perfectly happy.

Click here for the recipe.

My sister-in-law, Julie, is an amazing cook and food stylist and writes a column for The Baltimore Sun called “The Recipe Finder.” When I saw her at Thanksgiving, she was—having just cooked all week for her lazy-ass family—beginning prep for the column’s annual Holiday Cookie Contest. Read More

Okay, I came back from the east coast this week, stopping in Chicago where it was cool and brisk and autumnal and gorgeous, as it should be in October. I stepped off the plane (admittedly a little crabby due to my American Airlines 4-hour delay) into a hellish heat—I think it was 100º–and I almost wept but thought better of it and just cursed.

Read More

The trouble with going to the farmers’ market is that everything looks so gorgeous I buy enough to feed everyone in my zip code. Then I go home and realize that I actually have to do something with all this bounty, as in, cook it, at which point I have been known to utter a mild curse. Read More

So as the days of summer dwindled, so did my supply of summer fruit. The bowl that I filled on Thursday with the bounty from the farmers’ market was down to a few lonely items by Labor Day. Read More