Jeanne Kelley

While the weather might be cooling off a little, it's still too hot to ignite the oven, stove and maybe even the barbecue. But it's never too warm for a nice meal. Especially when it's served with a cold beer. The trick is to make a satisfying, colorful and appetizing......

Even though Angelenos enjoy cookouts year-round, tradition (and marketing) tells us that Memorial Day weekend kicks off the official outdoor cooking season. What better way to celebrate the beginning of summer, end a barbecue, and to mark a holiday originated to commemorate fallen civil war soldiers, than with pie? The......

At first I was skeptical of the colorful mini peppers packaged in the clamshell at the grocery store. I can be wary of produce not sold from crates at farmers markets, and these glossy, firm, petite yellow, red and orange babies looked just too plastic-perfect and remarkably un-heirloom to be......

I don't know if a stout float is an Irish dessert, but it doesn't really matter, as St. Patrick's Day celebrations aren't really Irish anyway. A beer float can be awesome, and when done right, it's the perfect creamy-sweet refresher after the traditional American-Irish salty dinner of corned beef and......

You don't have to be a Nordic, Michelin starred-chef like Rene Redzepi to work wild-grown foods into your cooking. We can forage right here in Los Angeles County. Because of our summery winter, edible plants such as lamb's quarters, miner's lettuce, nettles and wood sorrel are flourishing now in our......

Still looking for the perfect date for Valentine's Day? Why not settle on a bacon-wrapped date? They're tender, sweet, salty and rich. Here's a date that is guaranteed to make just about anybody happy. For the carnivore, nothing can beat this appetizer in satisfying cravings of sweet, salty, fatty and......

Need a gift in a hurry? Why not make bark? Chocolate bark is a wonder of a confection -- it's quick to make, it looks cool and is adaptable to every taste -- at least of course for those who's tastes include chocolate. The candy can be made in about......

For some reason, making piecrust scares people. Bakers who confidently turn out fancy frosted and piped layer cakes and cooks who can sauté and deglaze with the best of us balk at humble pie dough. Every year as Thanksgiving approaches, friends drop by for impromptu pie and crust tutorials. I......

Bulgur and farro are great, but have you tasted that other wheat grain, freekeh? Freekeh (also frike or frikeh) is a fire-roasted green wheat that's grown in Turkey, Syria and Lebanon. With a distinct green color and a smoky, nutty flavor, freekeh makes the best grain salads, ever. Freekeh's toasty......

Several years ago while dining at Portland's Le Pigeon in late summer, I asked the straight-out-of-Portlandia server for her menu recommendations. "You must try the Tomato, Watermelon and Feta Salad," she enthused. As if on cue, my daughter said, "Oh, we have that every night." Our server looked at us......