Q: I've been helping my mother clean up her kitchen. Because her kitchen was so disorganized before, she would buy groceries she already had. For the most part, I've been able to use up all the excess, except for one ingredient: powdered sugar. 

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Do you have a travel limit — the number of days you can be on vacation before you start feeling that slight tug to return back home? My personal limit is somewhere around six or seven days. That's about the time I start to think about how much I've spent, worry about how much I've eaten out, and generally just miss the routine of life at home. There is however, a way to extend this limit. It all starts with taking time to cook a meal while on vacation. Are you doing this yet?

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My sourdough starter is like a beloved pet or houseplant. I made it from scratch almost 8 years ago and have kept it going through two cross-country moves, three states, and many lapses in bread-baking. When I go on a long vacation, making sure that it is taken care of — along with all my other fermented food projects! — is at the top of my vacation check-list.

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We've talked about visiting local farmers' markets to get a flavor for a city, and a similar argument can be made for local grocery stores as well. Even the most suburban, fluorescent-lit supermarket can give an interesting look into everyday life in another town and its people.

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I must confess to eating this entire bowl of soba by myself. I didn't share. I didn't look up from the bowl. I just inhaled. Fresh buckwheat soba is an entirely different food group from the dried soba we usually buy at the store. It's like night and day. The nutty aroma of the buckwheat, the perfect chewiness of the noodles, the way they slip perfectly around a chopstick — fresh soba needs little more than some dashi and a splash of soy sauce to be the perfect meal. Here's how you can make it at home.

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Q: Lately my husband and I are trying to make healthier versions of foods that we like to eat in order to improve our diet without giving up everything we enjoy. One of our horrible addictions is Totino's Party Pizza, mostly because the crust has such a unique texture and flavor. 

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Some people see vacation as an escape from cooking, but I often find that time in the kitchen is much more relaxing when I'm on a trip. Unfortunately, most rental kitchens aren't stocked with the right tools and ingredients to make vacation cooking what it should be: simple, flexible and above all, pleasurable. But you can ensure your own happiness by packing these ten items on your next trip.

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Q: My apartment complex doesn't allow grills on our patios. What is a good alternative to a traditional grill that will still achieve the same type of cooking method?

Sent by April

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While planning for my recent summer cabin experience, there was one tool I made sure to pack: an oven thermometer. In fact, I rarely leave home without it when I know I'll be using the oven in an unfamiliar kitchen. 

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I've been lucky, these past few years, to travel frequently and visit some wonderful places. This week, I'm in Paris! Would you like a peek into the apartment we rented? Yes — an apartment. Have you also discovered this lovely way to travel? Here's why I usually prefer to stay in an apartment, instead of a hotel. 

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