A group of Bay Area food bloggers is holding a Farmers’ Market Dinner Party and I get to make my favorite course—dessert! Well, actually, like all good meals, this one has two desserts.

You know how easy it is to make chocolate truffles, right? Basically, it’s a ganache that you chill until firm enough to form it into small balls. Roll them in cocoa or other toppings. Boom. Done.

Ice cream sandwiches? In the heart of Winter? You bet! Visit your local ice cream shop and you may be surprised to see that the lines haven’t thinned a bit.

Tsimmes is a Jewish word for a big fuss, as in, “Why are you making such a tsimmes–get out there and shovel the driveway, already!” Because it is a transliteration from the Yiddish צימעס, you may find it spelled tzimmes or in other ways.

Sometimes I think of myself more as a kitchen curator than inventor. I scour recipe books and web sites and probe the creative and scientific minds of friends to arrive at the quintessential approach to a kitchen task.

There’s no escaping controversy. Can a soda tax reduce obesity? Which mayoral candidate holds out the best hope for New York City? Will a military strike in Syria reduce or increase the horrific violence against that beleaguered country’s citizens? I’ll keep my opinion on these…