We've been dying to try our hand at homemade macarons every since we started talking about macarons being the next cupcake. We're thinking of attempting a holiday version to give as gifts this year! Have any of you ever made them? More

As we mentioned in our post on crystallized sugar syrup, candy-making is a brand new culinary adventure for us. We're teaching ourselves the basics and look forward to sharing our triumphs and pitfalls with you. We certainly hope you'll chime in with advice and questions! First up, we have some basic tips for working with sugar... More

If you don't have the time or energy for canning, freezing fresh produce is one of the quickest and easiest ways to stretch summer's bounty into the cold season. Here's a round-up of our tips, techniques, and past posts on the subject to help you along. More

As I write this post, I'm having a hard time resisting the ball of mozzarella sitting next to me in a bowl of ice water. My fingers keep pinching off little pieces and popping them in my mouth while I'm trying to decipher my whey-splattered notes. Needless to say, this experiment in cheese-making was an undisputed success! More

Between a bumper crop of hot peppers from our garden and the hoards of sweet peppers in our CSA, we've got peppers coming out our ears! This weekend, we have plans to roast the whole lot and store some away for the months ahead. Here's what we're thinking: More

Trust us, knife sharpening is not a mystic art and it doesn't have to be a safety hazard to your finger tips! With a little practice, it's easy to do at home, and all you need is a sharpening stone and your knives.

Here's how! More

We opened our calendar this morning and realized something incredible: we have no plans this weekend. No weddings. No barbecues. No road trips. Just one entire free summer weekend!

We plan to take full advantage of this (and the cool weather predicted for Boston) to spend some quality time in our kitchen. What about you?! More

Remember when we posted the Cindy McCain recipe challenge? We said that any patriotic reader who made all seven of the recipes listed on McCain's website as "McCain Family Recipes" would receive a Democrat or Republican candidate BBQ apron of choice.

Well, did you hear the news today? Apparently if McCain's recipes are family recipes, they became so very recently, since at least half of them were lifted straight from Food Network's website!

Regardless of who made up the recipes, one enterprising good cook of a reader tested them all out for our benefit. Here are photos and a review of each, along with links to the originals (the REAL originals).

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Browsing through the presidential candidates' websites last night, we came across only one website giving any time to food issues. Not exactly the Farm Bill level stuff we were after, but we have to hand it to Cindy McCain for sharing seven of her favorite recipes.

We'd like to propose a challenge: for you, our fine patriotic readers, to whip up all seven, and send us the photos. The first person to get through it all (with a full review), will receive a Democratic or Republican candidate BBQ apron of their choice. More

Loren in Brooklyn sent us this lovely kitchen still life. She says:

I like to try and create a still life in my little space above the sink....this month's is a cornucopia of winter; even the cheddar bunnies looked good. I thought I would share. My family has eaten this still life and I am moving on to creating a new one with clementines and bananas.

What a great idea! Do you create still lifes in your kitchen? If you have a picture, send it along.