This salad is a magical combination of flavors and textures, "every bite is different" someone said recently when I made a triple batch for an impromptu family supper. It's a "concept" recipe for a mixed vegetable and fruit salad, just be sure to include plenty of fruit, that's what makes this salad special. While the salad stands alone, it's especially designed to pair with Tropical Pork Tenderloin , just pork tenderloin seasoned with a distinctive rub and roasted. For a large gathering, I like to cook the pork ahead of time and chill, then slice it thin with an electric knife. ~ Skip Straight to the Recipe ~ Moms & Dads Strolling Is it the same in towns and cities everywhere now’days? In my neighborhood, especially on the weekends, fathers push strollers as much as mothers. Weekdays, the Mom Parade starts about nine, mostly power-stroller-walking two and three abreast, faces taut and determined, filled with triple-tasking purpose: If w...

Tropical Pork Tenderloin cooks with bright island heat, it's the spice rub that makes this one of my long-time favorites. The pork stands alone but is designed to pair beautifully with Tropical Salad Supper , salad greens tossed with a citrus vinaigrette, fresh-sliced mango, sweet peppers and avocado. Be sure to cook an extra loin or two, the meat is extra-good later, sliced thin for sandwiches or a great protein-rich snack. ~ Skip Straight to the Recipe ~ COMPLIMENTS! A Toronto cook reported this week that three generations loved this pork tenderloin ... "... it was a hit!" ~ Tony & Sue Success! In the Meat Department. “Meat makes me nervous,” a new cook confided. His nervies don't apply to drive-through food, as amply evidenced by an expanding waistline and elevating credit card debt. We talked it through, how to cook meat safely. He soon proudly reported, “I’ve cooked meat twice. It’s not that hard!” He’s right. With a few tips, it’s ...

Potluck Favorite: A Colorful, No Mayonnaise Potato & Sweet Potato Salad It's premise is simple, half potatoes and half sweet potatoes plus plenty of other vegetables for good color and good crunch. The recipe is a crowd-pleaser taste-wise and looks-wise. ~ Skip Straight to the Recipe ~ Stories of (Knife) Snobbery A food snob is bad enough. But a knife snob? I've cooked with a knife snob and oh, friends, and it's not pretty. When one takes charge of your kitchen, look out. Inspection starts with a cursory look-see, disdain barely feigned at an all-too familiar brand and a stick tang versus, y’know, a full tang . Sigh. Then comes the test grip, checking heft and balance, followed by a telltale tilt to gauge the edge’s sharpness in the light, and finally the palm press, checking for, and finding, well, dullness. Big sigh. I shouldda brought my knives , you hear. Then, You gotta sharpener? Swoosh, swoosh, the blade scrapes against the sharpening steel, ...