After-Work Gourmet from Creators Syndicate

A Good Food Story Can Get You out of Cooking Duties for 02/16/2012

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800

I didn't need a homemade dish when I went to my friend's Saturday night supper club. I had something better: a good story. After Emily's fourth course of gourmet food — new recipes that she had created and experimented with for days (just as she did every week) before springing perfected versions on family and friends during her gloriously eclectic dinner parties — I was up.

...

Updated: Thu Feb 16, 2012

airing Popcorn and Wine Is a Winning Oscars Night Combination for 02/09/2012

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800

You may not be named in any thank you speeches or leave the gala with an armful of award statuettes, but a winning strategy for your Oscars viewing party would be to serve popcorn — that perennial film-favorite snack — paired with the sophistication of wine.

When Lynfred Winery, Illinois' oldest, largest, continually operating winery, offered a workshop on just that, the tast ...

Updated: Thu Feb 09, 2012

Film Heralds Pure Pomegranate Juice as a Worthy Gift for Your Valentine for 02/02/2012

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Morgan Spurlock's documentary, "The Greatest Movie Ever Sold," is making the rounds on cable and DVD. We were supposed to hear about it and see it when it was rolled out in a limited number of movie theaters months ago.

That's because the feature-length film is about product placement and sponsorship, and it is the first film ever entirely produced using such funds. Spurlock se ...

Updated: Thu Feb 02, 2012

Pasta Is a Pick-Me-up to Soups as Far as Kids Are Concerned for 01/26/2012

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

There are plenty of books that advise how to trick kids into eating vegetables by hiding them in brownies or pureeing them into sweet shakes. Usually, no deceptions are necessary, though, when you add pasta to a soup containing them.

Unlike other combinations, kids and pasta do mix. Soup is fun to eat and prepare, so it makes it even more appealing.

That attraction doesn't only e ...

Updated: Thu Jan 26, 2012

Coat of a Different Flavor Perks Up Winter Chicken Dishes for 01/19/2012

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

It's winter, your chicken needs a coat. That doesn't mean you need to settle for what would be the equivalent of sporting an old, drab flannel or wool coat. Cut your chicken's covering from a more innovative, interesting cloth. Best of all, these can be snap-second decisions that take barely any time.

I found this to be true recently while rummaging through my pantry looking for somethin ...

Updated: Thu Jan 19, 2012

Apple Cider Vinegar: Possible Weight Loss Tool Is a Sure Recipe Device for 01/12/2012

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

As the new year blossoms, most people don't want their hips and waists to follow suit: Weight loss goals are as ever popular as cracking open new calendars.

If you cruise the Internet, you know that remedies made with apple cider and apple cider vinegar (including drinking it straight at recommended levels) are a current craze — dating back centuries, note advocates — for pos ...

Updated: Thu Jan 12, 2012

There's Nothing Corny About Creative Cornbread Dishes for 01/05/2012

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Sometimes it takes a visit from a culinary-blessed friend from another part of the country to liven up your own meals. Old ingredients get new lives and taste buds get previously unimagined treats.

Sara Foster, the North Carolina chef, gourmet store proprietor and award-winning author of "Sara Foster's Southern Kitchen" has turned into just such a pal to me. On these chilly nig ...

Updated: Thu Jan 05, 2012

New Year's Pantry-Cleaning Leads to Recipes Worth Keeping for 12/29/2011

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Cleaning out the pantry and refrigerator is often a ritual shortly after the beginning of the new year. Out with the old, and make room for the new. What might also turn out to be surprisingly new, however, are split-second recipes you can throw together with these "throwaways."

First, when it comes to unopened cans in the pantry, are they really old, or are they just some remn ...

Updated: Thu Dec 29, 2011

Going Healthy for New Year Doesn't Have to Mean Going Without for 12/22/2011

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Can you quit the holiday season cold turkey? That's what many of us try to do by setting resolutions regarding weight loss and fitness for the New Year. However, over the preceding months, the rich, delectable feasts have become habits.

What if you could keep on munching on party-style favorites, though, while also fusing them full of nutritious ingredients to help you along on the road ...

Updated: Thu Dec 22, 2011

Memorable Mimosas Are Worth a Cheers for New Year's for 12/15/2011

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

The perfect double-duty treat for either swanky New Year's Eve soirees or casual New Year's Day brunches is a mimosa. The usually mild-mannered cocktail is often prepared with both a splash of orange juice and champagne.

Cutting-edge chefs and bartenders, though, have added some pizzazz that dresses up the drink. However, it's all about the different flavor combinations. The preparation ...

