I love to cook. If my brothers were to remember our childhood, my current cooking skill might come as a shock to them. During my mom's last two pregnancies, I was often asked to cook, as she never felt very well when in the "family way." It seems two of my younger brothers asked Mother, "Can't you teach Rosie how to cook something besides hamburgers and chocolate chip cookies?" At the age of 12, I hadn't yet learned that variety is the spice of life, and that it works well in cooking, too. There were no peas, no carrots, and no salad in my meals - just meat and cookies. At my brothers' request, Mom taught me how to prepare pork chops. I then served pork chops and chocolate chip cookies at every opportunity. I still love pork chops Mom's way - thin, bone-in, floured with garlic and onion powders added, and fried. However, I only eat them occasionally now, instead of at every meal as I wanted to then. ...more

January 21, 2009

On recent New Year's Eves in South Beach, booking Lindsay Lohan and R&B singer John Legend as the entertainment would have caused a ticket stampede almost regardless the cost. But with the economy in recession, that's not the case this year: the $200 individual tickets and $1,500 VIP tables are moving slower than expected. ...more

December 31, 2008

It's the end of the year, and I've got a bucket full of gratitude and a recipe for charred tomatillo guacamole for my final 2008 column. ...more

December 31, 2008

"American Cheeses," by Clark Wolf (Simon & Schuster, $25) ...more

December 12, 2008

PASS THE SALT, PLEASE I get the best mail in the newsroom. It helps that much of my mail is edible. ...more

June 18, 2008

SEBRING — If you're looking for a fancy meal in your own dining room without slaving over the stove or washing dinners, call Chef Oliver Stoeckle. "People like to eat in their own houses and be comfortable and enjoy a nice bottle of wine and not have to worry about driving home after their meal," said Stoeckle, who recently started a business he calls Rent-A-Chef. "I cook for a lot of special occasions like dinner parties and anniversaries." Stoeckle, who speaks with a heavy German accent, jokes that he is a native Southerner. "I picked this accent up in acting school in California," Stoeckle quipped. "People like your cooking better if they think you're European." The chef is actually originally from the southern part of Germany, known as Bavaria, but his cooking style isn't limited to that region. ...more

June 1, 2008

How a writer found her culinary voice at Le Cordon Bleu cooking school. ...more

November 13, 2007