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Articles by Reba Toloday
Dorm Room Cooking 101: Six No-Fuss Recipes for Your College Freshman
My oldest is leaving for college this fall, and in addition to packing the mattress topper and the shower shoes, I made sure he had a list of easy dorm friendly meals he can pull off with a microwave, a mini-fridge, and minimal cooking experience. These six made the cut: fast, nearly foolproof, and minimal bathroom-sink dishes. Breakfast Oatmeal Brûlée Sometimes a poptart just doesn't cut it.
Good Omen: Zionsville's Best Wine List Comes With a Northern Italian Menu to Match
Just a mile from the charming brick street of Zionsville, Indiana is a similarly charming suburban shopping center. On the header of one of the tenants in a small font reads "Good Omen," its orange "open" sign glowing in a small, café-curtained window. Inside, the landscape changes dramatically. The space itself is almost shotgun-shaped, long and narrow.
RECIPE: Campfire Artichokes
Makes enough for 4–6 to snack on Ingredients For the Artichokes: 3 lemons 4 artichokes (When selecting artichokes, look for those that feel heavy for their size with tightly closed leaves. Give them a squeeze: If the artichoke squeaks when squeezed, it’s fresh.
RECIPE: Herby Olive Bucatini Pasta for Two
Serves 2 ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons for breadcrumbs ½ cup panko breadcrumbs 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced ¼ teaspoon calabrian chile paste (or substitute red pepper flakes) 8 ounces of bucatini (or other long pasta) ½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus salt for seasoning pasta water ⅓ cup finely chopped dill ⅓ cup finely chopped parsley 3 ounces castelvetrano olives, pitted and torn or cut ½ round (about 2 ounces) of Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs cheese Heat 2 tablespoons of oil...
RECIPE: Celery Gimlet, A Refreshing Spring Cocktail
Spring has sprung and that means all things green. This take on the classic gimlet might raise an eyebrow at first, but once you take a sip, you realize the vegetal crisp flavor of celery plays well with the botanical gin– and a squeeze of lime brightens it up just enough. This cocktail is balanced, refreshing as can be, and pairs perfectly with an unseasonably warm March afternoon.
Edible Indy Cookbook Club Returns on March 1st, 2026
It’s 1pm on a sunny Sunday afternoon. The doorbell rings and one after another, people march in with covered dishes. Within minutes, a veritable all-you can-eat-buffet is set out on the table. Whipped baba ghanoush sits next to a platter of roasted butternut squash nestled in a bed of whipped ricotta, drizzled with chile crisp and herbs. All four burners on the stove are occupied by a Dutch oven with simmering soups, stews and meatballs.
RECIPE: Cheesey Delights
4 ounces Kraft Old English Cheese Spread, at room temperature 4 tablespoons butter, softened ½ cup all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon kosher salt Smoked paprika Flaky sea salt Using a hand mixer or a small whisk, cream together the cheese and butter until fully combined. Room-temperature cheese and butter will help these blend together. Blend in flour and salt until a dough forms. If needed, use hands to knead into a soft dough.
RECIPE: Spice Cake
1 cup butter, softened 2 cups light or dark brown sugar 5 cups flour 1 teaspoon kosher salt 3 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon each of cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg 1 teaspoon finely ground coffee or instant espresso ½ teaspoon of ground cloves 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1 cup whole milk 5 eggs Powdered sugar for dusting METHOD Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350°F. Prepare a 12-cup Bundt or tube pan by spraying with nonstick spray or brushing with melted butter. Set aside.
RECIPE: Lemon Ice
3 lemons, juiced (approximately 1 cup) 2 oranges, juiced (approximately ½ cup) 1¾ cups sugar 1 quart whole milk or half and half 2 eggs, white only Dissolve the sugar in the juice of the fruit, then let this stand at least 2 hours and this will form a thick syrup. Mix the milk and syrup together in freezer-proof container and freeze for at least 2 hours. After freezer mixture is partially frozen, beat 2 egg whites to stiff peaks.
The Tailgate at Bonge’s Tavern
People come from all over to dine here, and sometimes they only make it as far as the parking lot. If it weren’t for the crowd of cars in the lot, you might miss the only restaurant in Perkinsville, a town of fewer than 130 residents. On the menu at Bonge’s Tavern is a New York strip, pork chops, lamb chops, and a play on the Hoosier pork tenderloin called the Perkinsville Pork. What’s not noted anywhere on its menu is its long-standing tradition of tailgating before being seated for dinner.
