I'm spending a few days in what I'm told is the Mid-West of America (albeit the Northern Mid-West), a place I've never been to before. It's a land of lakes and fir trees and glittering silver birches, and flying in I was startled (and a little homesick) by the landscape's resemblance to Norway. Of course everyone who lives here is either Norwegian or Swedish.
My Minnesota hostess (who is also one of my best girlfriends) adapted a corn pudding from the book Local Flavors by Deborah Madison. Don't be put off by the name. The recipe is delicate and delicious. I've found that using a mellifluous deep-South accent – as in "coooorrn puddin'" – assures its proper status in culinary Americana.
This is an American staple, transformed and updated by the use of fresh herbs and goat cheese. Up here, there is a farmer's market three times a week, and she used fresh corn as well as fresh parsley and chives cut from the selection of clay pots outside her kitchen door.
As I do before posting most of my recipes, I shared this one with my mom. Unlike most of my recipes, she didn't sound exactly thrilled when I read it to her. (She's not that into chocolate. Weird, I know. But whadda ya gonna do?)
I bake and make desserts all winter. It might be something to do with cocooning or comfort or simply loving desserts, but this winter especially I have been baking up a storm. To change it up a bit, I made a pillowy-soft cloud of 
Across the country, the not-so-hot-economy is adding appeal to cooking at home. But, I’m not talking about staying home to make your favorite macaroni and cheese. People who have grown accustomed to dining out still want to eat in style.
We definitely have some mushroom lovers in our household, and any chance we get to enjoy them, we go for it. White pizza had also been on my mind lately, it's a nice change from the regular red sauce varietyI tend to make.