The Small Town Chef

When a Classic Meets My Oven: My Jewish Apple Cake Story There’s something about Jewish Apple Cake that feels quietly confident. No frosting, no drama — just layers of tender cake and cinnamon-spiced apples doing exactly what they’re supposed to do. Some recipes are like old friends — familiar, a little humble, and somehow always welcome back at the table. This Jewish Apple Cake from 12 Tomatoes is one of those. It’s a dense, apple-layered bundt cake built on orange juice enhanced batter and cinnamon-kissed fruit, the kind of dessert that makes cooler weather taste like nostalgia. But y’know me — if a recipe works, I stash it in the arsenal… and then tinker. That’s exactly what I did here. I stayed true to the structure of the original recipe, but made a few small adjustments based on taste, texture, and a lifetime spent cooking. Growing up with a German pastry chef for a mom — yes, a German pastry chef for a mom — will recalibrate your sweet tooth real fast. European desserts tend to ...

Slow-cooked sausage in a fire-roasted tomato sauce If you grew up anywhere within an hour of Philly or New York City, this sandwich is basically part of your DNA. You didn’t need a menu—you followed the smell. Festivals, street corners, church basements, ball fields… sausage and peppers was always there, wrapped in foil or on a paper plate, dripping down your wrist, daring you to care. Italian or country sausage , hot or mild—it all works. When it’s done right, it’s simple food that hits hard, especially in winter when you want something warm, messy, and deeply comforting. This version builds flavor first, then lets the slow-cooker handle the rest—and it uses crushed fire-roasted tomatoes because they’re easy to find and bring a little extra depth. Recipe: Slow-Cooker Sausage & Peppers You’ll Need: 2–2½ lbs sausage links (Italian or country) Extra-virgin olive oil 6 oz. onion, diced 3 oz. carrot, diced 3 oz. celery, diced Tops and bottoms from your sweet peppers, diced (for soffri...

Where Every Great Dish Actually Begins Back in my college days, working at a small restaurant in Pittsburgh, I started in prep—chopping, dicing, mincing, over and over. Onions, carrots, celery, and more.   I didn’t think much about it back then. But I soon learned those seemingly endless prep hours were where flavor really began—at a cutting board, with a knife, and a pile of vegetables. This is the quiet part of cooking—the part nobody Instagrams—but it’s where flavor is born. If you’ve ever wondered why soups, sauces, braises, and stews taste “deep” instead of just “good,” the answer usually lives in three words: Mirepoix. Sofrito. Patience. Mirepoix: The Backbone   Classic French mirepoix is simple: Onion Carrot Celery Traditionally in a 2:1:1 ratio (twice as much onion as carrot and celery), though home cooks don’t need a scale to make it work. Think “more onion, less of the other two” and you’re already in the right neighborhood.   Mirepoix isn’t meant to scream. It’...

Smooth, saucy, crowd-pleasing taco meat with real flavor. Let’s talk about “ Gringo Tacos .” You know the ones. Ground beef. Taco shells. Mild seasoning. Probably a shredded cheese blend in a bag. These tacos get roasted by food snobs, but here’s the truth: they fed a whole generation, they show up at birthday parties, and they're absolutely delicious when done right. The problem isn’t gringo tacos.
 The problem is lazy gringo tacos. These are not those. My version keeps everything people love—savory beef, tomato-chili flavor, soft heat—but builds it like a real dish. I brown the beef properly, build a sauce with onions, garlic, fire-roasted tomatoes , deglaze the pan, simmer, then blend it smooth so it’s kid-friendly but still deep and rich. It’s familiar, but better. Comfort food with a little self-respect. Dry Seasoning Use 1 tablespoon per pound of beef   Mix: 4 tsp chili powder 2 tsp smoked paprika  1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp tsp ground coriander ½ tsp all-spice Optional: ½...

A New Year’s Eve Appetizer That Always Disappears New Year’s Eve food should do three things really well:
 Feel a little fancy, be easy to eat while holding a drink, and not require a fork—or too much thinking.   These Limoncello Shimp Skewers check every box, especially when you make them with Red Argentine Shrimp .   Red Argentine shrimp are naturally sweet, almost lobster-like, and incredibly tender. That sweetness pairs beautifully with limoncello , lemon, butter, and a subtle hit of herbs, making this appetizer feel elevated and festive without being fussy.   They cook fast, stay juicy, and tend to vanish the second they hit the table. Consider yourself warned. Limoncello Shrimp Skewers Bright, buttery, lightly herbed, and perfect for ringing in the new year.   Yield: 12 mini skewers (24 shrimp) Prep Time: 10 minutes Marinade Time: 10–15 minutes Cook Time: 4–5 minutes Ingredients Shrimp + Marinade 24 Red Argentine shrimp, peeled and deveined (U21-25, about ...

  The iconic Hershey’s cookie you grew up with—rolled in crunchy sugar, topped with dark chocolate, and baked with a couple of smart tricks. There’s something about Peanut Butter Blossoms that feels like pure childhood. You know—the smell of peanut butter cookies drifting through the house, that little crinkle of a foil wrapper, and the moment you press the chocolate kiss into the warm cookie and it softens just enough to look glossy. It’s one of those cookies that never goes out of style, and honestly, I don’t think it ever will. I grew up watching trays of these disappear faster than they could cool, and to this day they’re still one of the first things I bake once holiday season hits. The original Hershey’s recipe is iconic for a reason, but I’ve picked up a few little tricks over the years that take them from “classic” to “wait… why are these so good?”   My Little Upgrades I unwrap my Hershey’s Kisses ahead of time and freeze them. They hold their shape better and melt in...