RECIPE: Easy Donuts from Home
For the donuts: 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon kosher salt 2 egg yolks 1 cup whole-milk greek yogurt ½ cup granulated sugar 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or paste 8 cups vegetable oil For the glaze: 3 cups powdered sugar 1 ½ teaspoons corn syrup ¼ teaspoon kosher salt ½ teaspoon vanilla extract or paste ⅓ cup hot tap water In a medium bowl, whisk all purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
RECIPE: Homemade Eggnog
12 Egg yolks 1 ½ cups white sugar 4 ½ Cups whole milk 1 ½ Cups Half and half 1 Cup Bourbon 2 teaspoons nutmeg (plus grated nutmeg for garnish) 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract Ice (enough to fill a bowl) Makes about 7 cups, easily doubled Make today, enjoy immediately Using a stand mixer fitted with a whisk, whip egg yolk on medium-high speed until thickened and pale, 2 or 3 minutes.
RECIPE: Thanksgiving Sangria
A note on the wine: Pick a fruit forward, but not sweet wine for this drink. I like an Italian Barbera, an Austrian Zwigelt, or a French or Spanish Grenache, but the rules are loose here. Don’t spend a ton of money on the bottle, but make sure it’s something you would like to drink on its own.
October Cocktail Recipe: Bourbon, Cider & Sage Sipper
This seasonal cocktail is October in a glass. A few fragrant leaves of sage go a long way, muddled with sweet maple syrup before joined by bourbon and fresh apple cider. A splash of an unusual addition, apple cider vinegar, rounds out the drink and adds just enough acidity to keep you coming back for more. Pair with friends, and a crispy and fresh October afternoon.
RECIPE: Fig Negroni Sbagliato
September is a season of abundance, but a seasonal favorite to see pop up in grocery stores and markets is a fig. As sweet as they are fleeting, figs deserve a little celebration while we have them, and what better way to celebrate than a bubbly cocktail? A Negroni Sbagliato (pronounced sba-lee-AHT-oh) is the effervescent cousin of a traditional Negroni, swapping the gin in the original gin-campari-vermouth cocktail for bubbly prosecco.
Toast to Summer: Menu for An End of Summer Dinner Party
Every year I plan out a late summer affair, featuring the spoils of an Indiana summer. When thinking through the menu, I let the market be my guide: aisles overflowing with fat tomatoes, corn so sweet you can eat it raw, and fragrant juicy peaches. It’s generally easy to follow the 1-2-1 rule when it comes to the main course: one hot thing, two room-temperature or cold things, and one easy starch. For this menu, risotto acts as a sneaky dinner party favorite.
RECIPE: Piment d’Espelette Pickled Cherries with Whipped Cottage Cheese
Blitzing cottage cheese until it’s smooth and whipped produces a blank canvas endlessly customizable to any season, making for a quick and delicious appetizer. For this one, sweet cherries lightly pickled in rice vinegar provide a nice tangy contrast to the smooth dairy, but you can top it with anything you like. For a savory version, add herbs of your choice to the cheese when blending. Serve with small toasts or crackers.
RECIPE: Tomatoes with Shoyu and Boursin
A dish of sliced raw tomatoes with salt and pepper finds itself on almost any table of mine come late July, so it’s no surprise that this is a star of the dinner party. Adding shoyu or soy sauce to tomatoes creates an umami bomb of flavor, and a few crumbles of herbed boursin cheese is all you need for a bright and super simple no-recipe side dish.
RECIPE: Piment d’Espelette Pickled Cherries with Whipped Cottage Cheese
Blitzing cottage cheese until it’s smooth and whipped produces a blank canvas endlessly customizable to any season, making for a quick and delicious appetizer. For this one, sweet cherries lightly pickled in rice vinegar provide a nice tangy contrast to the smooth dairy, but you can top it with anything you like. For a savory version, add herbs of your choice to the cheese when blending. Serve with small toasts or crackers.
RECIPE: Indiana Sweet Corn Risotto
Risotto can feel intimidating for a dinner party as making it can require a lot of time close to the stove—monitoring, stirring, and testing (all the things that you want to avoid while entertaining) until you learn that it’s one of the easiest make-ahead dishes out there. Risotto works beautifully if cooked until JUST a touch firmer than al dente, cooled, and popped in the fridge up to a week (!) before your party.
RECIPE: Simple Green Summer Salad
For the salad: 2 heads butter lettuce 1 head romaine 1 bunch watercress 1 large belgian endive 1 head endive For the dressing: 1 large shallot, minced 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar 1 tablespoon warm water 1 cup extra virgin olive oil 1½ teaspoons whole-grain mustard 1½ teaspoons honey (optional) 2 sprigs thyme, stripped 1 large garlic clove, grated or smashed into a paste Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper Note: The repeated washing and ultimate drying of the lettuce leaves might feel...
