Food Life & People

Popping in a movie while we’re making cookies is one of our favorite holiday traditions. Maybe it’s even the same cheesy movie every year. Do you have a favorite movie to watch while you’re rolling up dough or decorating cookies?We usually go for something totally seasonal, and OK, maybe a little cheesy. But it’s all part of the fun. Add a mug of hot chocolate – or a festive latte – and you’ve got a pretty perfect afternoon.How about you?

Not only has Mastering the Art of French Cooking become a top seller again almost 50 years after its publication, a first edition is now going for more than $900.00 on eBay! (Original selling price: $10.) But my favorite result of the present MtAoFC mania are these hand-silkscreened tea towels and aprons based on the cover graphics of Volumes I & II. Designer Sara Smedley has created a special edition of linen tea towels and aprons in honor of the release of the film Julie and Julia.

We’re cheating a bit this morning… Because we know that if this egg salad had actually been made with leftover, dyed Easter eggs, there would be subtle pink and turquoise stains floating around on our egg whites. But consider it a reminder of a simple, delicious way to use up those hard-boiled eggs.We aren’t too picky about the ingredients in our egg salad.

Travel is such a wonderful way to break out of a cooking rut and be inspired by new foods. We’ve all brought edible souvenirs and kitchen treats back from travel expeditions, but what about recipes? Have you ever learned a new recipe while traveling near or far? Have you attempted something new at home that you wouldn’t have otherwise?

We’ve noticed that sweet tea, that classic symbol of southern hospitality, has been cropping up in some unexpected places.McDonald’s has been rolling out their Mickey D’s Sweet Tea nation-wide over the past several months. And just the other day, we noticed that Arizona Iced Tea had also come out with their own bottled version of the drink.What do we think: is this abusing a fine Southern tradition or is sweet tea finally getting the national coverage it deserves?

Like Florida and Alaska, we felt that the Cajun and Creole cuisines of Louisiana deserved a mention all their own. Here you see a blending of Native American, French, Spanish, and African influences that results in a regional flavor that is as unique as it is mouth-watering.Cajun and Creole are actually two very distinct cuisines. Simply put, Cajun is country food while Creole is the food of the urban centers.

Hanukkah starts at sundown on Friday, December 11th, so for those of you celebrating, the planning/cooking may have already begun. We think making these marshmallow dreidels would keep kids occupied even longer than playing with an actual dreidel. That is, until they eat them. Get the instructions below.The team at Martha Stewart must have a thing for marshmallow dreidels, because these aren’t the only ones the magazine has featured.

Many people don’t enjoy grocery shopping but I do. I think this is because I’m a bit of a maverick: It’s rare that I have a list and my usual strategy is to meander about, browsing in every isle, looking for inspiration and a new brand of applesauce. It’s not unusual for me to spend two hours in a grocery store. Two blissful hours.(Image: Dana Velden)I concede that I’m not trying to feed a family of four or holding down two jobs while in medical school.

We don’t really have a lot of room to garden at our San Francisco Edwardian row house. Our backyard faces north and doesn’t get enough light to grow vegetables, and our south-facing front stoop had very little real estate. We’re limited to whatever containers we can fit on our sunny front stoop.Last year, we had several container herbs, strawberries, and vegetables growing on the stoop and some sunflowers growing in the sidewalk.

We’re all familiar with the concept of a book club but what about one that centers around the themes of food, cooking, eating? With all the food memoirs and cookbooks being published these days, there is plenty of material to choose from. Read on for our suggestions of how to get a food lit or cookbook book club started, tips on how to host a group and a list of suggested titles to get you going.

Sometimes, in war, the mighty fall… We’re skipping right to the next page to discuss the winner and, more importantly, the surprising loser. Come! We have to say, we thought the judges would keep Dale based on the fact that his body of work over the course of the season was obviously stronger than Lisa’s. And maybe his bad attitude and inability to handle pressure maturely was his Achilles heel, but she’s no picnic in the kitchen, either.

"We Feed People" airs on Disney+, and it’s all about José Andres’ philanthropic missions.

Long before waffle cones and Eggo came on the scene, the waffle was part of the Western culinary tradition. The exact origins of this honeycombed cake are unknown, but the story of its evolution from a thin, crisp wafer to a thick, leavened cake, is a fascinating one. Join us as we take a trip through waffle history…It is hard to imagine the waffle without its iconic honeycombed surface, but in the beginning it probably started as a simple, flat cake.

