
The other day I was going on about wanting to make strawberry pie (I saw the recipe in
Gourmet's June issue) when my friend interrupted me. She pointed out that sadly, strawberry season is almost over! Determined to make the pie, I headed to my local market in hopes of finding the last of the season's berries.

Ever since I spoke to
Pat and Gina Neely, I've wanted to make their famous strawberry shortcut cake. Last weekend, I finally got around to making this divinely delicious dessert that combines vanilla cake with fresh strawberries, whipped cream, and strawberry gelatin.
Gina's recipe uses a store-bought cake mix, but I had extra time so I made a vanilla cake from scratch.

As you all know, I have a
problem with pie crusts. I'm terrible with them, they're my baking Achilles' heel. Yet, I absolutely adore them.

My friend
calamari recently asked me what was up with artichokes. He and his gal are having a hard time figuring out how to pick and eat them, so I thought I'd give him some advice. To see how to select the best artichokes in the bunch, and what to do once you've brought them home, read more.

Now that Summer is just around the corner, I've started eating lots more salads.
This salad with white beans, roasted red peppers, and arugula is at the top of my to-make list. It looks fresh and delicious.