Memorial Day weekend means it’s time to get fired up for the smoky flavor of food cooked outdoors. A gourmet meal prepared in your backyard or on your deck is still an affordable luxury.

The cover of “Barbecue Nation: 350 Hot-Off-the-Grill, Tried-And-True Recipes From America’s Backyard,” by Fred Thompson, Taunton Press, $24.95, caught my attention with the steak shaped like the Unites States.

While 75 percent of American households own a grill and more than 58 percent grill year-round, what people like to cook depends on where they live. North Carolinians love their pork, Texans are beefeaters, and folks from Kansas City make a mean BBQ sauce. To see the rest of the column and recipe, please click here.

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Quite the crab cakes. To say they’re popular at Lo Monaco’s in Branford would be an understatement

Found: Laura Cofrancesco of Hamden wrote, “Can you possibly find the recipe for the crab cakes at Lo Monaco’s (990 West Main St., Branford, www.lomonacos.com) for me? I’ve enjoyed them for years and have always wondered how they make them.

“What I love most about them is the way that they are made with lump crab meat and not fried or even baked with a heavy coating. Instead, they are sauteed with green onions and roasted peppers. I am so curious to find out what holds them together. They are really delicious — you should try them!”  To see the rest of the column and the recipe, please click here

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With the onset of spring, so began the food events that kept me very busy. At the Chef to Chef: Picnic Battle for the Planet, I emceed as Jason Sobocinski from Caseus Fromagerie Bistro and Bun Lai of Miya’s Sushi engaged in a friendly competition where they both crafted delicious and sustainable picnic fare.

Their dishes had to include beets, goat cheese and a baguette. After the 15-minute competition, Chef Bun Lai was crowned the winner at the Nature Conservancy’s event celebrating Earth Day on April 21.

Then it was on to the fifth annual Iron Chef Elm City competition on April 22 where Chef Ben Gaffney of Atticus Bookstore-Cafe was crowned the champ. To see the rest of the column and Chef Gaffney’s dessert recipe using the “secret” ingredient, please click here 

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I love food events, and the souvenirs I usually bring home are the recipes found on these adventures. Sharing them with you brings me great joy.

I will be attending one of the grandest, the 45th annual Pillsbury Bake-Off in Orlando, Fla., where 100 finalists will dice, shred and chop away knowing that $1 million is on the line.

Cooks from across the country will prepare original recipes in 100 GE-applianced mini-kitchens at the Peabody Hotel in Orlando on Monday. Competing Connecticut residents are Antoinette Leal of Ridgefield, who will prepare White Chocolate and Apple Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding; Sarah Meuser of New Milford preparing Salted Caramel Macaroons; and Valerie Schucht of Glastonbury preparing Vanilla-Malt-Toffee Triangles With Sea Salt.

To see the rest of the column, recipes and video, please click here.

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NEW YORK CITY — Kutsher’s Tribeca, 186 Franklin St., www.kutsherstribeca.com, brings the Catskill culture and its famous Jewish-American cuisine to the heart of the city.

Since people no longer flock to the Catskills as they did in years past, Zach Kutsher, grandson of Helen and Milton Kutsher, has smartly reinvented the famous Kutsher brand with his new restaurant, recapturing the spirit and hospitality of the Catskill era.

  The famous Kutsher’s Country in the 50’s        Zach Kutsher

I remember Zach as a child, running around the office where I worked alongside his grandmother, Helen. Who knew back then, that he would become an attorney turned restaurateur and recreate the nostalgic cuisine of his family’s famed Kutsher’s Country Club with a modern twist?

Some 30-plus years have passed since I worked at the resort in Monticello, N.Y., and I was excited to find out about Zach’s restaurant. Along with Chef Mark Spangenthal, Kutsher has taken traditional Jewish-American fare and made it contemporary. Likewise, the contemporary design of the restaurant hints of the resort’s famous dining room. To see the rest of the coiumn, recipe and video, please click here.

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matzo ball soup             gefilte fish made with wild halibut

“Hidden gems of Florida” is an annual column I enjoy researching and writing. A recent trip to the Sunshine State brought me to St. Pete Beach, St. Petersburg, Clearwater and Tampa. The area has 35 miles of white sand beaches along the Gulf of Mexico.

Waterfront villages, art enclaves, quiet beach towns, boutiques, award-winning museums, golf and water sports all make for a well-deserved vacation or spring break. The area, I learned, is one of the greatest beach destinations in the world, and, the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary is the largest wild bird hospital in North America with more than 500 birds on display. To see the rest of the column and recipes, please click here.

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J

uan Carlos Gonzalez, owner and bartender at Ibiza, 39 High St., New Haven, 203-865-1933, is always busy at his bar creating new cocktails. For those who are staying in the comfort of their home on New Year’s Eve, try one of his newest creations to welcome 2012.

The Hot Buttered Rum is sure to put a smile on your face and warm you up. Pisco is said to have been created by Spanish settlers during the 16th century and was an alternative to brandy. If you would like to have these or any of Gonzalez’s cocktails prepared for you, make a reservation at Ibiza for New Year’s Eve. To see the rest of the column and recipes, please click here.

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The recent “fall back” clock change reminded me of the long cold winter ahead, the season that I feel like hibernating.

The positive thought that came to my mind was the hearty homemade soups I enjoy making for those chilly nights. Campbell’s slogan “soup is good food” is true, when you use fresh vegetables, herbs and spices. It can be a meal in itself, served with some crusty bread from your favorite bakery.

Judie’s European Bakery’s Peasant Bread is my favorite. I am enjoying experimenting with a new kitchen appliance that makes it easy to prepare homemade soups. Look for it in an upcoming column on gifts for the foodie in your life … or yourself.

To see the rest of the column and the recipe, please click here

Found: Helen Pignone of Madison wrote, “I had broccoli rabe and haricot verts combo at La Luna Ristorante in Branford. Can you get the recipe?” Chef and owner of La Luna, 168 North Main St., Branford, www.lalunact.com, 203-483-9995, Edgar Ortiz, was pleased to share the recipe, actually two recipes using broccoli rabe.
On the day of my visit, haricot verts was unavailable, so he prepared Broccoli di Rabe con Salsiccia. Their Sunday brunch was voted the best brunch in New Haven County by Connecticut magazine for the past five years, and the restaurant was recently featured in the Register for its use of android electronic tablets as menus.

To see the rest of this column and the recipe, please click here

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Found: Alise Emerson of the Northford section of North Branford wrote, “While recently shopping at the Clinton Crossing in Clinton, I came across this wonderful restaurant: Ceniccola’s Italian Deli.

“I expected to just order a sandwich, but when I saw penne ala vodka on the menu, (my favorite) that’s what I ordered. While it was a little longer of a wait than the sandwich, it was well worth it.

“This is the best I have ever tasted and am requesting that you obtain the recipe and publish it (if possible) for everyone to enjoy.” To see the rest of this column and the recipe please click here

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