Friends don't let friends go to Stand--the burger place on E. 12th Street--without ordering the toasted marshmallow milkshake. It fell upon me yesterday, after seeing "Synecdoche, NY" with Craig and his filmmaker friend David Russo (whose own movie, "The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle", prem...

The chat went something like this. Craig-At-Work: What's for dinner? Me-At-Home: I'm thinking of making a tuna noodle casserole. Craig-At-Work: Ugh. If I never eat a tuna noodle casserole again for the rest of my life, that'd be ok. Me-At-Home: Well I've never had one before so I'm going to make it,...

"Write what scares you." That's the kind of directive you'll get in college creative writing classes, interactive online workshops and, believe it or not, grad school. You'll get it from the old pros and you'll get it from frustrated young upstarts: "write what scares you." David Lindsay Abaire is a...

Running on the treadmill, it's useful to dangle an image carrot in your brain: something you can run towards, something to look forward to, a reward for all your hard work. And last week, for me, that was definitely a chicken burrito. I was craving one, hardcore. The problem is that where we live in...

I really didn't want to write any more about my birthday--two posts were enough, don't you think?--but then there was this quasi-surprise party (I knew there was going to be a party (it was at our apartment, so we had to clean) but I didn't know who was coming) and Craig told everyone to bring an in...

My birthday always begins with the Angel of Food hovering over my bed and handing me a pass that says, "EAT FREELY," which is not so much a mild suggestion, but an absolute imperative. There's no "maybe I shouldn't"s on my birthday--the word "shouldn't" is verbotten, as is "mustn't" and "oughtn't" (...

The title of this post is a misrepresentation: the recipe I'm about to share does not advertise the fact that it contains cardamom. In fact, the recipe--from my new favorite baking book, Baked: New Frontiers in Baking--is titled "Oatmeal Cherry Nut Cookies," a title that doesn't mention cardamom at ...

Remember that broccoli post I posted a few months ago? The Best Broccoli of Your Life? It kind of took the world--or, rather, the web--by storm. To prove it, do a Google search for "best broccoli recipe" and marvel at the #1 result. If Google says it's the best broccoli recipe, then it has to be, do...

Cheap and easy: that's my new motto (and reputation), especially at lunch. Yes--times are hard, even for your friendly Amateur Gourmet. "But you just went to Momofuku Ko," you might say and I'd say back, "Yes, and wiped myself clean!" Especially now that I've done my taxes: to quote my rabbi, "Oy!" ...

You know how sometimes you go to high school and you're the world's biggest nerd and you only have three people to sit with and you still drink juice out of a juice box? But then in 4th period English class you say something really funny and the cool kids ask you to sit with them the next day and mo...