Life is Complex, Make Dinner Simple

By Marilyn Hunter

At the end of a busy day, the last thing I need is more work. And let’s face it, dinner often feels like work. When I’m feeling uninspired and on the verge of ordering takeout, I make a sandwich. But not just any sandwich, a special dinner-worthy sandwich of ham and Swiss dipped in egg wash and grilled.

If you can manage making grilled cheese, even when you’re tired, you can handle the French version with a fancy name… Croque Monsieur. It’s adored by everyone in my family. We eat the Croque with a simple salad for a delicious bistro-style meal.

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Mardi Gras, Yeah Baby!

By Marilyn Hunter

Our family eats pancakes for dinner on Shrove Tuesday. You may know it as ’“Fat Tuesday” or “Mardi Gras.” “Gras” is French for fat and “Mardi” is French for Tuesday. However you say it, it’s a time to indulge because it’s the day before Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent, the season of fasting and abstinence. Pancakes are the traditional food of Shrove because they use up all the foods that are forbidden during Lent…fat, butter, sugar and eggs.

This year we’ll celebrate Shrove New Orleans-style with Bananas Foster Pancakes. For the pancake recipe, I always defer to the granddaddy of them all, James Beard. For the Bananas Foster topping, I’ve created a quick and easy version of the classic.

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Ode to Crunchy

By Marilyn Hunter

People often ask me what my favorite food is. Truth is, I don’t have one. I have a thousand. I’ve known very few people who loved one food so much they couldn’t get enough of it. My uncle was one of those people. He loved crunchy peanut butter so much he ate it straight out of the jar with a spoon.

Uncle Gerald was a bit of a connoisseur of peanut butter. In just one bite, he could tell you the type of peanuts and where the crop came from. He was a man of true grit and true love…a pillar of strength and calm. He lived life passionately. And when I think of him, I remember a happy blur of celebrations, storytelling, guitar playing and good food.

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Christmas Past and Present

By Marilyn Hunter

“Tell me about Christmas,” Nicky says to me with a twinkle in his eye. “Tell me your favorite thing when you were a little girl.” I tell him about how much I loved baking cookies with my brother to leave out for Santa on Christmas Eve and how we would fight to stay awake to hear the sound of reindeer hooves on the roof. It seems like yesterday, those sleepless Christmas Eves. My brother and I could hardly wait until sunrise.

After all these years, I now understand the work that went into making those Christmas mornings so magical. They’re as sleepless for the parents as they are for the kids. We work to assemble and arrange toys, wrap presents and set the table for breakfast. Round about midnight, I appreciate my parents’ efforts and now understand why Dad was so droopy eyed at dawn when we came rushing from our rooms.

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It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

By Marilyn Hunter

Nothing compares to the sights, sounds and smells of Christmas. This season is truly magical… from the moment we carry in the tree to the moment we climb out of bed on Christmas morning.

In our house, the season begins the day after Thanksgiving. I try to recreate that warm, wonderful feeling of going home…the magic, sparkle and spirit of the season that delights and inspires. We set aside a weekend to trim the tree, decorate and bake gingerbread.

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