Category: Food

Winter Salad Timeout

Sometimes we just need a salad, even when it’s the middle of winter. Salads can be satisfying and restorative in the cold weather, especially when layered with protein and sturdy vegetables. For an enticing salad respite, a salade Niçoise comes to mind. While this Provencal-inspired salad is easily associated with sipping rosé on a sunny…


Why Choose the Boiled Egg Diet?

Every day, it seems that another impressive-looking diet pops up on the internet, encouraging patrons to cut things out of their daily menus and focus on specific food categories in order to drop dozens of pounds. While some of the fad diets are unsustainable in their entirety, though, other types of much more balanced diets…


California Merlot: Past, Present, and Future?

Living in the heart of Sonoma County wine country gives me direct access to winemakers, occasionally in grocery stores or parking lots. Two weeks ago, I bumped into a friend, a winemaker for a small winery who bemoaned that prices for merlot grapes were rising a lot higher than he had anticipated, which made his…


These Four-Ingredient Pizza Pockets Might Just Be Better Than the Store-Bought Version

All it took was a single bite of these cheesy pizza pockets to feel a flood of nostalgia. If Hot Pockets were as much of a staple in your childhood as they were in mine, this four-ingredient recipe will be right up your alley. These days, I skip the frozen store-bought box for a super-simple…


The Secret to the Best-Ever Maple Butter Comes Down to This One Step

Whatever regular ol’ butter can do, maple butter can do better. The touch of sweetness and caramel-y, toffee notes alter butter so magically that it’s hard to believe how simple it is to make. Because maple butter has so few ingredients, it’s essential to ensure those ingredients are good quality. Here you’ll want real-deal maple…


Anatomy of a Classic Cocktail: The Whiskey Sour

The addition of citrus juice to booze was such an obvious combination that it’s impossible to pin down its true point of origin. Sailors of yore learned to combat scurvy with citrus fruits that offer vitamin C. Lime juice mixed with Caribbean rum kept the British sailors healthy, if not tipsy, and spawned the nickname…


This Easy Hack Makes a Delicious Au Jus Without Pan Drippings

No need to roast a whole beef to enjoy au jus, roast beef’s main sidekick. Thinner than a gravy, but slightly thicker than a sauce, au jus is the perfect dipping sauce for French dip sandwiches or a decadent sauce drizzle over meat and mashed potatoes. They’re classically made from beef drippings—those little brown bits,…


Roasted Poblano Beef Stew

This recipe is a perfect example of seasonal eating as it incorporates the crops that are usually available at that transition point between summer and fall, poblano peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, and greens. This bounty paired with quality grass-fed beef, nourishing broth, and rich spices, this stew will warm the soul on those first few evenings…


How the Food You Eat Triggers a Hormonal Response: A Tale of Three Hormones

Insulin, Glucagon and Eicosanoids Food is really the most efficient hormone delivery system. Simply put, different types of food affect different types of hormones, which are chemical messengers. This is why most of my programs and diet plans evolve around a 40-30-30 breakdown, which translates into 40 percent of calories from wholesome and essential fats,…


Yes, a Sandwich Can Be Considered Comfort Food

Tuna melts consist of tuna salad, tomato, and cheese, broiled until the cheese is melted and bubbly. To me, it’s comfort food. My tuna salad recipe has lots of veggies in it. The red pepper, carrot, and celery add a sweet crunch and color, the onion provides a little sharpness, and the lemon juice and…