Elizabeth Passarella

Elizabeth Passarella is the author of the essay collection Good Apple and a contributing editor at Southern Living. A former editor at Real Simple and Vogue, she has spent more than 20 years writing about food, travel, home design, and parenting in outlets including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Parents, Martha Stewart Weddings, Coastal Living, Airbnb, and The Kitchn. Elizabeth grew up in Memphis, Tennessee and now lives with her husband and three children in New York City.
5 Uses for Half-and-Half (Other than in Your Coffee)
Try one of these five ways to use up a little or a lot of half-and-half.
Elizabeth Passarella
Nov 30, 2023
Two-Minute Creamy Salad Dressing
Take a plate of greens from blah to ooh-la-la.
Elizabeth Passarella
Nov 14, 2023
Italian Chicken Salad Sandwiches
It's all wrapped up in an easy Dijon vinaigrette.
Elizabeth Passarella
Aug 24, 2023
Light & Easy Broccoli Salad
The result is easy, lightened-up, and still oh-so-crunchy.
Elizabeth Passarella
Aug 24, 2023
Fluffy Ricotta Pancakes
Extra-fluffy with creamy, custard-like middles — ricotta pancakes are something you need to try tout suite! They make an elegant alternative to your usual Saturday morning fare, and are a good excuse for adding ricotta to your shopping list. Most ricotta pancake recipes have you separate the eggs and whip the whites, folding them into the batter at the end.
Elizabeth Passarella
Aug 8, 2023
Bacon-Wrapped Potato Bites with Spicy Sour Cream Dipping Sauce
If you're on appetizer duty for the Super Bowl party, this is what to make!
Elizabeth Passarella
Aug 5, 2023
Two Ways to Transfer Pie Dough
With Fall being high time for pies and Thanksgiving getting closer, we thought we’d talk about pie crust. No, not about the ingredients (butter vs. shortening) or how to roll it out but rather how to get that floppy round of dough from your countertop to your baking dish. Here are two sensible options, illustrated in some great Flickr photos we found.
Elizabeth Passarella
Jul 25, 2023
Coffee Cake Tip: Two Loaf Pans = One Baking Dish
We have a favorite sour cream-pecan coffee cake that is made in a loaf pan, as so many breakfast breads and coffee cakes are. It makes two loaf pans, specifically. But we only have one loaf pan, and we needed to bake the whole batch of batter quickly for a crowd.The solution? A 9×13 baking dish. The batter that fills two loaf pans is perfect for one baking dish.
Elizabeth Passarella
Jun 29, 2023
Roasted Potatoes with Bacon & Brussels Sprouts
Perfect for a cold evening.
Elizabeth Passarella
Jun 20, 2023
A La Mode: Ice Cream Flavors That Go Well with Pie
For a lot of us, no slice of pie is complete without a melting scoop of ice cream. And we firmly believe that If you are serving ice cream on top of your slice, it should complement — not clash with — the flavor of the pie. Stick to simple, smooth ice creams without a lot of bells and whistles. A classic vanilla ice cream works with just about everything, but something with a single nut flavor (like pistachio) is also great with a fruit galette.
Elizabeth Passarella
Jun 14, 2023
This Make-Ahead Pancetta and Gruyère Breakfast Casserole Is a Fancy Take on Classic Ham and Cheese
It's got pancetta, cheese, eggs, and unending delight for everyone.
Elizabeth Passarella
May 4, 2023
Tip: Press Vintage Glassware onto Your Sugar Cookies
So, you don’t own a cookie moldWell, unless you consider vintage glassware special equipment.The thing is, you can do this trick with a lot of everyday kitchenware. While vintage glasses are more likely to have pretty little patterns cut into the bottom, some new ones do, too. Country Living, where we read this tip, mentions that you can also use silverware or Jell-O molds to press a design into your cut-out dough before baking.
Elizabeth Passarella
May 3, 2023
Should Baked Potatoes Be Wrapped in Foil or Not?
When we picture a baked potato, we picture it wrapped in shiny aluminum foil. Why is that? Because restaurants serve them that way? Because our parents did it? We think we must have done it out of habit, without knowing the reason. Not anymore… Some say wrapping baked potatoes in aluminum foil helps them cook faster (aluminum conducts heat, then traps it), and it does keep them hot for longer once they come out of the oven, which is why we think restaurants use this method.
Elizabeth Passarella
Dec 9, 2022
This Is the Best Way to Peel an Apple
Use the vegetable peeler to keep as much flesh on your apple as possible when removing the skin.
Elizabeth Passarella
Nov 8, 2022
Top Chef Chicago: Blind Tastings and… Bacon!
