Sheryl Cornett

Americans love pizza. If we mix and match toppings according to what’s in season, make sauce from summer’s abundant flavorful tomatoes (and freeze the extra), we can enjoy it year-round, hot from the oven in winter and at room temperature alfresco in summer. Summer’s great for stretched-out evenings and before a baseball game, some gardening […]

Today I stepped outside to a seldom-visited corner of my backyard where, years ago, the previous owners planted blueberry bushes. They really should not keep growing year after year, but they do, in spite of the odd, too-shady spot they’re in and the neighborhood deer feasting on the lower branches. Sure enough, the upper limbs […]

Eating on the run is a challenge: It requires planning ahead and organization, and can feel like a hassle until we get the hang of it. Portable food is increasingly important for locavoresa necessity that goes beyond taking leftovers to work. As we travel during summer breaks, we want to continue eating healthy food from […]

Now that school’s out, Triangle folks head for the beach to mark the real beginning of summer. Like homing pigeons, most beachgoers tend to flock to the same surfside spot year after year. On the other hand, some sample a different shore each vacation, from Corolla to North Myrtle Beach, and still feel they are […]

Everyone I ask for a quick, no-cook, old-fashioned peach ice-cream recipe gives me the same answer: It’s easy, but to get that thick, satiny, fresh texture, you have to cook the custard base first. So, I conceded and found it really isn’t so hard, just a matter of stirring constantly during the thickening stage, which […]

Warm weather foods often make us think Mediterranean or African or N.C. coastal. Salads, fresh veggies steamed and served at room temperature, local cheese, bread and grilled fish all are light and refreshingly easy to prepare. This summer, stay tuned for recipes inspired by the regions that celebrate our own hot weather crops. The bumper […]

It’s strawberry time again. The markets are bursting with them. Pick-your-own farms are open for business, too, so the time is ripe to fill a flat for freezing or making jam. Then there’s dessert tonight or this weekend: Tarts, pound cake with fresh berries and juice, berries by themselves or with a little cream are […]

Victory gardens sprouted up everywhere in the U.K. and the U.S. during and after World War II. These were not only a form of individual resourcefulness, but a necessity. If a family didn’t grow fresh food, they weren’t likely to get much. We may not be so far from those dire straights nowadays. Anyone who […]

If you didn’t grow up on chops or a leg roasted and served with mint sauce, you may not be open to the many flavors and possibilities of lamb. I discovered it as a teenager, wandering the closed-to-traffic cobbled streets around Rue de la Harpe and Metro St. Michel in Paris. Roasted on a spit […]

There are many ways to give a wedding shower. Lingerie themes were big for a while. There are tool showers, just linens or just kitchen showers, and everything-but-the-kitchen-sink parties. In some rural communities, a potluck gift-giving party for the bride and groom can involve every relative or half-relative within a 100-mile radius and four-plus hours […]