Carol Ann Kates

We recently met our friends, Scott and Sheralyn, for Happy Hour at one of our favorite Italian restaurants, Rare . A dish called Polpette is on their Happy Hour menu, which is meatballs with arrabbiata sauce, crostini, and whipped ricotta. I ordered the Polpette, and it was so delicious, I had to re-create it at home. Meatballs are so easy to prepare and make a perfect, simple weeknight dinner. You can serve them so many different ways—over spaghetti, polenta, mashed potatoes

My daughter, Jenny, who cooks for three teenage boys, recently sent me the most hilarious video about a mother venting over the never-ending task of making dinner. Since I take shorthand and because I found her tirade so entertaining as well as true, I transcribed her rant to share with you. Please note that I am deleting the expletives. Her rant: “What is happening here? Do we just keep coming up with dinner ideas and making dinner over and over again until we die, or is the

Have you heard about Engagement Chicken? Legend has it that over 70 people got engaged after making this recipe for their special someone. Ina Garten has a recipe for Engagement Chicken, but people have been making a version of this recipe long before Ina shared it in her cookbook, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook , published in 1999. In 1982 a fashion editor with Glamour magazine shared a recipe for a whole lemon-and-herb roasted chicken with her assistant, who prepared it fo

How quickly time flies. Here we are again with Valentine’s Day colliding with Super Bowl. Going to the grocery store this time of year is interesting – Valentine’s flowers, candy, and balloons along with displays of football foods and party trays. I had intended to share my newest chicken wings recipe last week and Valentine’s this week, but my chicken wings recipe wasn’t quite ready for prime time. It needed a few more tweaks before I could share it. My husband complained, “

It has been really cold in the woods, and my husband asked me to make his favorite winter comfort food—beef stew. Making stew brought back fond memories of our trip to Ireland, where we were introduced to Irish stew. Traditional Irish stew is made with mutton, onions, potatoes, and carrots and is often thickened with mashed potatoes. The stews we are accustomed to here in the U. S. are normally made with beef. While in Dublin, my husband and I took a walking tour focusing on

One of my best friends died in 2024, and I still miss her very much. I used to meet her for lunch or dinner at either Austin’s on Harmony or the Moot House, and she would often order coconut shrimp and beer cheese soup. I did a recipe for Coconut Shrimp in honor of Nancy several months ago and wanted to also remember her by sharing my beer cheese soup recipe. I must admit I think my recipe is more delicious than either of the above restaurants. Following is my rendition of an

I don’t know about you, but with the increasing cost of dining out, we are eating more meals at home. Although we feel we are saving money, we do miss some of the dishes our favorite restaurants prepare. So, I’ve been on a kick lately—re-creating some of our favorite restaurant fare at home. The Rock Bottom Brewery used to have an Asiago-encrusted chicken breast on its menu. Of all the entrées their kitchen prepared, this was my absolute favorite. For some reason, which the s

Beef stroganoff has been a beloved comfort food for generations. When I was first married, I made it quite often. Longing for the good old days, I started making this delicious dish again. Beef stroganoff was gifted to us by the Stroganoff family. According to an article in the Moscow Times by Jennifer Eremeeva, legend has it that Count Grigory Stroganoff (1770-1857) had terrible teeth. In order for the Count to eat hard-to-chew beef, his French chef created a fricassee de bo

Chicken Cacciatore originated in the countryside of central Italy during the Renaissance (14th to 16th centuries). Cacciatore translates to “hunter’s style.” It is a rustic, hearty dish that was prepared for or by hunter’s using easily accessible ingredients. Originally, it was not made with chicken, but whatever the hunter’s had on hand, like rabbit, goose, duck, or veal. The protein was braised hunter-style with onion, tomatoes, bell peppers, and mushrooms. Some recipes inc

Several years ago on New Year’s Day, my friend, Martha Cranor, showed up at our front door with a pot of black-eyed peas. “In the South we eat black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day for good luck. Your luck hasn’t been so good lately. I brought you this pot of black-eyed peas to change that. You need to eat one pea for every year old you are.” “Thank you,” I said, not quite sure what to make of this gesture. We honored Martha’s wishes, and everyone in my family ate one pea for ev

