When I moved to the suburbs from the city, I dreamed of neighbors welcoming me with bundt cakes and casseroles. Although I waited many months, no bundt cakes or casseroles arrived. I sulked. I pouted. Until the neighbors of my dreams appeared, in a slightly different package than I expected.

Wraps have become all-American and ubiquitous. But they are a serious misuse of the simple, glorious tortilla.

Every March, I head north in anticipation of spring. March is my birthday month, and I find that a weekend away is a nice way to gently wake my insides to the new season ahead.

Whenever someone asks me what my favorite food is, I always say the same thing: "Something someone else cooked."

Last year, about this time, I made a trip out Route 80 to learn more about New Jersey. It was at the end of March—my birthday weekend—a time I like to explore new things.

Remember the cooking class I taught in Glen Ridge last week? Well, I overestimated how much fruit 36 first graders can eat. As a result, this week my fridge was full of blueberries, apples and strawberries. That much excess fruit means one thing: gotta make pie.

I've always had a fondness for kale. It's big and green and curly-leafed. It's often less expensive than other leafy greens. When someone tells you to "eat your greens," I don't think of slippery spinach, I think of collards and kale. They're hearty and they mean business.

King Spa, in Palisade Park, is a bit of a secret to many Northern Jersey folks (with the exception of a number of Russians, who are known for their love of bath houses). King Spa is travel without a passport--90% of the people there are Korean. It's immersive in the way New York's Chinatown used to be when I was a kid. And it's immersive in another (I'm blushing) way as well...

I cook most of the meals in my house, though I must say I'm fortunate to have a husband who prepares all school lunches. One less chore on my list, and interestingly, he never receives a single complaint. Now, to be fair (and forthcoming), there's another reason for this: he is a parent, and I am a stepparent. The lunch in question is for my stepdaughter, his daughter, who lives with us six days a week. Over breakfast this week, I gained some insight as to why his meals go over so well.

Recently, a West Milford-born and Jersey City-based colleague of mine, Erin Clinton, began telling me about a new hobby that she and her husband are pursuing: bread baking. Erin spoke like someone deeply passionate, possessed, (let's be honest) addicted. The way she presented this new hobby made me want in.

I am an omnivore. I eat everything, including at least a dozen things that I shouldn't. But something is tripping me up as I enter 2012, and that's the increasingly tempting concept of eating vegan.

I'm in Kauai now, on my honeymoon. I am looking over the Pacific Ocean at sunrise (note: husband asleep in bed). Really. Whales are swimming past. It's all that and a bag of taro chips.

I've made it! I've been a Montclair resident for exactly one year. This holiday season, instead of schlepping back to Brooklyn to celebrate, I had the good fortune to be invited to holiday get-togethers right here in Jersey. I came, I saw, I ate a lot, and I learned how to throw a holiday party in the 'burbs. And so I offer you:

I never know where I’m going to find delicious Jersey-made foods. Last week, for example, my Manhattan-based chiropractor turned me on to Linden-based Baker's Bounty, a bakery I'll be supporting enthusiastically for years to come.

The first year I worked for Martha Stewart, I got to play Martha's “Kris Kringle.” She asked the kitchen team to bake a sophisticated bread pudding into a gorgeous ceramic bowl that she had purchased from an artisan in Maine. I know, it's so Martha. But it's also apparently so Jersey, since Martha started baking holiday fruitcakes with her mother in their Nutley kitchen when she was just a wee sous chef.

One of my favorite quick breakfasts is egg-on-a-roll. To me, it's quintessentially tri-state, and here in Jersey, we can claim ownership of its better tasting cousin, Taylor Ham & egg-on-a-roll.

Last Thanksgiving, I got engaged. The way my fiance tells it, he wasn't planning to get engaged; it was one of those spontaneous proposals...

These days many carnivores try to respect every inch of the animal by not wasting any bit of it. Nose-to-tail eating is very much in vogue. As a result, I’m always trying to add a new odd or end to my meat-cooking repertoire. This week, it was pork cheeks.

Halloween's unexpected Nor'easter left my house intact, yet flattened everyone in it. We all have sore throats, and we're going through tissues faster than we can eat our trick-or-treat candy. But the classic comforting remedy was at hand.

We're powerless, here in Montclair. But that doesn't mean we can't eat well; in fact, we can make a big ol' pot of chili with food we probably already have on hand. No electricity? No worries. Make it in the fireplace or on the grill; lord knows we can use some nourishment with all this October snow nonsense!

Apples are at their peak, but is your pie-making IQ? Here's how to raise yours about as quick as you can read this post...

Over the years, I've lived in San Francisco, Manhattan and Brooklyn, and I'm used to having people coo longingly about my geographic choices. When I moved to the Jerz, I was faced with a surprising amount of negativity. I realize I'm not telling you anything you don't know, but still. I was and am shocked with the amount of socially sanctioned Jersey slamming.

Last night, I flew into Newark, and my fiancé picked me up. As we were pulling out of the airport, he mentioned that there was nothing in the house for dinner, and what did I think about taking a trip to the Ironbound section of Newark? After a day of airport delays, the Brazilian and Portuguese food of the Ironbound felt like travelling internationally without need of a passport. Yes, please!

When I was newly out of college, I had a Jewish friend whose family kept Shabbat on Friday nights. When so many people are going in different directions all the time, I knew that this family would always, always be home on Friday nights. It made sense to me. After kindling Sabbath candles, they'd be sitting around the table, overeating, and I'd always be welcome...

I had the good fortune to stumble upon the Asbury Park OysterFest last weekend while doing my best to deny the departure of summer. In addition to slurping down egregious amounts of fresh-shucked shellfish, I noticed a few new food festival trends that took root in the classics...

Sometimes, to bring the best (or craziest) food ideas to the Garden State, a food enthusiast has to venture beyond Jersey borders. Last weekend, the Buffalo Wing Festival in Buffalo, NY, came calling, and I heeded the call.

I’ve finally done it. I’ve unlocked the secret of how to get my kid to ask--no, beg!--for healthy home cooked food. And it’s a solution so brilliant–-and obvious--I can’t believe it took me this long to figure it out.

I wasn't thinking food when I drove to Sussex County to visit Liberty Farm's sunflower maze. Little did I know, across the street from the maze was the home of the New Jersey State Fair blue-ribbon-winning blueberry pie.

If you've ever had ice cream down the Shore, you've seen a regional treat: the pretzel cone. But how did pretzel cones get to the Shore, and why don't we see them almost anywhere else?

I am a curious eater and a bargain-hunter. The combination led me to purchase shark meat from Barnegat Light-based Shore Catch recently.

London broil is not what I thought it was: It is not from London, and it does not have to be made from beef. Turkey London broil tastes fantastic, is easy to cook and comes from Guess Where.

Green Farm Market in Lyndhurst will guarantee you well-priced produce and freshly made sushi. Play your cards right, and you just might score a homemade Korean meal on the house. In any event, read on and you'll have the simple, delicious recipe...

My name is Allison Fishman and I am thrilled to be writing Soup to Nuts, our new food blog. I am new to New Jersey; I grew up on Long Island (but don't hold that against me), lived in Manhattan and Brooklyn for most of my life, and am now a proud and hungry Jersey resident.