Good cooking is all about balance, a delicate dance between salty, sweet, sour, bitter and umami. While we most often see fruit in desserts, it can also bring sweetness and balance to an otherwise savory dish.

Across cultures and cuisines, fruit plays a vibrant role in savory dishes, bringing brightness and complexity to everyday meals. Whether...Read more

In 1898, the French did the most French thing ever. Naturally, it involved food and wine.

If it didn't involve food and wine, it wouldn't be the most French thing ever.

The era of colonialism was shuffling to a close, though no one knew that yet. European countries were still in the business of taking over other lands for the resources they ...Read more

Newspaper readers, generally speaking, seek the truth.

This week’s dose comes courtesy of my decision to take two days off, which in the life of a newspaper columnist comes with a caveat: front-load the things you have to do before you leave or spend some fleet-footed time in The Great Hamster Wheel of Catch-Up on the flipside.

I split the ...Read more

This grilled chicken salad is perfect for summer entertaining. You can make the dressing, marinate the chicken, pickle the onions and slice your vegetables a few hours ahead of time, then just grill and assemble the salad after the guests arrive.

High-Protein Grilled Chicken Salad

Serves 6

Active Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

1 ...Read more

Well intentioned as they are, staying on course with weight goals can be challenging. It takes time and energy to plan, shop, and prepare meals that align with dietary needs in the midst of a calendar already bursting with daily demands. And what about nutrition knowledge and cooking skills? Meal delivery services can help by providing healthy ...Read more

I once received an email from one of my cookbook readers, who shared how this recipe has been the star of every important occasion for her family and friends. She claims it is unspoken that this all-time favorite must be present for any important moment in her family’s life. “Wow,” I thought. That is certainly a nice compliment! I decided ...Read more

The whole fish dish known as pescado a la talla, served at Gabriela Camara’s Contramar in Mexico City, truly transcends a fish lover’s dreams. There, seasoned fish, usually a butterflied red snapper, gets slathered on one side with a green parsley sauce and a red chile adobo on the other. A special filleting and butterflying technique ...Read more

The unanimous reaction of every person to taste this frosty drink (my whole family included!) is that this whipped lemonade is their new go-to summer drink. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve made it in the past month alone — it’s that good. It strikes the perfect balance between a homeandleisure/recipes/varietymenu/s-3752982">Read more

Everyone has one food that instantly transports them back to their childhood. For me, it’s LA bacon-wrapped hot dogs. I was born and raised in Southern California, and I can confidently say this is one of the few staples that Los Angeles ...Read more

"You are not the kind of girl who would be at a place like this at this time of the morning. But here you are, and you cannot say that the terrain is entirely unfamiliar. You are at a bar talking to a guy with a shaved head. The spot is either the Odeon or Lucky Strike. All might come clear if you could just slip into the bathroom and do a ...Read more

June is a great time to fire up your grill and move at least some of your daily or weekly dinner duties to the backyard.

Cooking outdoors is usually cooler, tends to have a better view and is generally a lot more fun for both the cook and those he or she is trying to feed.

Chicken is often a prime choice when it comes to proteins to cook on ...Read more

If you're like me, and sometimes forget what's in your pantry, you probably buy more bread than you can use on occasion. How many loaves have dried on your counter?

Rather than throw it to the birds, you might soak it in milk kissed with cinnamon and sugar to make a buttery pan of French toast. You could pulverize the dry slices in a food ...Read more

I find myself unhappily on trend. Young people everywhere are increasingly “on the wagon” — to use the American idiom for sobriety from the 1920s, when the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution banned the production and sale of alcohol. The wagon in the expression was a public-service vehicle loaded with water to tamp down dust and grime...Read more

Try this recipe the next time you want to whip up a quick healthy dessert. For this red-white-and-blue treat, frozen mini phyllo cups work the best. Keep them nestled in their tray for easy transport to a picnic or potluck.

Mini Berry Cream Pies

Serves 15

Active Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

1/4 cup whipping cream

2 teaspoons ...Read more

Milk thistle (Silybum marianum) is a flowering herb native to Mediterranean regions and has been used for centuries in traditional medicine. Its active ingredient, silymarin, is a group of flavonoids known for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Today, milk thistle supplements are popular for supporting liver health, among other ...Read more

Ice cream desserts are a summer treat. Ice cream pie answers the wish for a decadent, yet easy-to-prepare dessert. This ice cream pie can be made ahead and is Seriously Simple to assemble.

Since you are buying the crust, if you want, you can insert the pre-made crust into a glass or porcelain plate for a pretty presentation. Softened ice cream ...Read more

I started zhuzhing up hot dogs as a preteen. Mom rotated hot dogs into our family meal plan when money was tight, or perhaps she was simply exhausted from cooking seven days a week for our family of seven.

I happily took on the hot dog dinners. She gave me free rein to use whatever ingredients were on hand. Bacon-wrapped dogs became a family ...Read more

If you’ve spent any time on social media in the past year, you have probably come across the viral food trend of dense bean salads. Violet Witchel was the one to give these legume-heavy lunches their catchy name and to remind us all how good homeandleisure/recipes/varietymenu/s-3745257">Read more