Sheryl Cornett

In an old Canadian cookbook (Food That Really Schmecks, by Edna Staebler), there is a mandate about muffins that they must, like true scones, be eaten hot, right out of the oven. In our world, such timing is not always possible, so baking ahead, freezing and reheating works as a good backup plan. When made […]

Back in the fall, a Durham locavore said to me: Yay! It’s soup season, weather- and budget-wise. For those who love their firesides and the beauty of trees without leaves, it can be a welcome change. But that was October. This is February. After a string of warm, springlike days, the return to winter can […]

“Easy chocolate soufflé” sounds like a contradiction in terms. But a pal of mine from graduate school who didn’t believe in dining out, mostly for economic reasons, made these soufflés often, and they really are as easy as she made them look. I’ve adapted her recipe over the years, and adopted it for Valentine’s Day. […]

Beef in winter: A friend of mine who is not much of a carnivore the rest of the year recently said, smiling, “Ah, what else is there?” Fortunately, if we continue to exercise, it doesn’t have to be detrimental to zipping our jeans. It’s natural to crave meatier foods to keep us warm, drive away […]

It’s a blustery winter day at the Orange County Farmers’ Market in Hillsborough, and the public market house is a wind tunnel breezeway. Freezing temps notwithstanding, Bryan Horton, of Fickle Creek Farm in Efland, generously discusses with me the fine art of stewing a chicken. Horton is a local chef turned farmworker who gives recipes […]

December is a favorite month for foodies. In addition to all of our rich treats and dressy parties and dinners, we want to sit around in our PJs drinking coffee and cocoa out of mismatched mugs, listening to tinny renditions of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” or the Lessons and Carols broadcast live from […]

It is a mid-November morning, one of the coldest days yet this year in northern Orange County. Here on two acres of raised, bio-intensive garden beds, I’m bundled up alongside two 17-year-olds who are working off community service hours for various public mistakes and misdemeanors. We are cutting back asparagus stalks to mulch them with […]

Arguably, one of the best things about Thanksgiving cooking is the bulging fridge of leftovers. That’s second maybe to the fragrance of baking pies and roasting bird filling every nook and cranny of your residence. After the feast, the first and most American order of business is denuding the turkey of remaining meat and setting […]

Thanksgiving is a favorite holiday because it offers tradition with many possibilities of reinvention. There are so many ways to celebrate: a quiet four-day weekend at the beach, a cabin with friends in the mountains. Maybe over the river and through the woods to visit distant family orluxury of luxuriesstaying home with people you love […]

It’s that time again. The leaves are at their peak, carved pumpkins adorn the neighborhood, and we need hearty one-bowl fare to warm us up after trick-or-treating, raking leaves or sitting in traffic on Interstate 40. It’s time for chili. Made ahead and stowed in the fridge or freezer, homemade chili is convenience food at […]