Barbara Samuel O'Neal is the author of more than thirty award-winning novels, including THE LOST RECIPE FOR HAPPINESS and

The Secret of Everything
The Secret of Everything

A native of Colorado, Barbara loves teaching, travel, reading, writing, yoga, walking, food, cooking, photography and...okay, reality television.

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A beautiful loaf

Jack had to have a bit of surgery this week (he’s fine, he’s fine!) and when I got home from finding out, I didn’t even take off my sweater. I gravitated to the kitchen and started pulling out flour. This is the result, a wheaty loaf, using a small amount of buckwheat in a poolish starter.

The Deconstruction of Fish & Chips

At CR’s urging, I decided to give the deconstruction of fish & chips a try.  (For background on the Top Chef deconstruction challenge, read about it here.)

My challenge was to create a dish that would deconstruct fish & chips and end up tasting like the original.  Since the only ingredients in the traditional offering are white [...]

Deconstruction Challenge, via Top Chef

Tonight, the chefs were asked to deconstruct a classic dish.   One of them was fish and chips, which happens to be one of Christopher Robin’s favorites, so I found myself trying to imagine how to do it.  As we watched, I kept tossing out ideas, and CR finally said, “Try it!”  (Subtext: please please please!)

So,  [...]

Blogging on food television at RTB today

Come talk with me about Top Chef and the pale imitation Chopping Block at Romancing the Blog today.

In pursuit of the best raisin bread ever

(Photos from a cell phone camera.)

Last weekend, CR offered Saturday breakfast out in the world, and I sleepily pulled myself together, thinking we were going to the usual spot, The Egg and I, which is not far away.   Instead, he steered toward the highway and when I asked where we were [...]

Kitchen insight

Ms. Glaze wrote a wonderful post about being promoted to Chef de Partie and what that means in a French kitchen.   It’s really worth reading.  Here’s a snippet:

I want to throw up. I want to toss myself into the toxic waters of the Seine or walk into a big black endless hole or just simply [...]

Friday artist date

Fridays, on the new, improved schedule, are for artist dates.   This gloomy, crackling cold morning (it has been well below zero at night), I am going to go to yoga class, even though my muscles are still sore from Tuesday.  Then out to find some new cooking tools: a zester, which I do not have [...]

Red chile and pork tamales

In honor of the holidays, a beloved recipe for one of my required holiday undertakings.  Adapted from a recipe I found long ago in Martha Stewart Magazine–but I have served them proudly to anyone who loves The Real Thing and have been mightily praised, so you’ll find them authentically wonderful.

Be warned–this is a time [...]

Garlic and Rosengarten

My uncle sent me a link to a wonderful e-zine he enjoys reading, and I’m sure many of you will love it, too.  David Rosengarten’s Tastings. (I am probably the last person to know about it, as is often the case.)   One recent mailing included an ode to garlic, which is definitely one of my [...]

Sexy food collection

Travel to Australia with a jazzy little cookbook gathered by writers in Australia and New Zealand, Sizzle, Seduce & Simmer , a recipe collection that took on a life of its own. 

Read more about it on Anne Gracie’s website.

Doesn’t this look like fun?  It might make a different sort of Christmas gift.