On Your Table: You can’t beat brunch for Mother’s Day

By Cathy Branciaroli, Food Correspondent, The Times Mini quiches satisfy a crowd for brunch Whether it’s for Mothers’ Day or just because, a brunch is a no-fuss way to entertain a crowd. As we emerge from the hibernation of winter, there’s no better time to celebrate spring. Buds are greening and tulips are bursting. Spring is full of so much beauty; the tulips peaking through the dirt and...

On Your Table: Celebrate Cinco De Mayo with Mexican and Italian flare

By Cathy Branciaroli, Food Correspondent, The Times Mushrooms are the star in these Italian style enchiladas. Cinco de Mayo is a significant Mexican celebration, originating as a commemoration of the defeat of Napoleon III in 1862 when Mexican soldiers, greatly outnumbered and poorly armed, prevailed versus the forces of France.  In honor of that holiday, many folks plan a Cinco de Mayo fiesta...

On Your Table: Thanksgiving is not just about the turkey

You have to go beyond giving them the bird for a great meal By Cathy Branciaroli, Food Correspondent, The Times Thanksgiving is as much about the side dishes as the star of the dish. Everybody frets about cooking the family turkey for Thanksgiving. Butterball even has a hotline (800-288-8372) so that folks can call and ask questions from experts who are on call throughout the holiday. Mind you,...

On Your Table: You carved ’em, now cook those pumpkins

And it’s time to go beyond just pie By Cathy Branciaroli, Food Correspondent, The Times Carved pumpkins from the Chadds Ford October Great Pumpkin Carve donated by H.G. Haskell of SIW Vegetables on Route 100. Pumpkins make for many a sweet treat like pies and other baked goods this time of year considering the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, but they have many other benefits.   They are...

On Your Table: Take corn beyond the cobb

Try pasta with a creamy corn sauce and summer vegetables By Cathy Branciaroli, Food Correspondent, The Times Enjoy corn pureed and used as a sauce over pasta dressed with fresh summer vegetables. The saying goes that corn should be “knee high by the fourth of July”. Well this year’s crop certainly has surpassed that standard here in the midst of August. Today, driving down a rolling country...

On Your Table: Eat a peach

Meet the perfect summer fruit By Cathy Branciaroli, Food Correspondent, The Times Whether artfully arranged in a tart as shown here, made into a crumble or served warm in a pie, baked peaches make for summer delicacies. Photo courtesy of Simona Carini Peaches are summer’s greatest fruit – soft and warm yet almost impossibly sweet in their fuzzy golden glory.  Bite into a perfect peach...

On Your Table: More colorful uses for eggs on Easter

Leave the colored variety to the kids, enjoy these tasty options for Easter Brunch By Cathy Branciaroli, Food Correspondent, The Times Eggs are for Easter – or, at any rate, for celebrating spring, and brunch is a favorite way to enjoy them in family gatherings for the spring holiday. Nutritional powerhouses and versatile beyond compare, eggs can transform everyday dishes, and since this...

On Your Table: Go bold for the big game!

Yes, you can enjoy big taste and keep it healthy for your game day eats By Cathy Branciaroli, Food Correspondent, The Times An easy to make and tasty nosh for Superbowl is a Jalapeno popper courtesy of my friend Susan Pridmore of the Wimpy Vegetarian. It’s not a proper Super Bowl party without a smorgasbord of appetizers, snacks, dips, finger-foods, drinks and desserts to match the rest of...

On Your Table: Wake up to delicious

Individual breakfast frittatas with vegetables By Cathy Branciaroli, Food Correspondent, The Times Individual breakfast frittatas offer a healthy, nutritious on the run meal for kids on the way to school The best thing we can do for kids on a school day is to have something healthy and nutritious ready for them to eat on the run on their way to class. But it can be a challenge to get this important...

On Your Table: From the husk to the grill

If you grill it, it will come… By Cathy Branciaroli, Food Correspondent, The Times Add a little spice to your summer meals by grilling your corn instead of steaming it. Using different methods of preparation, you can unlock different flavors and textures in the late summer staple. All the farm markets are offering fresh corn right now and there are so many ways to prepare it. Of course everyone...