susan-cooks! (teaches, reads cookbooks)

When I returned from nearly back-to-back Pass the Baton trips to Texas and Georgia, states well into full-on Spring, I brought back a wic...

Cayenne & Chili Shortbread The challenge for a Thanksgiving appetizer is to bring a big flavor but not to be an appetite-killer. Cay...

Not nearly ripe enough to be Screaming Ripe Bananas The four ripe bananas on the counter screamed “Banana Bread!! ” I should have roaste...

I was going to make tomato jam, but the idea of peeling all of the tomatoes that I bought from Erin Smith at the Hopkins Farmers Market on ...

Italian Plums are oval Italian Plums are my favorite fruit for making deep, dark, and dense plum jam, and an unfailingly elegant, foo...

It is almost time for the fresh Minnesota tomato, and of our local farmers markets will have loads of traditional and heirloom varieties --...

Toffee Waffles: $5/four If you have ever eaten waffle cones out of the box, Toffee Waffles will validate your suspicion that there might ...

Golden Dried Cherry Cookies After finding the King Arthur Flour posting containing a remembrance and lament for Sunshine Golden Raisin C...

Golden memories: Sunshine Raisin Biscuits make a comeback | King Arthur Flour – Baking Banter Every time a candy or a cookie is dumped by ...

My Hero Having conducted "Scallion Pancake Week" and revisited with Super Simple Scallion Pancakes , I was not prepared for t...

Five easy changes to your kitchen will improve both the quality of your food and the ease with which you make it. Whether you are an experie...

The essence of susan-cooks! is “Fun with a side of skill-building.”   Three dishes and their variations in each class will launch you with n...

Homely. Yummy. In November 2010, Salon's Francis Lam wrote a glorious essay praising the Biscoff© that Delta serves to grateful p...

Goldilock's Spicy Cheddar Shortbread Cheddar Shortbread is the lazy cook's substitute for Cheese Straws. They are a snap to make ...

Francis Lam gets it right... How to sear and saute mushrooms

Although I respectfully revised it in a 2007 blog post , I stand second to none in my admiration for Laurie Colwin's  version of Kathryn...

Had my first SweeTango apple this morning. It was very good -- crisp, bright, and with a clearly identifiable and sweet flavor. It is not, h...

Tasteless Black Pepper Dust is one of the lesser miseries of a frequent traveler.  On a room service breakfast before the caffeine kicks in...

If you do not already own Laurie Colwin's Home Cooking and More Home Cooking , stop now and run to a bookstore, or do a quick-as-a-win...

One of the many wonderful aspects of Lynne Rossetto Kasper's Splendid Table universe (the radio show, the books, the store) is her unaba...