She may not be played by Meryl Streep any time soon, but Mable Hoffman could be called the Julia Child of the Crock-pot. Her 1975 bestseller “Crockery Cookery” (so nicely alliterative) hit an eager market of some 20 million American Crock-pot owners who knew they were a great gadget–but had no idea how to cook with the thing. Thanks to her many bestselling books on the subject, they learned, and Crock-pots became the quintessential 1970s kitchen appliance.

They are, of course, making a comeback. Slow-cookers are now a must-have for thrifty cooks (all those dried beans! And inexpensive cuts of meat! And whole chickens!) but also for busy worker-bees without housewives who like to come home to a home-cooked meal. Mable Hoffman’s ingenuity (and her 20-slow-cooker-strong test kitchen) surely cemented the Crock-pot’s place in the American kitchen, and changed the way we cook. So, today, when I dump a bag of dried chickpeas in my slow-cooker preparing to make hummus, I will think of Mable and say “thank you!”

Most of my Christmas presents this year were bottles of limoncello, a delicious lemony liqueur that originated on the Italian island of Capri. One surmises that they have bumper crops of lemons each winter, much as we do here in Southern California. Aside from being an incredibly tasty quaff (particularly once the hot weather hits), this is a fabulously thrifty gift: I reused lemonade and vinegar bottles with resealable caps, and since the liqueur is made only with peels, you still have all that lovely juice to make into lemon curd (as my mom did for her gifts), or to freeze in small blocks to be used once citrus season wanes.

I made my limoncello 100% organic by using Rain vodka (which is only 80 proof, but has a wallet-friendly pricepoint and notable smoothness) and organic sugar (which gave it that mellow earthy color, as opposed to the almost neon yellow that processed sugar allows). And of course, organic lemons from my dad’s bounteous tree.

It’s a perfect warm-weather aperitivo (pre-dinner drink) or digestivo (after-dinner drink); due to its sweetness, I would emphasize the latter. But mixed with soda water, this makes a refreshing grown-up soda, very much akin to San Pellegrino Limonata–with a kick. Read on… »

This is a fun recipe that is not only delicious and easy to throw together, but celebrates the enthusiasm surrounding the summer’s tennis events and athletes. Use your judgment and desires to direct you as to amounts of ingredients—and don’t be afraid to experiment.

The racchette pasta is shaped like little tennis racquets (a very charming aspect of this kind of pasta), however the bow tie pasta needs to be cut in half horizontally in order to resemble the shape of tennis skirts. The slices of bacon can be considered the tennis net and, of course, the green peas make perfect little tennis balls. Sometimes I add cauliflower as a champion’s bouquet to this mix.

Ingredients Read on… »

The Victory Garden is back! For all the ups and downs of Obama’s first two months–this is a happy development. They may not be planting the grand plot that Michael Pollan envisioned for the first family (enough to supply DC’s food banks), but I will take this as a good sign. Of course, it could also be a signal to the citizens that we should also start growing our own food….for the coming economic apocalypse.

I’m a week delayed with my New York Times Dining section coverage–but Bittman’s Minimalist column last week about stocking your pantry got me thinking. (Perhaps next week I’ll have something to say about bread pudding.) I endorse all of his recommendations (though I somehow don’t have fish sauce in my cupboard, and never manage to cook beans from scratch–though that is one of my New Year’s resolutions.) I would like to make some suggestions here, though, for the 2009 “maximalist pantry.” Completely unnecessary treats that I think should be in every cupboard (when finances allow): Read on… »