Artisan. Artisanal. What do these words really mean, especially now they’ve been co-opted by big companies like Domino’s Pizza? We asked some of our favorite local food producers what they think of when they hear the term “artisan” and hope you’ll join in the conversation, too.These five small business owners make some of the finest bread, preserves, ice cream, and confections we have ever tasted.

Ah, California! How do you come up with a list of “typical” foods from a place that can grow just about anything? With all it’s micro-climates and mild weather, California is truly a foodie heaven. Take a look!Given the huge range of fruits, vegetables, seafood, and other edibles that this region can support, we’ve tried to include those ingredients that most typify the regional cooking.

Although residents of Brunswick, Georgia, and Brunswick County, Virginia, both claim to this recipe as their own, we can probably all agree that it is the quintessential recipe for lean times.

Happy Saturday! We just wrapped up Breakfast Week on The Kitchn, so a number of our hot posts were on that theme, including the best make-ahead breakfasts, breakfasts that take under five minutes, a healthier breakfast flow chart, and 15 ways to eat an egg.15. Recipe: Korean-Style Steamed Eggs14. 5 Tricks To Help Grown-Ups Eat Breakfast13. How To Cut a Grapefruit in Segments for Easier Enjoyment12. Recipe: Green Beans with Almond Pesto Under an Egg11.

We always have one or two of these bulbous brown roots in our fridge when the temperature outside starts creeping up. They don’t have to be cooked and their crisp, apple-like texture is a welcome addition to our salads. Do you like jicama too?We used to have trouble finding jicamas, but most grocery stores now keep them regularly stocked along with their other South American and Latin fresh produce. They look somewhat like turnips in shape, but the skin is brown and papery.

Where would society be without ridiculously cute cats made out of food? NOWHERE that’s where. These accounts on Tumblr, Instagram, Twitter, etc. made us smile, made us think, and of course made us super hungry. What are your favorite accounts to follow? Let us know in the comments!

We’ve made no secret about our serious love for all things “Mad Men,” and we’re sad to see the show’s second season come to an end this Sunday. (Too soon!)Our favorite ad execs and their significant others would no doubt recommend a stiff drink to mark the occasion, but instead, we’re following Don Draper to easy-breezy California for our Mexican-themed finale menu.(Warning: The following contains spoilers from previous episodes. You’ve been warned.

We’ve mentioned before how we love buying fresh seafood direct from the source. On Saturday, we decided to check out an abalone farm we’ve seen several times when we’ve driven past on Hwy 1 between San Francisco and Santa Cruz.Abalone is a gastropod with one bowl-shaped shell that has a beautiful mother-of-pearl interior. They resemble a large snail or slug, and have a tender texture similar to a cooked shiitake mushroom. Their flavor is very delicate and extremely delicious.

Earlier this summer, I spent a day in Florence with Judy Witts Francini, an American who moved to Italy in 1984, married an Italian, and stayed put. She leads tours, teaches hands-on cooking classes, blogs and is the author of a charming book called Secrets From My Tuscan Kitchen. Judy took us all around Florence, tucking into wine shops for sips, and going deep into the aisles of the San Lorenzo Mercato Centrale. It was my birthday, and she left me with a copy of her book.

There used to be so many reasons not to make ice cream — you didn’t have an ice cream maker, you thought dairy fat was the devil, it takes too long, the ice cream shops always make it better — well, none of that is true anymore and it’s still summertime, so no more excuses. It’s time to make ice cream! I’m not sure if you noticed, but we’re huge fans of homemade ice cream here at The Kitchn.

Welcome to Adoptee Potluck Club, where every dish feels like home. Guest editor Alyse Whitney brought together chefs and other creatives for an afternoon of sharing uniquely Asian American dishes and candid conversations about discovering their Asian American adoptee identities. Oh, and boba. Lots of boba.

Edible flowers weren’t the only remarkable finds at the Hollywood farmers’ market last weekend; we also stumbled across these citrumelos from Mud Creek Ranch. Curious to find out why they’re dubbed “marmalade fruit,” we brought home a few to taste…Varying in shape – some looked like golden oranges, while others resembled lemons – these citrus fruits were intensely fragrant even before we cut into them.

