Crab cakes definitely fall into a category of food I love to eat, but hate to pay for in restaurants. They almost always feel too expensive to order (see also: shrimp cocktail). Luckily for me, they’re way more cost-effective to make at home, and pretty ...Read more

Chicken soup famously warms your soul in all kinds of weather, but when the thermometer dips into the 20s, it’s time to pull out the big guns and get serious with a bowl that’s as sustaining as it is comforting.

Winter is when stick-to-your-ribs dishes come calling, after all. Winter activities such as shoveling snow, sled riding and ice ...Read more

When making dinner for one (i.e., me), I choose eggs.

Fried eggs and scrambled eggs were the first dishes I learned to cook as a kid. They became my go-to meal when money was tight and I was alone. As a graduate student, with a hot plate in an attic apartment, I lived off egg sandwiches, egg salad, omelets and toad-in-the-hole. Eggs are (...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS -- Jenny Kedward likes to joke she’s “Hennepin County’s mom” because she’s on a mission to get residents to clean their plates.

For Kedward, the Minnesota county’s food waste prevention specialist, it comes down to a simple mantra: “Buy the food you will eat and eat the food you buy.”

Kedward wants residents to ...Read more

I have two pieces of pat advice for anyone rash enough to approach me for counsel. First, never speak to the press. Second, don’t open a restaurant.

But seriously... I encourage you to speak to me if I approach you on assignment, though I will make clear that while you may think it’s your story, it’s really mine (or my editor’s). As for...Read more

CHICAGO — “Man, I’m out here selling bean pies.”

James 40X’s voice crackled through the phone, as if his whole life was on the move. I told him I’d meet him right away, near Supreme Bean Pie’s bakery, at the Nation of Islam’s headquarters in the Mosque Maryam compound.

In the parking lot, 40X cut a dashing figure in a striped ...Read more

In my 9-to-5 life as a food writer and editor, I'm pretty adventurous.

An ever-growing library of cookbooks coupled with a hearty appetite for food-focused social media means I'm always finding new recipes that explore world cuisines, seasonal ingredients and unusual flavor combinations that I want to explore. It keeps me on my toes.

Dinner ...Read more

I have a confession: I watch trash TV. Not much of it, just one show. And a colleague insists that the show I watch isn’t nearly as trashy as some others.

If that is true, I don’t want to see the others.

The show that I am hooked on is “Below Deck,” which apparently is so popular that it has spawned three other shows that look to be ...Read more

At this point after the holidays, we could all use simple, savory dishes to counter the delightful excesses of cookie platters and blow-out dinners. But that doesn’t mean we need to take an ascetic approach to cooking or a retreat into plain, ho-hum fare.

Restaurant chefs know that just a pinch of this or a splash of that can lift the ...Read more

This gorgeous salad, packed with vitamin C, will help keep you and your friends healthy during the winter months. Hot chili oil brings the heat in the dressing, while toasted sesame oil adds a nutty note. Creamy avocado and cooling mint balance out the flavors.

Feel-Good Fruit Salad

Serves 8

Active Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

1/...Read more

Q: What is kefir and does it provide any health benefits?

A: Kefir is a fermented dairy drink made by adding kefir grains — cultures of yeast and lactic acid bacteria — to milk. These grains ferment the milk, resulting in a tangy, slightly fizzy beverage with a texture similar to yogurt. Kefir can also be made from non-dairy alternatives ...Read more

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Life has been particularly stressful recently with freezing weather, wildfires that have burned up total communities, and the everyday trials of getting through winter days. I live in Los Angeles and have been making this luscious lemon raspberry shortbread to cheer up those that are hurting.

This layered cookie has a buttery shortbread ...Read more

Crunchy foods prove nearly impossible to resist. Especially with a cold beer, surrounded by friends and a good game playing on the television. We pretend not to care about the calories (or the score) in favor of fun.

For this year’s big game, our go-to, endless snack bowl starts with homemade buttered popcorn. Most of the year, air-popped ...Read more

The last time I was down the shore (it’s a New Jersey thing), my best friend and I popped into one of the many candy shops for a sweet treat. I browsed the dark chocolate-dipped things while my friend made a beeline for the fudge and asked the owner for a piece of her most intensely peanut buttery fudge. As someone who finds ways to homeandleisure/recipes/varietymenu/s-3562169">Read more

Buffalo sauce may have its roots in restaurants, but making it at home for your Super Bowl spread couldn’t be easier.

What’s in Buffalo wing sauce?

Buffalo sauce is a simple three-ingredient sauce made with items you probably already have in your kitchen: hot sauce, unsalted butter, and garlic powder. That’s it!

...Read more

McDonald’s has one of the first value menus for 2025.

The fast food giant launched what it calls its McValue platform this month, as it promised last year.

The McValue menu replaces McDonald’s former $1 $2 $3 Menu. It includes most of the same items but doesn’t include beverages.

Prices are in the $2.39-$2.99 range for breakfast and $2....Read more