The Best-Ever Shortcake

By Lori Powell
For One or Two Bites, a blog for singles and couples

This past weekend, I had a bunch of people over to celebrate Father’s Day. I needed a delicious sweet to end the meal that I could make ahead, that was seasonal and most important, a home run for the dads in the group.

I had bought some local strawberries (they just started making an appearance in my market) and so I thought, strawberry shortcakes! The dough is super simple and luckily I had all of the ingredients, which meant not having to make another trip to the market.

Now I have had my share of shortcakes over the years, but this one takes the cake, literally! Maybe it’s because it contains a lovely amount of heavy cream and butter -- two ingredients that are not part of my everyday consumption or at least, not used with abandon these days.

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Salad for Summer Days

By Ben Mims
For Cooking Newbie, a blog for beginner cooks

If there’s any dish that says summer, it’s a salad. Cold, crisp lettuce, fresh vegetables, a tart vinaigrette or cool, creamy dressing. They’re the perfect combination for a refreshing meal when no one wants to turn on the oven or even think of turning on the stove for one minute.

There are, obviously, limitless types of salads and things to throw in them, but my tactic when approaching salad is to keep it simple – no more than two or three types of vegetables, excluding the lettuce. And the dressing, whatever the type, should always be a little tart, never sweet or heavy.

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Quick and Tasty Tofu

By Sandy Hu
The latest from Inside Special Fork

My friend Mary doesn’t like tofu. And I can understand why. I didn’t like it much as a kid, either. It’s pretty bland and tasteless. If umami expresses the savory quality in foods, tofu is the exact opposite, representing almost the absence of taste.

But hey, I’m not knocking tofu because I’ve really learned to like it. I like the silky type, mashed up with soy sauce and mixed with hot rice and a healthy sprinkling of sliced green onion. I like diced tofu in salad bars. And I like Sun-Dried Tomato and Walnuts Tossed with Penne, which, by the way, completely disguises the tofu “taste.”

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Herb-Stuffed Roasted Chicken Legs

By Jennifer Knapp
A new video for Video Friday

As a professional caterer and cooking teacher, I love to cook! When I’m not busy with work, you will often find me experimenting with new recipes and throwing dinner parties. After all these years in the profession, cooking is still one of my favorite things to do in my spare time and I find spending time in the kitchen fun and relaxing.

However, just like everyone, there are times when I am exhausted from work and the last thing I want to do is spend even more time in front of the stove. All I want to do is prepare a quick dinner and kick back on the sofa with a glass of wine.

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An American Favorite

By Andrew Hunter
For The Family Table, a blog for busy families

For better or worse, we all grew up with a tradition of meatloaf at the family table. Most of us endured a combination of beef and pork mixed with dried herbs, fresh onions if we were lucky, and a thick blanket of ketchup across the top, which was the loaf’s saving grace.

Marilyn and I figured that we would continue the tradition with Ben and Nick so that they might pass it down to their kids in 20 years. The boys like leftover meatloaf better than hot out of the oven. I’m not sure why, except they get to take meatloaf sandwiches in their lunchboxes.

The version below is a starter recipe, meaning if you haven’t made meatloaf before, try this version. It won’t be as good as your mom’s because no meatloaf ever is, but it’ll be your meatloaf, which will make it better. The variations below are for when you feel like an adventure in the kitchen and on your palate.

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