If you think grits are, indeed, glorious, then this is a book for you. But even if you’re not sold, hear us out. This book veers way off the breakfast path, with recipes for savory polenta main dishes (very popular right now), desserts (grits pecan pie, anyone?) and a bunch of things to do with plain old cornmeal. We’re loving one super easy cornmeal-jam cookie right now.

I spent the last two weeks of December in China, visiting my mother and stepfather, who have been living in Shanghai for the last year. Though I saw just a small segment of the country, I was blown away by the quality and variety of ingredients in the markets, and the great food to be found on almost every corner.We hear a lot about China’s fake honey and genetically-modified milk, but here are a few snapshots of what it is really like to eat in China for a couple weeks.

I love vintage cookbooks! I have a small but growing collection that I’ve gathered from yard sales, used bookstores and the shelves of specialty bookshops like Omnivore Books in San Francisco. As objects of beauty and curiosity, these books are a treasure. But do those old-timey recipes still work in today’s kitchens?

I have been unpacking in my new kitchen over the past month, and as I hung up my aprons I considered what a stack of them I have, and how infrequently I actually wear them. I find that I often feel constricted with an apron around my neck, and opt to wear casual, easily washed t-shirts and jeans in the kitchen instead of fussing with an apron. What about you? Do you always wear an apron? If so, why? Or do you eschew the apron for daily cooking but throw on a frilly one when you have company?

It’s winter, which means there’s a lot of squash in the markets right now. Big ones. People have been writing in and asking us what they can do with all these squashes. They can be a little intimidating. They get big. There are squashes in so many shapes, colors, and textures. They have names like Hubbard, Lakota, Hokkaido, and Marina di Chioggia. Some are sweeter and some are nuttier. Well, we’re here to help you with storage tips, preparation, and recipes.

As we told you yesterday, July is Grilling Month here at the Kitchn. And we realize that we may have lost many of you with that sentence — all of you who lack any outdoor space, even for a tiny charcoal grill.Well, many of us editors are in the same position. But we are also surrounded by beautiful public parks in this city. The trick is knowing where you can grill in them.

The attitude in France about food is so different from the way we approach the subject in the U.S. that the biggest culture shock when traveling there for many Americans isn’t the language or time zone, it’s the eating.I hesitate to say you have to go there to see, smell and taste it in order to understand it because I know not everyone can just hop on a plane and go for a meal in Paris. But those blessed enough to travel or live there know.

It’s fun to cook for friends and family. Making big batches of things and nibbles to share with people can be a small act of love and a source of pride. But what do you make when you’re by yourself? Most recipes are intended for at least a couple people, so do you make a big batch and freeze the leftovers? How do you feel about eating by yourself? Here are 21 posts from Dana Velden on cooking for one.

In our poll yesterday, Kevin was the clear favorite, but the general consensus was that it was really anyone’s game. In case you haven’t seen the show, and have managed to avoid learning the winner, we’ll hold our tongue until after the jump. But we suggest you back slowly away from the internet and go watch the episode immediately. Note: We reveal the winner and losers below.

This week’s episode highlighted the Bocuse d’Or, a culinary competition filled with screaming fans, giant shiny platters and impossibly complex dishes. After getting a glimpse of it, putting together a Thanksgiving meal seems like a breeze.Note: We reveal the winner and losers below.Gavin Kaysen, executive chef at Cafe Boulud and former contestant in the Bocuse d’Or, served as guest judge for the Quickfire.

Top Chef Las Vegas took a break this week, but we got to see a few all stars from past seasons reunite for a dinner party. With fan-favorite Fabio Viviani as the evening’s host, there was plenty of drama for the cameras. Of course, had it been a real dinner party, it would have been a complete disaster.The bright spot of the dinner party? Carla! It may have taken us a while to warm up to her in season 5, but now we can’t get enough.

We love a good pairing, so this week’s episode was right up our alley. The challenges featured both high- and low-end combinations, both good and bad.Note: We reveal the winner and losers below …Chef Charlie Palmer was this week’s guest judge and the challenges were all about pairings. For the Quickfire Challenge, the chefs had to create a dish using Alexia Crunchy Snacks.

There was no shortage of personalities on this week’s episode of Top Chef with guests Penn and Teller and Michelle Bernstein, and the return of judge Toby Young.Note: We reveal the winner and losers below …With the cheftestants’ numbers dwindling, tensions were flaring – as they often do. This week’s episode delivered plenty of cattiness, rolled eyes and bruised egos – oh, and some food too. Here are a few of our thoughts: Someone packed a lot of red scarves.

