In my recent pantry reorganization, I found a bag of wheat berries I'd been meaning to use. A simple salad with some winter citrus and salty feta seemed like a good idea, and it all turned out very tasty. Light yet satisfying, this makes a perfect lunch or dinner side salad this time of year. More

Light yet satisfying, grain salads are the perfect meal to eat while recovering from a month of heavy holiday food. They are also very adaptable, incorporating the hardy vegetables and warm flavors of winter as easily as the bright, fresh flavors of summer. These eight recipes mix whole grains like farro, brown rice and quinoa with the fruit and vegetable stars of winter, including Cara Cara oranges, maple roasted acorn squash and golden beets. More

My kitchen has been churning out brownies, baked goods, and layer cakes in mass quantity over the past two weeks, and boy have I been hankering for a savory reprieve. (You know it's bad when one more finger-lick of chocolate, even in the name of hot fudge sauce perfection, just might end in a sugar-induced coma.) Thank goodness white chicken chili seems to be the perfect baking overdose cure. More

Frankly, I don't really understand the December cookie craze. If you ask me what my favorite Christmas cookie is, I'll tell you chocolate chip. Only chocolate chip. At least, that would have been my firm answer right up until last week when I discovered Regan Daley's butter-toffee crunch shortbread and had a change of heart. It was love at first bite, and it took everything in me not to hide in the pantry and devour the whole pan.

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This year my husband and I are spending time with both our families over the holidays, which means traveling from Los Angeles to Seattle to Boston and back again. Needless to say, we'll be spending a lot of time on airplanes, and not one of the flights includes a meal. Instead of relying on sad bags of mini pretzels or soggy airport sandwiches, I'll be packing a few of these whole wheat pockets. Stuffed with spiced lentils, kale and mashed roasted sweet potato, these sturdy vegan pastries freeze well and taste great hot or at room temperature, so whether you're sitting in your cubicle or cruising at 30,000 feet, you can have a wholesome meal ready whenever you are. More

Whether you're making them as gifts or for yourself, homemade condiments are tastier and less processed than their store-bought counterparts, but their shelf life is often alarmingly short. Eating Rules has an intriguing culturing method that extends the shelf life of homemade condiments by weeks or even months, while also making them more nutritious — all you need is a little yogurt. More

It's about to begin, the parade of sweet treats through your office, your holiday parties, and probably your very own kitchen. Consider this granola a much-needed savory break for you and anyone lucky enough to receive it from you as a gift. Savory curry granola?, you may be thinking. That's right: salty, crunchy, curry-spiked granola studded with toasted pecans and browned coconut chips. You don't need milk or yogurt to enjoy this granola -- it's good enough to eat plain by the handful, but if you're nice you'll make a double batch to give out as gifts as well. More

Let's talk caramels. The candy kind. The chewy, melt-in-your-mouth, deeply sweet, and insanely addictive kind. These make some of the best gifts ever, whether the event is Christmas, a birthday, or a thank you for a favor. Or no reason at all. You probably already have the ingredients in your pantry, and if you haven't made caramels recently, you probably don't know how easy they can be. Grab a bag of sugar and your candy thermometer, folks! We're making caramels today. More

When I need an impressive dessert in a hurry, I pull out my bundt pan. Though the batter is no more involved than any other cake, the big, fluted finished cake looks like it took a lot of work or special skill. Even better, bundt cakes don't require frosting, layering or any other decoration beyond a dusting of powdered sugar and a dollop of whipped cream on each slice. This particular bundt cake replaces sweet icing with a heady mixture of whiskey, black coffee, butter and brown sugar, which is spooned over the still-warm cake to soak in and glaze it as it cools. More

Is it just me, or is anyone else always on the hunt for good snack ideas? I can usually manage coming up with a healthy lunch or an inspired dinner, but my afternoon hunger often caves to chips, salsa, and melted cheese. Seriously, you'd think I would have outgrown that old standby by now... More