Updated: Thu Dec 15, 2011

Grow Some New Ideas for Holiday Produce-Filled Dishes for 12/08/2011

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Since the Pilgrims, dishes featuring the freshest vegetables and fruits have been longtime favorites for the holidays. Many are so beloved — like those crafted from yams, pumpkins, green beans and cranberries — they've barely evolved in centuries. Even these goodies can get "stale," however, and overstay their welcome.

Break the routine and introduce brand-new favor ...

Updated: Thu Dec 08, 2011

Earn an End-of-the-Year Breakfast Bonus with Hearty Potatoes for 12/01/2011

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Although few probably would call the common breakfast potato dishes of hash browns and home fries lightweights, they are considerably less hearty than the specialties you could be serving if you think outside the potato crate during cold-weather mornings. Most of us serve lots of sophisticated potato side dishes with dinner, but when it comes to breakfast, the imagination often gets stymied.

Updated: Thu Dec 01, 2011

Refreshment Should Not be Relegated Only to Summer for 11/24/2011

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Diane Phillips, the bestselling cookbook author of "Happy Holidays from the Diva of Do-Ahead," is just as likely to serve her cranberry punch at a winter festivity as she is at a Fourth of July party. She knows that refreshment knows no calendars.

Although we're more likely to become parched during summer months, when the sun is strong and we're outside exercising, there is pro ...

Updated: Thu Nov 24, 2011

Filling Fireside Food Warms the Soul for 11/17/2011

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Whether you are sitting inside your home facing an ocean view or behind a window watching snow flurries, there is no greater mid-fall activity than catching up with family and friends —or simply a good book — in front of a roaring fire. If your appetite is surging, too, there's also no cozier spot to feast.

Some tips:

— "Hearty" is of course the keyword ...

Updated: Thu Nov 17, 2011

Add Distinctive Touches to a Take-Out Thanksgiving for 11/10/2011

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0800

It's a fact of life that for some busy families take-out is a way of life — even on Thanksgiving. Though that may mean the bulk of the meal, including the well-loved staples, are ordered all together as a menu, that doesn't mean there isn't room for a few distinctive "add-ons," so memorable that they'll be talked about for weeks. You'll undoubtedly get hit up for the recipes, to ...

Updated: Thu Nov 10, 2011

Savor the Seasons With Your Ethnic Cooking, Too for 11/03/2011

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Autumn is the time to gather up the freshest gems of the season and flood your cooking with them. Tried-and-true favorites, such as hearty soups, stews and roasted root vegetables, populate many a dinner table. What's not as common, but can add spice and variety to your fall repertoire: seasonal ethnic specialties.

The world's best cuisines — from the Mediterranean, to the Middle E ...

Updated: Thu Nov 03, 2011

Give Your Meals Snack Food Appeal for 10/27/2011

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Cristina Ferrare is excited about cereal snack mix. You can tell by her trademark caring and attention as she prepares the blend of crispy rice cereal and hearty spices for taped commercial product breaks for Oprah Winfrey's OWN cable network, where the perky Ferrare also hosts cooking shows, like "Cristina Ferrare's Big Bowl of Love."

Although Ferrare, who has hosted talk and ...

Updated: Thu Oct 27, 2011

Shuffling and “Truffling” Your Everyday Dinners Can Shake Things up for 10/20/2011

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0700

If Wednesday is often considered the "hump day" to get over during a long week, then maybe this is the "hump" time of the year. Summer's long gone. School's started and underway. The holidays, which most likely will make the end of the year festive and fast, are still on the horizon.

If a rut is beginning to form, especially around weeknight dinners, easy twists can p ...

Updated: Thu Oct 20, 2011

Blood Orange Juice Is Anything but Ghoulish for 10/13/2011

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Do the oranges in your juice benefit from volcanic soil and cool ocean breezes? If not, you might think about trading up to sweet tart or gory oranges, choice for Halloween parties because they have the dark red juice of blood oranges.

Though not in season until December through May, and often difficult to get since they are mainly grown in the Mediterranean, bottled gourmet imported blo ...

Updated: Thu Oct 13, 2011

Harvest Iced Apple Cider for an Early Autumn Treat for 10/06/2011

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0700

The splashy ad campaigns of some restaurant chains and retailers are encouraging you to come 'n' get your iced apple cider in early autumn, before the inevitable later weather transition means their hot versions will be the only practical way to soothe your senses. Although the refreshing nature of chilled cider is often overlooked as a fall treat, there are lots of ways to make it even snazzie ...

Updated: Thu Oct 06, 2011