A go-to meal for busy nights
From my first arroz con pollo, I've been hooked on the idea of rice pilaf studded with meat and vegetables. It's one of my favorite go-to meals for busy nights. The elements can vary, but I always use the same basic formula: rice + onions + broth + something spicy + legumes/vegetables.


Pumpkin seed sauce conjures up Mexican trip
Coming home from vacation with memories of some of the glorious food you ate extends the trip long after — at least in your mind. Such is the case with our recent trip to Sayulita, Mexico, a quiet beach town about an hour north of the popular resort city of Puerto Vallarta.


It pays to know the source of your olive oil
Glossy bottles of olive oil beckon from grocery shelves, their expensive, green contents promising remarkable health benefits, as well as sublime Mediterranean flavors. It's a pity that some of those bottles don't actually contain high quality, extra-virgin olive oil.


Dinner in 35 minutes: farfalle with crab
This dish is simple, rich and creamy — good enough for company. The original recipe calls for 7 oz. of crabmeat, but because it's widely available in 8-ounce containers these days, we upped the amount accordingly. Serve with a salad.


Fig jam: What it is, how to use it
Jam would seem an unlikely ingredient to be overlooked. After all, legions of parents rely on the many offerings of the grocer's PB&J aisle to maintain peace with the lunch box crowd.


Mike Hale: Re-imagined Schooners impresses
For 14 years, James Waller's dream restaurant sat simmering inside his head.


Fat Tuesday slims down with low-cal jambalaya
Mardi Gras is the sort of celebration that can make every city in America want to be New Orleans. Between the parties and parades and all those rich foods, what's not to love? Well, perhaps the after effects of all those rich foods.


Todd Fisher: Solving the truffle kerfuffle
A long-time reader called with what should have been an easy-to-answer question about Truffle oil, sort of a when-should-I, how-should-I-use-it deal. But you know me, and after triple-distilling my thoughts and over-kneading my dough, here is what I came up with.


Booze and baking: Now you can have your cake and drink it, too
Brooke Siem and Leslie Feinberg were just two 20-something victims of the recession when they starting hitting the bottle to make a living.


Barbara Quinn: Nutrition for your pregnant daughter
It's not easy to be pregnant when your mom is a dietitian. My daughter reminded me of this when she called to confess that she has already gained a pound for each week of her pregnancy. And she has more than three months to go.