Kim O’Donnel

Untitled Document Even this gal, born and raised north of the Mason-Dixon Line, knows that Hoppin’ John rules when it comes to New Year’s Day traditions. You can’t start a year off right without it. Thing is, you kind of hope you’ll get invited somewhere for a bowl of black-eyed peas and rice, lovingly prepared […]

Untitled Document Inevitably during the holiday season with all of its twists, turns, and stress galore — something goes wrong in the kitchen. Even worse, you’ve got a pack of carolers showing up in 20 minutes for Yuletide socializing with nothing in the way of vittles. This is a good opportunity to develop your own […]

Untitled Document I’m always a little slow waking up to the holidays. If it weren’t for Rudolph, Cindy Lou Who, and Winter Warlock, my cartoon friends for more than 30 years, I’d still be taking my Thanksgiving nap. Last week, while making dinner, I could hear the musical stylings of Burl Ives as Sam the […]

Untitled Document We were four undergrad gals in the mid-’80s, sharing a three-bedroom apartment while studying at the University of Pennsylvania. Sarah introduced me to coffee — Maxwell House brewed automatic-drip-style, served with one teaspoon of Coffee-mate and one Sweet ’n Low. In return, I introduced the girls to Saturday-morning pancakes. Inspired by the Paul […]

Untitled Document Before the amazing, revolutionizing automated teller machine, America went to the bank to do its business. Every week, like clockwork, for deposits and withdrawals, we’d walk or drive to the neighborhood branch, queue up with our neighbors, and wait our turns to hand over our bank books to the nice teller. It was […]

Untitled Document The carb train has just pulled into town, making all local stops along the holiday highway until New Year’s Day. For many of us, the next six weeks are more like a ride on a runaway train, a fast and furious double-fisted eating frenzy that includes too much booze, fat, sugar, and flour. […]

Untitled Document Last week, I shared details for macerating dried fruit in a boozy bath as step one of my inaugural fruitcake-making adventure. As I had hoped, the fruit transformed into a proper “mash” that tickled both the nose and the tongue. At last, it was time to make cake. Other than the aforementioned fruit […]

Untitled Document I suppose you’re thinking that with a name like Kitchen Witch I would have been busy boiling up something in my cauldron in honor of the recent All Hallows’ Eve. Unfortunately, this witch has been in no mood for tricks. Instead, with a much longer holiday season just weeks away, I’ve been hard […]

Untitled Document The roast chicken is a common culinary conundrum — it’s the “See ya, wouldn’t want to be ya” item in a beginner cook’s repertoire. Although you might love tearing into a properly seasoned, tender-fleshed bird, you may also stop short when it’s your turn to pull out the roasting pan. The dual challenge […]

Untitled Document Savvy cooks with a mind for dollars and cents know how valuable it is to save, reuse, and recycle — but I’m not talking about paper and plastic. One kitchen philistine’s garbage is an old kitchen hound’s epicurean treasure trove. Nothing gets tossed, if at all possible, because it has a second and […]

Untitled Document Have you ever met anyone who doesn’t like apples? They’re hard to come by, these genetic anomalies. When I found out that my boss was one of those people, I was rattled. How could he turn his nose up at one of nature’s simplest treats? Seriously, what else is a combination portable snack, […]

Untitled Document Have you ever met anyone who doesn’t like apples? They’re hard to come by, these genetic anomalies. When I found out that my boss was one of those people, I was rattled. How could he turn his nose up at one of nature’s simplest treats? Seriously, what else is a combination portable snack, […]