Garden dreams
Last week the weather here was unseasonably warm, feeling more like spring than mid-February. The warmth got me thinking about my garden and going through leftover packets of seed to see what I need to buy for the…
Darcie
Lucky foods for Lunar New Year
February is interesting this year as the start of Ramadan, the Lunar New Year, and Fat/Shrove Tuesday all landed on the same day. As I read on a Bluesky post yesterday, "this means that the majority of humans on the…
Foods to celebrate Ramadan
Tonight marks the start of Ramadan, which runs through March 19 this year. This is a month of reflection, spiritual growth, and community celebration where observant Muslims will abstain from both food and drink from…
Grocery store etiquette
Two articles caught my eye today that revolved around behaviors that drive grocery store employees bonkers. The first involved bagging etiquette at Aldi stores, and the second touched on shopping cart courtesy at Trader…
Food news antipasto
KitchenAid recently debuted its 2026 Color of the Year: Spearmint. The light, cool green gets a subtly textured matte finish to further distinguish it from previous greens available. In connection with the debut,…
Cooking at the bottom of the world
Everyone who cooks a lot eventually faces a challenge or two: finding out that a vegetable went moldy when you are in the middle of making dinner, a malfunctioning oven or stove, or some other malady. Usually solving…
Galentine's Day treats
Valentine's Day gets a lot of attention, but a trend that started with a sitcom keeps growing every year. Galentine's Day began with a bit on the TV show Parks & Rec, where Amy Poehler's character Leslie Knope hosted an…
Forget the spoon and use your fingers, says Daniel Boulud
NYC chef Daniel Boulud has a storied history with nineteen restaurants, including Michelin stars. The chef recently spoke with Food & Wine about how to season like a French chef to get the perfect amount of salt in a…
Are microwaves a thing of the past?
I still remember when my grandparents got their first microwave oven in the late 1970s. Until they purchased their Amana Radarange, I had never seen a microwave. The unit was a pricey affair, costing hundreds of…
Food news antipasto
Prue Leith may have left the Great British Baking Show, but she isn't quite done with television altogether. This week we learned that she is working on a new program with former GBBO host Sandi Toksvig. Leith and…
Conditional love
There are some foods that I will happily eat almost anywhere, anytime. Tacos and ice cream are two that immediately come to mind. Even when they're 'bad' they are good, and I love them without reservation. On the other…
Behold the 'Gastronaut'
Grocery store chains do not often try advertising campaigns that are 'out there', sticking to common formats like weekly ads stuffed into mailboxes or inserted into newspapers. However, Waitrose recently took a giant…