The other day, in true Carrie Bradshaw (foodie) style, I had a thought: I couldn’t help but wonder–why are doughnuts the perfect accompaniment to a cup of coffee? And what makes the perfect doughnut? As I waited for my coffee to percolate, I started pondering the options. Now, I consider myself a coffee elitist. I am very picky about my coffee (see more on that subject in previous blog) And as far as pairing pastries with my coffee goes, I’m discovering that there’s a sort of doughnut loyalty. Some people swear by Dunkin’ Donuts, others by Krispy Kreme, still others by Publix Bakery. ...

Full disclosure: My thumb is not green. In fact, it’s more pink than anything else. I don’t grow my own food. But that doesn’t stop me from enjoying the downtown Sarasota farmer’s market every Saturday morning, and if you’re like me–more pink thumb than green thumb–it shouldn’t stop you, either. The market is held on Lemon Avenue every Saturday morning from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., and not only is it a place to see and be seen–for dogs as well as humans–it’s a great place to buy all the fresh, locally grown produce you’ll need for a week of cooking. I’m a big fan of...

Call it spring cleaning or merely the fact that the doors barely closed from over crowding. Either way our freezers were in desperate need of reorganization. It started with the loss of 12 mini cups of Haigen Daz strawberry ice cream . Who says you can’t make something special from the freezer? Had I really eaten all those little cups or had I just buried them behind the Golden Blintzes and boneless chicken breasts? So… needing to take control, Sunday afternoon I had my husband empty the freezer in the garage and the large freezer in our kitchen. We lined everything up on the kitchen counters...

Florida Winefest is just around the corner, with new tastings and events added. From winemaker dinners to sip and stroll- something for everyone April 23rd-26th www.floridawinefest.org Women’s Seder and Cooking Demonstration for Jewish Federation, March 26th Michael’s on East- Sorry guys, this is for women only but I promise to post the recipes on www.judigallagher.com April 6th_ Lee Roy Selmon declares a Sports Holiday- yup, between the Red Sox playing the Rays and the final basketball game of the NCAA tourney- you know I will be there with a beef brisket quesadilla and some of that outrageous...

Welcome Spring! Dear fellow foodies- decorate that table with colorful tulips and citrus spiked iced tea. Asparagus and Florida Strawberries are at their peak and fresh herbs make the perfect salad blend with grilled pesto lamb chops and barbecue salmon. Spring has sprung and the favors this time of year make cooking a gourmet’s version of March Madness. Like in winter when I braise the first veal shank, spring inspires me to clean out the grill, marinate chicken in lemon and garlic and make the first batch of red bliss potato salad.

Roasted Cornish game hens:  4 Cornish game hens- halved, backs removed ½ cup orange juice 4 TBSP. soy sauce 2 TBSP. whit balsamic vinegar 2 teaspoons honey ½ teaspoon freshly grated ginger Dash kosher salt Orange zest for garnish   Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rinse and pat dry hens. Whisk ingredients together in a bowl. Pout into zip lock bag, add hens and marinate for 15 minutes- 1 hour in refrigerator. Transfer hens to roasting pan and place on rack, skin side up. Baste every ten minutes. Roast for 30-40 minutes. Serve with pan juices and top with zest of orange. (you can also grill the Cornish...