• Last updated 12/6/11 by Nicko

Well, here it is November already (can you believe it?), and being a chef/food writer I feel compelled to offer the obligatory turkey article. And as I do, a quote comes to mind. Some years ago while attending a seminar at the New School in NYC one of the speakers was Nach Waxman, owner of the literary cookbook store, Kitchen Arts and Letters. When he sat down he gave the room a long sweeping look and then said, "We do not live in a recipe deprived society." He paused, and then repeated himself; insinuating that there are too many recipes for the same thing and... read more

• Last updated 2/16/10 by Food writer

Thanksgiving is the perfect time for soul food to shine, and one Southern chef has refined the traditional Sweet Potato Pie with another soulful seasonal favorite. Since Chef Teresa Thomas launched her restaurant called Southern Caviar in 2008, diners around Myrtle Beach, S.C., have been thrilled with her upscale versions of down-home Southern cooking. She learned her craft classically at Johnson & Wales University when it was still in Charleston, and then her Southern senses were honed at Charleston's famed soul food Mecca called Jestine's Kitchen. Now her signature... read more

• Last updated 11/1/11 by Pete

America has come a long way since the days of jug wine, cheap, tasteless beer, and sweet sparkling "champagne."  I can remember, from my own childhood, holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas usually meant that the adults drank Cold Duck and Asti Spumante.  For those of you too young to remember, Cold Duck was a sweet sparkling red wine that was often used as an inexpensive celebratory beverage.  It was popular throughout the mid century but started to lose its appeal as American wine producers started to make affordable, quality wines and sparkling wines.  We... read more

• Last updated 8/2/10 by Nicko

Written by Pam Grant   With the holiday season fast approaching; our minds turn to thoughts of big holiday meals. Those meals, more often than not, involve some type of large bird as the main course of the meal. How can you make the same old turkey dinner with all the trimmings special this year? Have you tried making your own homemade cranberry sauce? What a wonderful way to make your friends and family feel welcome than to have a fresh new vibrant flavor on the table. I am one of these people who would always say," No thank you." when the dish of canned... read more

• Last updated 2/16/10 by ckoetke

Stay Cool Cooking Your Turkey DinnerWhat makes a normally calm home chef completely lose it? Answer: Holiday Entertaining. Frankly, it's a feat of culinary dexterity to have every part of a large meal, like those served on Thanksgiving or Christmas, arrive at table in unison and piping hot. It's perhaps even more demanding to serve such a meal while donning one of those "it was no effort at all" smiles. Who's kidding who? How many times have you seen talented cooks cloister themselves (and a few unlucky souls) in the kitchen so as not be distracted by friends... read more