This year I’m going to be doing a traditional Gascogne dish, Cassoulet, for Christmas dinner. Or maybe Christmas Eve dinner. I’ve made a one day version of the dish before, but this time I’m going as full out as possible with a multiple day preparation. It’s actually an extremely easy and comforting dish if you have the patience. Why not do something extra special this year and leave the turkey back at Thanksgiving? more…

I mentioned recently that Julie and Julia, the Nora Ephron film starring Amy Adams and Meryl Streep based on Julie Powell’s book on her adventures through Julia Child’s cookbook, has been finished. It’s still being delayed, but it has been seen. At least a rough cut. The audience? Julie Powell herself, who describes watching the “Rom-Com-ed, slimmed-down, considerably less foul-mouthed version of [herself]” as surreal. more…