Cole Slaw Recipe

The first time I ever tried to make my own cole slaw it was crisp, balanced, fresh – and wrong. What was missing? A certain je ne sais quoi: a refreshing, bracing note that was herbal yet earthy. But what could it be? After some investigation and experimentation, I found out quoi: Celery seed. Just a half-teaspoon of … Read more

Homemade Corn Dogs Recipe

Who knew you could make your own corn dogs? It’s easy, fun and delicious. We’ve been serving these at our son’s birthday parties for years. It’s become a tradition. At his sixth, a guest (a grownup guest!) said, on biting into one, “Wow! I had no idea corn dogs could be good! I always thought corn … Read more

How Often To Sharpen Knives

Don’t try to sharpen your knives by yourself. You’ll ruin them! Send them out to be sharpened by a professional. Box them up and send them out! Oh, really? What are you supposed to cook with while your knives are gone? Turnaround time can be a week. What do you do, order takeout all that … Read more

Serbian Christmas Customs

My mother, born in Yugoslavia in 1920, was never a big fan of folk customs, which she saw as more antiquated than quaint. She was a twentieth-century teen who preferred swing music and Sinatra to kolo circle dances. Reading Tolstoy to practicing her embroidery. But when she and my father were building a new, post-WWII … Read more

Healthy Tip For Weight-Loss Success: Do The Opposite Of The Low-Fat Mainstream Advice

Today in the mail I got one of those slick mini-magazines from my insurance provider. You know, those glossy publications stuffed with breezily written lifestyle advice along with lots of phone numbers and URLs for their various departments and services. Which is useless, because when you need something,  you’re just going to call their main number … Read more

Serbian Recipes

Serbian food is influenced by the unique spot on the globe where Serbian culture developed. It’s a liminal place where East crosses to West, where Northern Europe phases into Southern Europe. The seasonings are simple, yet the flavors are endlessly varied. I was born in the USA, but my parents, both full-blooded Serbs, came from … Read more