RECIPE: Fontainebleau with Ripe Peaches
8 ounces vanilla bean creme fraîche 8 ounces plain creme fraîche 2 cups heavy cream, divided 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 4 ripe peaches, trimmed and cut into ½-inch pieces In a large mixing bowl, combine both cremes fraîches and whisk until combined. In a separate bowl, using a stand or hand mixer (or whipping by hand) whip 1 cup of heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the creme fraîche mixture until combined.
RECIPE: Vermouth Spritz Cocktail
This simple drink is my way of encouraging my friends to look beyond the martini when it comes to vermouth. Affordable, endlessly customizable, and ranging across hundreds of flavors, vermouth is the perfect opener to dinner. The botanicals used in the drink stimulate the appetite and the soda and prosecco (that’s the ‘spritz’) give it a lively, festive touch perfect for those first few sips. Not sure how to shop for vermouth?
Natural Wine 101: What to Know and Where to Drink It in Indianapolis
|In Food & Drink, Food Trends Walk into Solely Wine on 16th street on a sunny summer afternoon, and you’re met with a whole new kind of wine bar. Instead of dark,wooden walls and leather booths, you’ll find comfortable couches, long tables, a small patio, and a pile of board games in the corner. It’s casual, warm and inviting. Along the wall, arranged in neat sections, you’ll also find Indy’s largest selection of natural wine.
What’s In Your Cooler?
The month of May in Indy brings hundreds of thousands of people to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and what do the people bring? Their coolers. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a BYOC venue, which means that with your ticket to get in, you can also bring your cooler (as long as it’s less than 18″ x 15″ x 15″) filled with whatever food or drink you might want, need, or desire during the most exciting 200 laps of the year. Each cooler has a distinct personality, which one are you?
Creative Side Dishes
Ideas for Your Next Outdoor Party Inspired by French bistro salads, this bright and flavorful carrot salad is a vibrant stunner of a side dish. The addition of preserved lemon provides a salty, savory kick to the dressing and the cilantro is refreshing and clean. This salad is great at room temperature, and keeps well for several days (getting better by the day). Preserved lemon paste is easily found at specialty grocery stores and online.
Our Ultimate Collection of Game Day Recipes
|In Recipes, Food & Drink Get a head start on your Big 10 watch party preparations! For some, that means researching team stats for this year’s office bracket; for others, that means daydreaming about the winning lineup of delightful snacks you’ll field for every game. Here are a few personal favorites to get you started. This article is a compendium and links to eight game-day snack recipes. When combined, they create the perfect spread, but you can also pick and choose to suit your tastes.
RECIPE: Stuffed Wonton Sausage Stars
Makes 48 stars.
Recipe: The Ultimate Snack Mix
Every game day party needs the perfect seasoned snack mix. You’ll know how good this is when you see it disappear. Here’s our ideal ratio.
As a girl, a highlight of my holiday mornings often revolved around whatever sort of breakfast pastry would be found on the breakfast table upon waking. Like many others who grew up in central Indiana, my holiday breakfasts more often than not featured pastries out of the Roselyn’s Bakery case. You know the one: the iconic flying V sign, rotating slowly on corners all over central Indiana.
Recipe: Brown Butter Marshmallow Popcorn Bars
We are popcorn lovers in my house, so when the idea of swapping Rice Krispies for salted popcorn in a marshmallow treat hit me, it felt like kismet. I love a sweet and savory treat, and browning the butter adds a little nuttiness that plays so well with popcorn. The best part? It’s a treat you can snag on your way from the kitchen to the couch.
Treat Your Sweet Tooth with this Recipe for Salted Peanut Butter Blondies
Makes one 9- by 13-inch tray / about 40 (1-inch) squares For the blondies: 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter 1½ cups creamy peanut butter 1½ cups granulated sugar ½ cup light brown sugar 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 4 eggs 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons kosher salt 1½ teaspoons baking powder For the frosting: ¾ cups creamy peanut butter 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 pinch table salt ½ teaspoon vanilla extract ¾ cup powdered sugar 2 tablespoons heavy cream...
Recipe: Blue Cheese & Buffalo Crackers
I love a Buffalo wing—they are found on every “game day” menu on the internet—but sometimes I’m in it more for the blue cheese dressing and the spice than the chicken. Enter: These little Blue Cheese and Buffalo Crackers. Technically a savory shortbread, these crackers are chock full of blue cheese and then rolled in a Buffalo seasoned panko breadcrumb before baking. The result? An addictive little savory cracker that pairs perfectly with a cold beer and a commercial break.
RECIPE: Mexican Pimento Cheese Dip
As a born-and-bred Midwesterner, there’s nothing I like more than sitting down with a basket of tortilla chips and lava-hot queso dip at my local Mexican restaurant, but unfortunately that experience doesn’t always translate to the at-home game day experience. The queso gets cold before the first commercial, or you find yourself tethered to a tiny crockpot plugged into a wall with your chips, watching the game from the kitchen.
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