Lessons from the Kitchen

Do not, under any circumstances, add marsala wine to a roasting pan to give a chicken flavor. It will cause your oven door to blow open.


Leave ricotta gnocchi to the professionals. There are some things that shouldn't be attempted at home.


When warming hot fudge sauce in the microwave, be sure to use pot holders to remove it from said microwave. Failure to do so can cause burns on the skin and hot fudge sauce to land on the cabinet above the refrigerator.


Double bag the turkey when you brine it. This is the best way to avoid brine on the ceiling.


When you fry anything, make sure your pan is plenty deep. Shallow pans are not good to use in frying situations.

When slicing onions, or any vegetable for that matter, it's best to cut only the onion and not your thumb.

Always, ALWAYS, measure a pan before you try to bake a cake. 10" looks just like 12" to the naked eye.

Don't let your husband attempt to flambe anything. This sets off the smoke alarm and scares the children.

Let your children help in the kitchen. This is the best way to teach them and it gives you time to do important things like painting your nails and pottying. Plus, it helps them master the art of cooking and you can enlist their assistance when they are older to cook dinner for you instead of with you.

Buy a food magazine, such as Bon Appetit, and pick out one recipe to try, preferably something you would never attempt in a million years. You really learn a lot that way and end up with some really good food in the end (or not, as in the case of the ricotta gnocchi).

If your husband loves his mother's cooking, ask her for a few of her recipes and surprise him by making them. He'll appreciate the effort even if it doesn't taste exactly like hers.


Invest in two things for your kitchen: really good cookware and at least one really good knife. This is money well spent and these items last for a lifetime.

Finally, when in doubt, order out.