Nothing says Christmas more than a cup of hot cocoa, and it’s the perfect time to treat our family and friends to the hot chocolate recipes we remember from our childhood. My mother’s hot chocolate recipe brings back fond memories of simple Christmas’s spent sledding, making snow men, and coming in from the cold to a warm mug of hot cocoa. For me, nothing soothes the body and the soul quite like the silky, rich flavor of hot chocolate. If you are serving hot chocolate for a c

The following recipes are my family’s favorite finger foods to eat during the Holidays. Ina Garten’s Mustard and Gruyère Batons are my favorite. Cranberry Brie Tarts is my husband’s favorite. My Baked Brie is my son-in-law, Josh’s, personal favorite, and my Crab Cake Balls are my grandson, Aiden’s, preferred appetizer. Aiden loves crab. Ina Garten’s Mustard and Gruyère Batons In glancing through several Gruyère cheese stick recipes, I came upon Ina Garten’s recipe for Mustard

This time of year we get so busy we often need a super simple recipe that we can prepare in 15 minutes. That is what I love about my Lemon Ricotta Pasta. Easy. Fast. Flavorful. When I had my food column, I subscribed to multiple food magazines to keep up with the latest trends. I still do. The newest issue of Cook’s Illustrated included a recipe for lemon pasta made with red Sichuan peppercorns. Interesting! Italian-Asian fusion. I had to try these peppercorns in my lemon pa

Pecan snowball cookies are melt-in-your-mouth delicious and add a festive flair to Christmas cookie trays. If you haven’t made them before, they are super simple. I have read dozens of pecan snowball cookie recipes and have garnered a few tips. Pecan snowball cookies are made with finely chopped pecans. Toasting the nuts before chopping them is a must. While some recipes may not recommend this process, toasting the pecans enhances their sweet, buttery flavor. Once incorporate

Risotto is the perfect autumn supper—creamy, cozy, delicious. The combination of Gorgonzola cheese and pear is an Italian classic. We love the combined flavors of crisp, buttery pears with the creamy, slightly tangy taste of Gorgonzola Dolce—a perfect pairing. When the crunch of fall leaves is underfoot and the air turns crisp and chilly, we turn to comfort foods. My Risotto with Gorgonzola, Pears, and Walnuts is the perfect Italian comfort food and is absolutely to die for.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Tantalizing odors oozing from the kitchen. The laughter and gentle buzz of family gathered around the dinner table. It is a meal I prepare with loving care. Thanksgiving is not only a time to gather and give thanks but a time to enjoy traditional foods that span generations. And, it is the perfect time to get the whole family involved. Mashing potatoes is the perfect job for teenage boys. My grandmother Gladys always said the secret ingred

What is your favorite comfort food? One of our favorites is chicken and dumplings—fluffy, billowy dumplings atop delicious chicken soup. In our house, chicken and dumplings is the perfect ending to chilly, autumn days. Of late, we have been trying to eat more veggies. My husband requested chicken and dumplings, so when making it this last week, I added green beans, peas, turnips, and parsnips to the veggie mix I normally put into my chicken soup. He loved it. Have More Veggie

One of my favorite things about autumn is the comforting smell of apple pie baking in the oven. I love the aroma of baking apples seasoned with cinnamon and nutmeg filling my kitchen with the flavors of fall. When I don’t have the time or energy to make a perfect-looking pie crust, I make crostatas or galettes. Crostata is the Italian version of a rustic, free-form, open fruit tart. The French call this same dessert a galette. These desserts are not make in a pie dish but rat

Perfect for cold, autumn suppers, carbonada is a classic Chilean dish. It is a hearty, flavorful stew made with beef and a variety of seasonal vegetables. Chilean cooks make their stews with potatoes, onions, and carrots just like we do, but they also add corn and peas. In the fall, they add winter squash or pumpkin. The consistency of Chilean carbonada can be thick and stew-like or more brothy like a soup. Traditional Chilean recipes I’ve looked at often add chopped red

Last week I shared a former co-worker’s recipe for Indian Fry Bread, which got me reminiscing about the years I worked for Northwest Exploration Company, located on 15th and Lawrence Street in Denver, just a hop, skip, and a jump from Larimer Square. At that time Larimer Square was filled with quaint shops and wonderful restaurants—the Magic Pan, Platte River Yacht Club, Laffite’s, the Bratskellar, Josephina’s, Café Promenade, and Soapy Smith’s. I could only afford to have lu