Every year, Top Chef does a Quickfire challenge where they blindfold the chefs and have them identify or distinguish between ingredients. We love it, we wait for it, and we occasionally dream of having a game night at home where we do the same thing. This season’s edition had the contestants tasting ingredients like soy sauce, maple syrup, olive oil After the jump, we reveal the winners (and loser) — plus confirm our belief that bacon makes everything better.
Elizabeth Passarella
Sep 20, 2022
What to Do with Overripe Fruit Like Peaches, Cherries & More
And possibly make them even tastier!
Elizabeth Passarella
Sep 16, 2022
Cucumber Primer: Kirby, Gherkin, English, and More…
We remember the first time we heard the term “kirby” and had no idea it was a type of cucumber.That was a while ago, and these days, we can easily find kirby cucumbers as well as shrink-wrapped seedless ones in our grocery aisle.There are dozens of garden varieties you can grow, but we thought we’d take a look at some of the basic cucumbers you see at the farmers’ markets that are most commonly used by home cooks.
Elizabeth Passarella
Jul 24, 2022
Recipe: Roasted Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Goat Cheese & Garlic
This recipe is a classic example of cooking by feel. I had some goat cheese left over from an appetizer, and I found fresh, green garlic at the farmer’s market. So I came up with a way to use them together — stuffed inside some bone-in chicken breasts. It’s really remarkable the way a little garlic and goat cheese can transform a plain and unglamorous chicken breast! I often roast bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts when I’m not up for handling an entire bird.
Elizabeth Passarella
May 17, 2022
Weeknight Recipe: Pan-Fried Chicken Breasts with Corn & Tomato Summer Salad
We’re always looking for something new to do with chicken. This Chicken Milanese is a simple, classic Italian dish we love — a thin, breaded chicken cutlet that is cooked until juicy and crisp, topped with a colorful, healthy, summery salad. It’s easy and delicious, a whole meal on one plate.
Elizabeth Passarella
May 17, 2022
Recipe: Beer-Braised Pulled Pork Shoulder
This may be our very favorite meal. It is incredibly hard to screw up, and yet turning a big hunk of pork shoulder into tender shreds of juicy meat still feels like a noteworthy accomplishment every time we do it. We’re going to take you through the steps of trimming, seasoning, braising, shredding, and serving a pork shoulder—with instructions, photos, and a basic recipe, too. This recipe is meant to be a guide.
Elizabeth Passarella
May 17, 2022
How To Keep Babies Busy While You Cook
Let’s hope not by sitting them on the counter. But seriously, what is the best way to keep little ones occupied while you dice, sauté, and open oven doors? We’re talking kids who are too young to help out in the kitchen or sit quietly in front of a DVD in another room. Want our tips? Want to share yours?I have a one-year-old, and my saviors have been the spice rack and the recycling bins.
Elizabeth Passarella
May 13, 2022
Elizabeth’s Favorite Unique Tool: West Elm Mini Juicer
You may not think a juicer is super unique, but I’m telling you, this sucker was not easy to find. In my favorite posts of 2010 roundup, I mentioned a juicer just like this, pictured on another blog, and promised anyone who could find it a hand-written thank-you note. Well, I guess I owe one to Faith.
Elizabeth Passarella
May 13, 2022
Easy Party Recipe: Lemon Spongettes
These spongettes are exactly the kind of dessert I am craving right now. They’re cool and creamy with a whisper of lemon in each spoonful. They’re also a hoot to serve a dinner parties as guests discover how the soft pudding layer gives way to tender sponge cake beneath. Topped with a handful of berries or a dollop of whipped cream, these little treats make the ultimate springtime dessert.
Elizabeth Passarella
May 13, 2022
A Better Way to Dice an Avocado
We eat a lot of avocados in our house. And if we’re making guacamole or avocado toast, the means by which we remove the flesh from the shell matters very little. But if we want clean, uniform chunks, this is our go-to method. It’s so much easier than “make a grid pattern and then pop out the pieces” (which never worked for us anyway).
Elizabeth Passarella
May 13, 2022
Leftover Cilantro? Quick Ways to Use It Before it Goes Bad
Recipes so rarely call for more than a handful of cilantro, which means we frequently have a half-used bunch slowly turning to brown mush in our refrigerator. Why? There are so many things you can do with a little cilantro, including that lovely cocktail above.It’s a shame to let cilantro go to waste; it can perk up an ordinary dish—even one that’s not typically Latin American or Indian—so beautifully.Here are seven ways to use a few snips.• Cocktails.
Elizabeth Passarella
May 13, 2022
Munch & Mingle: Grill Food You Can Eat with Your Fingers
We’ve talked about melamine plates and other alternatives for paper plates, but what about no plates at all? Especially at a barbecue, when it’s okay to drop things on the ground, finger food is very welcome. But we’re not talking tea sandwiches. These finger foods are hot off the grill.Speaking of… let’s not go grabbing things right off the grates. Let these things cool a few minutes before you offer them to your guests.