Welcome to Saturday! We hope you’re having a warm, spring day wherever you are. Popular posts this week on The Kitchn include a menu for spring housewarming party, memorable entertaining ideas picked up at a dinner party in Tel Aviv, 100 rules of dinner, and a lovely look behind the scenes at a book club brunch party given by our own Anjali! All this and more below… enjoy! 15. Have Extra Bananas? 7 Ways to Turn Them Into a Blissful Brunch 14.

When it comes to socializing, dinner parties have always been my favorite way to catch up with friends. Over good wine and good food, everyone relaxes and the stories — and jokes — come tumbling out. I like to host dinner parties as often as I can, and since I lead a busy life, I discovered long ago that there’s only one way for me to hold true to being a frequent hostess.

Many of you kindly shared your Thanksgiving tables with us, and now it’s time for us to share ours! Emma and I teamed up for a big friends-and-family Thanksgiving dinner this year at my house, and it was a festive feast. We planned out a multi-course meal, with some of the courses plated ahead of time. How did this work? Read on to see!Honestly, we felt that it was a smashing success. It helped slow down the dinner, and I actually found it less stressful!

The advertising agency WHYBIN hired for the Sydney International Food Festival is so clever – they’ve come up with a really neat concept to promote the festival by creating food flags for the various countries represented. Each food flag contains a food that is generally identified with that country, and as a bonus, the color of the food corresponds with the color of the flag!

Easy Key Lime PieDessert — the final piece of a meal. The last note that seals a good dinner with a taste of something sweet. That’s how I think of it, at least. It’s a last grace note for guests to linger over, perhaps followed by a cup of coffee or a digestivo. So I look for desserts that complement the meal that went before them, not too heavy and not too sweet. What about you? How do you decide what to have for dessert?

Celebrate El Dia de Los Muertos with a cup of rich, creamy Champurrado. Plus, foods for the Hindu new year celebration Diwali, support for sustainable local farms in St. Louis, and a fall vegetable gratin. The Los Angeles Times rounds up recipes for El Dia de Los Muertos including Champurrado, “a rich, creamy drink made from Mexican chocolate, thickened with masa, and spiked with cinnamon.

CHOW’s resident etiquette expert, Helena Echlin, addresses perplexing food etiquette dilemmas in her column Table Manners. We’ve helped her out with questions in the past, like this one recently on dealing with a drunk at a baby shower. (You can see her final article, using your answers, at CHOW.)Now she has a question from a reader who has a problem: A well-meaning, yet interfering mother-in-law, in the kitchen. Read on for the full situation!

We, along with many other kids, we’re sure, used to eat a lot of canned pears with cottage cheese on top. It was one of those dishes you saw in cafeteria lines, which demeans its genius, really—sweet, tart, and creamy all in one bowl. We still have an occasional weakness for canned pears, but this morning we elevated things a bit with some fresh summer peaches.

Has anyone gotten a chance to check out the new Jamie Magazine? This is the latest addition to Jamie Oliver’s ever-expanding empire and one that we are very curious to get a peek at. There’s only one unfortunate drawback…It’s currently only available at newsstands in the UK! Boo! Subscriptions are available to Jamie Oliver fans in the US, but at the rather steep annual price of about $64.

Food can be about a lot of things—nourishment, comfort, anger, pleasure, nostalgia, control, self-expression, obligation. It’s also can be about belonging: to culture, to place and the seasons, to the earth and seas and skies, to weather and other forces of nature, to family and to that hungry person sitting at your kitchen table…For me it’s also about belonging to the moment.

Keeping in the spirit of exploring new wines and wine regions for 2011, I am taking you on a little tour of the red wines of South West France. Still fairly undiscovered as a wine region, the area offers excellent value, and it is home to a diverse array of interesting wines and appellations.South West France is essentially the area between Bordeaux to the north and Spain to the south with the Languedoc to the southeast.

Almost any apple you buy right now is going to taste delicious, but not all of them are great for baking. As a recent article in the Boston Globe points out, some turn to mush as soon as they hit the heat of the oven. They have some tips for picking the right ones.The Globe’s list includes eleven apples ideal for baking. They run the gamut from sweet to tongue-twisting tart, so there’s something for everyone.

