Sharon Kebschull Barrett

To cook is human. To make leftovers is divine. And party leftovers? That’s the best part. Sure, I enjoy seeing my friends, and when we throw our parties of four couples and their concomitant eight kids, I even enjoy the chaos. But the reward comes the next day, when I can relax after the rush […]

I’m aware this makes no sense, especially for a family that prefers a cool house year-round. And yet, a trip to the farmers’ market sends my soul soaring with visions of piles of roasted vegetables. (That is, Raleigh’s state farmers’ market or the market in Carrboro–not those groceries that comically label their fluorescent-lighted produce sections […]

Ordinarily, bulldozers and cement mixers don’t set my heart aflutter; I’ve always been grateful to have children who prefer the romance of trains over a truck’s brawn. With one month to go until we break ground for our new house, though, I find myself looking longingly at every digger that passes by. But then the […]

Simple, with me, is rarely just that. Somehow, everything blossoms. A simple run at cleaning the counters turns into a full-bore kitchen renewal. Simple suppers still seem to take me 45 minutes and end up with far more dishes on the table than four people really need. And a simple search online for one spice? […]

When I get back to teaching cooking classes, I want to teach tarts. As in pies, not strumpets. (Which leads me to thoughts of crumpets, also worth teaching.) But not pies, because too many people tremble just to read a pie recipe, especially with a double crust. Somehow, tarts just feel easier. After all, aside […]

There’s been a revolution in our house. My husband has discovered coffee. Not coffee as in ice cream. And most assuredly not Folgers. No, my husband is now on a first-name basis with the owners of our local coffeehouse, and folks, he’s drinking espresso. Yes, it has a shot (or three) of chocolate syrup and […]

Honey! It’s drizzling! Batten down the hatches! So, we’ve braved our way through another hurricane. Frankly, despite the nonstop “news” hyping this storm and scaring everyone to bits, I just couldn’t get all worked up over Isabel. After having just one hurricane hit this area in my lifetime, I think we need to get over […]