Elizabeth Passarella
May 13, 2022
Dressing Spring Salads: How To Make a Basic Vinaigrette
All this talk of baby shoots and growing sweet little radishes is making us think of salads. Simple, beautiful, garden-fresh salads that only need a quick toss with a vinaigrette to shine, shine, shine. Even if you aren’t growing your own watercress, you can easily make a homemade vinaigrette. We never buy bottled salad dressing — it’s just too easy to make our own, minus the preservatives that come in a lot of brands.
Elizabeth Passarella
May 12, 2022
Good Question: Where Can I Buy Frozen Fava Beans?
Kathryn took the above photo at an outdoor market in Europe, where fava beans are fresh and in season. They are in the US as well, but they do require some laborious shelling. Reader Virginia is looking for something easier to prepare a quick, beloved Spanish dish. She writes:Recently we were in Spain, where I had the most delicious dish of “habas finas con jamon serrano y huevo frito,” in other words, “baby fava (or broad) beans with cured ham and a fried egg.
Elizabeth Passarella
May 12, 2022
What’s the Deal with Heirloom Lettuce?
We hear plenty about heirloom tomatoes and heirloom beansWe find the heirloom lettuce from Earthbound Organic to be especially good. In addition to the petite heads (left), they sell a mix of heirloom leaves. If you like a mix of crunchy and tender bites in your salad, you have to check it out.So, what is heirloom lettuce? And can fancy lettuce really taste that much better than a head of romaine? Yes, actually.
Elizabeth Passarella
May 12, 2022
Get Crafty: 9 Simple Sewing Projects for the Kitchen
Sometimes it’s fun to take on a weekend projectTOP ROW• 1. Colorful table runners and napkins. Here’s a step-by-step tutorial from Sara Kate on making pretty linens on the cheap.• 2. Sink or cabinet skirt. A little more complicated, but we love how fabric adds some softness, color, and pattern to a kitchen. The photo is from Better Homes & Gardens (there are brief instructions in the caption). Or check out this tutorial at HGTV.• 3. A cloth bread bag.
Elizabeth Passarella
May 12, 2022
Holiday Entertaining: Throw a Breakfast Party
Our schedules for the next couple of weeks are packed. We’re sure yours are, too. But if you want to get together with friends to celebrate the season and don’t have an evening to spare, why not invite friends over for breakfast or brunch? They can fuel up before they head out Christmas shopping.If you work from home (and have friends who do, too) or have a flexible schedule, you might even be able to throw a casual breakfast party during the week.
Elizabeth Passarella
May 12, 2022
How to Serve Soup at a Dinner Party
Yes, you can. Soup is a great thing to serve at a dinner party, and we’re not just talking soup shots as cute appetizers. We’re going main course here. It can be an impressive meal that’s fully satisfying and relatively inexpensive. But we have a few tips…If you want to serve soup to guests, you need to think ahead about the other things surrounding the meal, plus what’s going in your soup to begin with.
Elizabeth Passarella
May 12, 2022
From the NY Times Magazine: How To Make an Indoor Smoker
We know grilling month is long gone, as is the summer barbecue season. But we got one last, lingering taste of smoky, outdoor flavor in yesterday’s New York Times Sunday Magazine — only it was for smoking food indoors (hooray for apartment living!)…In the article, Jill Santopietro describes smoking all sorts of food (ribs, mozzarella, pears, tomatoes) in a wok in her apartment.
Elizabeth Passarella
May 12, 2022
5 Ways to Liven Up Corn on the Cob
Now, if you have fresh, sweet, summer corn that’s straight from the market, there’s no need to liven it up, really. It’s perfect just cooked plain with some butter and salt. But maybe you’ve eaten it 22 times in the past month and want to add a little oomph. Or maybe you’re just not a purist when it comes to corn. Well, here are some easy things you can do to make it pop (pun intended)…Don’t forget, by the way, our tip for microwaving corn.
Elizabeth Passarella
May 12, 2022
Leftover Easter Eggs? Make Egg Salad
We’re cheating a bit this morning… Because we know that if this egg salad had actually been made with leftover, dyed Easter eggs, there would be subtle pink and turquoise stains floating around on our egg whites. But consider it a reminder of a simple, delicious way to use up those hard-boiled eggs.We aren’t too picky about the ingredients in our egg salad.
Elizabeth Passarella
May 12, 2022
Easy Appetizer: Goat Cheese with Parsley and Lemon
Since Nora has let us all know that spring is high time for goat cheese, we thought we’d share a quick appetizer that frequently shows up at our dinner parties…Goat cheese pairs so well with sweet and savory things. We’ve served it drizzled with honey and on toast rounds with olive tapenade. This dish is more subtle, but we love the green and yellow flecks. Plus, it’s a great way to use some herbs you’ve been growing.
Elizabeth Passarella
May 12, 2022