IndyStar.com: Jolene Ketzenberger
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The right recipe lingers in the memory, on the taste buds
Recipes — they’ll talk about the good ones forever. The bad ones, at least in my experience, have mostly faded away — although we still recall the unfortunate cornbread incident, when my sister’s boyfriend (now husband) came...
Decadence has its place, but sometimes easy is better
I like a Web site with a sense of humor, and when it throws in a random food reference, then all the better. Back in December, I was on a completely non-food-related site doing a bit of shopping for the computer gamer on my list. After placing my...
Tap out some fun at festival
Y ou can’t underestimate the power of cabin fever. What else could explain the fact that upwards of 8,000 people will brave the late-winter weather to attend an outdoor festival at a farm in Southern Indiana? That need to get out of the house...
For winter delight, these dishes are perfect casserole players
The Super Bowl buzz has faded, Valentine’s Day is over, Mardi Gras has come and gone, and it’s more than a month until spring arrives. If there was ever a time for curling up in front of a fire with a plate of comfort food, this is it....
Want a better brownie? Tweak a recipe to make it your own
I may have found it — my ultimate brownie recipe, and just in time for Valentine’s Day. Every now and then, I decide that I want to find the definitive recipe for (fill in the blank). The best burger, the perfect apple pie — you get...
This place will take you to the heads of the class
When Bloomington’s Upland Brewing Co. opened a tasting room in my neighborhood recently, I didn’t get it. What’s the deal? I wondered. It’s not a bar. It’s not a restaurant. It’s not even like a winery. A winery, I...
Catchy commercials can make your mouth water
Who made the salad? Just like in the old commercial, I can say I did — only Seven Seas had nothing to do with it. OK, so I watched too much TV back in the day. Sometimes it seems like I can still sing every commercial jingle I ever heard. Ken-L...
Salad is big on flavor
This recipe originally appeared in The New York Times in 1948; it was reprinted in 2008. Full of big flavor from the garlic, chives and anchovies, it’s not for the fainthearted — but it is delicious. Feel free to add some chopped...
Chocolate, banana and cream mix well to make fluffy, delicious pie
National Pie Day is Saturday, and “The New York Times Dessert Cookbook” (St. Martin’s Press, $29.95) has plenty of great recipes to celebrate the occasion. The book’s chocolate banana cream pie is rich, fluffy and fabulous...
Dessert or dinner? On Saturday, anything goes
Maybe I should have made onion pie last July. Last summer, The Star launched its first-ever pie contest. We asked readers for their best pie recipes, and you responded, sending in all sorts of recipes with a wide range of ingredients. We had...
This stew is tastier when it's reheated
Serve this rich and hearty stew with boiled or mashed potatoes or a crusty loaf of bread. It’s even better when made a day or two ahead and reheated. Oxtail Stew in Red Wine Serves 6 1/4 cup olive oil 2 3/4 pounds oxtail pieces Salt as needed...
Oxtail stew chases away winter chill
January gets a bad rap. I was just realizing that almost every other month of the year has a holiday, a festive reason to celebrate, except January. Think about what’s coming up: Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Memorial...
Be wise in the new year and beware the killer calories
It’s never good when there’s a comma in your meal’s calorie count. I have to admit, I love appetizers. But my enthusiasm for all things crispy and dippable was dampened not long ago when I discovered that I had recently ordered an...
Technology, comfort on the menu for 2010
It’s that time of year, time to look back on 2009 and look ahead to what 2010 will bring. Actually, I’m more into looking forward than back. It’s been a stressful year for a lot of folks, and I’m among those who’d rather...
Deck the halls for your favorite food-lover with these treasures
" ":http://www2.indystar.com/recipes Merry and bright — that’s what I’m going for this holiday season. Maybe it’s because of the overall economic gloominess of the past year, but I’m ready for a little...
IndyStar.com's holiday videos offer yuletide tips
It’s barely December, but I can see it coming. The calendar will fill up, the festivities will begin, and somehow December will slip past me when I’m not looking. I’m not behind yet, but just wait. One day I’m sipping cocoa...
Appetites, hearts set on pumpkin pie
Don’t mess with the pie. Unless you’re looking for a fight, that is, and there just might be one in my kitchen Thursday if the kids wake up to the aroma of turkey, dressing and cranberry sauce, but no pumpkin pie. I think they’d...
Head indoors for fresh farmers' produce and more
The mums on the front porch are still blooming, and one stubborn pepper plant in the backyard is still doggedly bearing bell peppers, but for us, this year’s growing season is pretty much over. For the Indy Winter Farmers Market, however, the...
Baking cookies, making memories
This year, I just might do it. I always intend to bake a bunch of holiday cookies, but somehow I never seem to manage more than a few pans of sugar cookies and gingerbread men. This year, I just might go all out — at least on cookies —...
OK, there's coffee, but pumpkin rules this drink
It’s almost Halloween, and you know what that means — time for the annual taste of fall. I’m not talking about stealing from the kids’ pumpkin bucket (although any Almond Joys are mine, unless her brother gets to them...
Exotic flash-in-the-pan dishes tempt, but . . .
I was just looking at a new cookbook from Gourmet magazine, one that promises “more than 1,000 all-new recipes.” Wow, I thought. That’s a lot of recipes. Then I had to wonder: Just how many of those recipes would I actually try? I...
Let these lime-flavored cookies Meltaway in your mouth
These little powdered sugar-covered cookies, adapted from “Martha Stewart’s Cookies” (Clarkson Potter, $24.95), feature the bright flavor of lime. Lime Meltaways Makes about 5 dozen 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room...
Put your best cookie forward
Leave it to Martha. I should have known the quintessential domestic diva would come through when I needed some holiday inspiration, especially a little holiday inspiration of the green and red variety That’s right — it’s time for...
No running when cake's in the oven
I’ve probably said all the mom cliches through the years. You know the ones: “Don’t you roll your eyes at me” . . . “You’d better watch that tone of voice” (followed by either “young man” or...
Million-dollar chicken dish wins over kids' taste buds
Sometimes, my kids can really pick a winner. They’ve tried plenty of dishes over the years (some good, some not-so-good), but they recognized a million-dollar dish when they tasted it. I had been reading a fun little memoir recently by...
On kraut and kimchee and thoughts of Grandpa
In researching this week’s story on Korean food, I got the chance to try kimchee, the fermented cabbage that’s a key component to Korean meals. And you know what? Kimchee made me think of Grandpa. Why would the spicy Korean condiment make...
Persimmon is the perfect answer to fall's call
Labor Day’s over, the kids have been back to school nearly a month, and it’s time to start thinking about fall. Lulled into a laid-back mindset by still-warm September weather, some folks may prefer to hang on to summer, but I’m...
Salmon, sun-dried tomatoes jazz up egg salad
It tastes like an egg. That was the consensus when the kids and I tried a couple of out-of-the-ordinary egg options I found recently at Saraga International Grocery, near Lafayette Square Mall at 3605 Commercial Drive. » The good egg:...
A handy kitchen device that lives up to its promises
I tend to end up with a lot of kitchen gadgets, but relatively few make it into the regular cooking rotation. I’ve tried various gizmos designed to make basic tasks easier, but I often find all they do is add extra time and effort. A silicone...
It's jarring (in a good way) to take this tropical turn
I noticed them the other day on a shelf in the garage, those boxes of canning jars I hadn’t used since we moved from our previous house three years ago. I stashed them there in a handy spot, thinking I’d surely be using them soon —...
