Some children like to make castles out of their rice pudding, or faces with raisins for eyes. It is forbidden -- so sternly that, when they grow up, they take a horrid revenge by dying meringues pale blue or baking birthday cakes in the form of horseshoes or lyres or whatnot.

Dining with one's friends and beloved family is certainly one of life's primal and most innocent delights, one that is both soul-satisfying and eternal.

If you're buying tomatoes pick them up and smell them-they should have a lovely perfume. They need to be kept at fifty degrees or above, particularly during the growing season, because that's when they develop their flavor.

There are reasons, and then there are excuses.

Cooking well doesn't mean cooking fancy.

Always remember: If you're alone in the kitchen and you drop the lamb, you can always just pick it up. Who's going to know?

You'll never know everything about anything, especially something you love.