There’s one other thread to our tale of the quince tree: our neighbor hasn’t had a chance to eat them in years. Why? Because in the middle of the night just when the quinces get ripe, all the fruits mysteriously disappear…The fruit tree is in our neighbor’s front lawn and clearly visible from the sidewalk. However, it’s set pretty far back from the street, so this unknown quince poacher actually has to come onto private property in order to pick the quinces.

To anyone who has ever endeavored to shed a few pounds following the Weight Watchers regime, this one is for you. These cards are a peek at what your program would have looked like a few decades ago – complete with witty and irreverent commentary from the woman who found the cards in her mom’s basement.As Wendy McClure points out in the intro, dehydrated onion flakes and pimientos are featured prominently in many recipes.

The outdoor stalls of London’s Portobello Road market have a wealth of tea-related paraphernalia, from toast caddies to tea cups in a riot of English patterns. But if you wind your way into the indoor antique shops along the road, you can also find a number of vintage kitchen items like this funny little “Household Wants Indicator” (remind you of something?) or recipe-printed blanc-mange molds from the 19th century.

You can prepare as much as you want for Thanksgiving, but sometimes things go awry and you don’t have time or supplies to redo. From last minute turkey problems, pie questions, and quick remedies for boring decor, these 23 tips will see you through Thanksgiving day. How do I know how to thaw the turkey? Help Me Decide When (& How) to Thaw a Holiday Turkey I don’t know how to check the temperature on the turkey: How to Check the Temperature on a TurkeyDo I have to baste the turkey?

In Japanese, the word “hanami” means “flower viewing,” whether the flowers are cherry (“sakura,”) plum (“ume,”) or some other fruit tree in bloom. Probably the most popular hanami event centers around the blooming of the cherry trees between the end of March and the beginning of April. During hanami time in Japan, people attend and/or host outdoor picnics and parties under the blooms, either during the day or at night.

My mother didn’t have the same privileges that my brother and I were accustomed to growing up, but she did have my Nana. My grandmother made sure that all seven of her children were clothed, fed, and educated. My mother always says that my Nana could not only turn lemons into lemonade, but she also planted the seeds that turned into lemon trees in her own backyard. She was the Martha Stewart of Westbury.

The duo you never knew you needed.

Turns out, you really can use a ThighMaster in just about any situation.

In this interview, the timeless actress discusses her role as Quorn's Chief Mom Officer and even gives an exclusive update about the Beautiful Kitchenware line.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video must be priceless. Whether they are recipes, tips, hilarious spoofs, or just an homage to a certain type of food, we’ll always take a few moments out of our days to watch a food video. These are the ones we couldn’t take our eyes off of this year. Need we say s’more? This gooey video tops our list and makes our mouths water. It sounds counterintuitive, but it’s life-changing. Just watch.

The 7’1” sports star cites a popular Atlanta vegan restaurant for inspiring him.

The show has been inspiring, following Julia Child’s ascent as a beloved — and unlikely — superstar cookbook author and TV chef.

Many Americans believe that Cinco de Mayo, the fifth of May, is Mexican Independence Day. It’s not.

The ceiling for wedding costs is high – there’s the location, the flowers, and that dress — so where does food fit into the budget? There are so many different options for the food at your wedding, how do you decide how much to spend? We want to hear from our readers, and maybe learn what went behind that decision. There is a wide range of prices based on the kind of wedding you had.

We know cooking in a small kitchen has its challenges; the lack of countertop space, the too-tight quarters, and the endless question of where to put everything is enough sometimes to drive a reasonable person batty! But while it’s tempting to wallow in photos of kitchens that are bigger than your whole apartment (wah!), it’s probably better for your mental health long-term to realize that small kitchens have their advantages, and you should be proud to cook in one.

So, you don’t feel like cooking tonight. Been there, done that! There isn’t a cook alive who hasn’t at one point walked into his or her kitchen and thought, “Nope. Uh-uh. Not happening.” Cooking funks come with the territory, and when you hit one, it’s tempting to just switch off the kitchen light and call your local Thai place. But wait! Having gone through those cooking-blah bouts many times ourselves, we know the common causes. We also know the cures.

For many people, the return of the farmers market means that summer is truly here. A delightful weekend routine can be established around summer meals gleaned from the market, with leftovers spilling over into weekday lunch buckets: corn salad, zucchini pasta, a slice of sweet melon for dessert. But for those who are prone to the Saturday morning sleep-in, be honest: Have you been the farmers market yet this summer? If not, here are a few reasons why you should check it off your list.