Healthy and Delicious Cooking

 For Christmas my brother, Vijay, gave my husband the Charcuterie cookbook by Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn.  Michael decided to work through the book from start to finish. His first attempt at Home Smoked Bacon was fantastic. It took a week for the pork belly to dry out and a few hours to slow roast, and it was well worth the wait. I love bacon, and what I love most about these salty, smoky, crispy morsels, is that you can use a very small amount to achieve enormous  flavor. 4 ounces crisped up in a cast-iron pan, are ample for a flavor-packed meal serving 4-6 people. I sauté it with broccoli rabe and either add it to pasta or cannellini beans, or just enjoy it on it own, with a side of grains. Add a couple of ounces of bacon to your basic tomato sauce for a rich smoky flavor. Bacon is a great way for us carnivores to increase our grains and vegetables, reduce our  meat intake, and still feel very satisfied. Lots of recipes tell you to blanch the rabe to take out the bitterne

As an impoverished college student, I had a tiny studio in the West Village with my soon-to-be husband, and could barely make ends meet. Our "go-to" meal, when friends and family popped in, consisted of eggplant sauteed in a bottled Chili/Garlic sauce. When served with rice, it filled us up as cheaply as possible, and left all contented. Today Sauteed Eggplant in Garlic Sauce continues to comfort and satisfy my soul. I still use a small amount of bottled sauce, but all the other ingredients are fresh, healthful and delicious. The recipe is easy, and can be prepared as quickly as ordering from your local Chinese Take-Out. I serve it with a bowl of brown rice, reminisce on those happy days of deprivation, and enjoy a nourishing, vegetarian feast. RECIPE Serves 2 2 Chinese eggplants, cut in 2" finger lengths 2 tablespoons garlic, minced 2 tablespoons ginger minced 2 scallion, sliced 1/4 cup soy sauce 1/2 tablespoon hoisin sauce 2 tablespoons garlic/chili sauce

My youngest is 21, and well before her birth, our family started to make pizzas for Sunday lunches. The kids would knead the dough, smooth it to the likes of a babys' bottom, stick their finger in the dough to watch the dimple retract, and pinch a piece to eat raw. This latter action was a peculiar habit that they picked up from their paternal grandmother. The toppings were rarely the same. We used left-overs, a variety of vegetables, several different sauces, meats and fish. Bits and pieces of left-over cheeses were incorporated, as well. Our creativity had no bounds. The crust was always thin, a mixture of unbleached, whole wheat and semolina flours. Many kids and friends, who shared in our Sunday afternoons, went on to persue their own pizza creations. One such Sunday, a few weeks ago, Jennifer, soon to marry into our ever growing family, arrived in pursuit of a pizza lesson. She scribbled, kneaded and baked, as we clicked our camera to record the beginning of another Pizza