Sugar High Friday, oh sigh. It's the frenzy of sweet goodness, this month, of chocolate goodness , for goodness sake, and according to a man who knows his chocolate, chef, cookbook author and Parisian food blogger David Lebovitz . (My next trip to Paris? I'm definitely completely SO going to do a David Lebovitz chocolate tour .) I fussed, I fumed. What to make? It's January, people, and I don't know about you, but I'm still working off Christmas cookies. I'm not ready, yet, to give way to indulgences even if my will power is weakening. And other Sugar High Friday contributors will tease and tempt with extraordinary chocolate creations that will have us all ooo- and ahhh-ing. And so, here it is, my simple contribution, a simple stove-top pudding from a 2005 Kitchen Parade column, published online for the first time. It makes up in mere minutes, with only five ingredients that are likely already in your pantry. It's a creamy bite of warm (or if you can

Come winter, mashed root vegetables have a special appeal. This is nothing more than turnip and apple mashed with a little white wine -- and simply lovely. The technique calls for mashing and then moving to the oven -- I tried skipping the oven step but found the wine a little harsh. The whole dish mellowed, somehow, during 30 minutes in the oven. It's worth the time. Be aware that supermarkets some times mislabel rutabagas, calling them 'turnips'. Purple-topped turnips have purple-to-magenta skins on the stem ends. For a picture comparison, see this post at StephenCooks. Still, don't worry too much about mixing them up since mashed rutabagas and apples are good too. The recipe is inspired by one of my favorite 'new' cookbooks, This Good Food , Contemporary French Vegetarian Recipes from a Monastery Kitchen -- even though it's a castoff from my friend Anne when she and her husband redid their kitchen and 'cleared out'. The recipes are spare and si

These are simple chunks of carrot braised in garlic and spices and broth/water. The spice combination is lovely, especially brightened by citrus. I do recommend taking 2 - 3 minutes to peel and slice whole carrots. The "baby" carrots that come in bags (which aren't young carrots at all, just big carrots shaped small and marketed beautifully) have little flavor when cooked. [Don't believe me? Believe SlashFood .]

It's Quick Supper time again in this week's Kitchen Parade column , one of my very favorite suppers -- two of my favorite suppers actually for there are at least two very different outcomes from one recipe. Both are fast and nourishing, cheap and satisfying, fresh and flavorful. I've been trying to figure out if I like one more than the other. You try, you decide! Kitchen Parade is great source for Quick Suppers and Concept Recipes . If you're watching Weight Watchers points and calories after the holidays, Kitchen Parade can help . Counting carbs? Kitchen Parade has low-carb recipes too. What's this Kitchen Parade, you ask? It's the published newspaper column that my Mom started when I was a baby and that I've been writing since 2002. Kitchen Parade is known for great recipes for all courses ; including lots of long-time favorite family recipes my best kitchen tips plus special sections for Weight Watchers and low carb recipes . If you'd l

Some times, spare and simple fill the bill. And that's the only way to describe these sugar snap peas, cooked in 10 minutes flat. NUTRITION NOTES Low Cal. Low Carb. Perfect for continuing post-holiday penance. The really good thing, if you have the hungries, is that sugar snap peas really have to be chewed, one by one. NEXT TIME These were good but not as memorable as these Sugar Snap Peas with Lemon .

How to cook eggs in ramekins, "shirred" eggs they're called or just "baked" eggs. I've added spinach and cream and so this "tastes" much more like an indulgence than it is. I sooo wanted this recipe from the January issue of Gourmet to be delicious! And it is, it is! I will definitely make these baked eggs -- also called 'shirred eggs' -- again, for one or two or even for brunch for guests. For brunch, I'd do the prep in advance, everything except dropping in the eggs. Each serving has only 2 net carbs so it's perfect for South Beach, Atkins and other low-carb eaters. And while the eggs and cream do add up to 5 Weight Watchers points, it does have protein calories vs only fat/carb calories in a muffin; this means it should 'last' longer. I will try half and half another time, just to see, which drops the point count to 3. But to my taste, these baked eggs are definitely 'worth' 5 points.

While St. Louis hosts a growing collection of great restaurants, my own visits are rare enough that when eating out, I prefer to simply enjoy. So when a friend raved about a favorite restaurant last month, I asked if she might write an occasional restaurant review for A Veggie Venture. She agreed! Please welcome the first St. Louis restaurant review from the Foodie Patootie , an A+ recommendation for Sofia Bistro, a neighborhood spot in the UCity/Clayton area. Enjoy ... UPDATE: Sorry, Sofia Bistro is no longer open. Dear Husband and I ate at a terrific restaurant again in December: Sofia Bistro. It's at the corner of Jackson and Pershing in U. City, near Clayton. It was probably our 12th time eating there. We just love it there, and the food, and we want to see them succeed - they deserve it. Sofia's is a neighborhood restaurant - cozy, warm, and you can actually hear each other without straining. Parking isn't a problem; reservations are easy to get. We like it best