Food & Drink

Jam is a lengthy process, but for many who prefer to make their own food products it is a rewarding and fun activity. Most homemade jellies are made with a store-bought pectin to allow for proper...

Stevia, S. rebaudiana, also known as sweet honey leaf, sweetleaf and sugarleaf, is native to South America. People in Paraguay use stevia to sweeten their traditional tea called mate. Washington...

Flank is the muscular area of a cow located between the hips and ribs. The long, boneless cut of meat from the flank is sliced into smaller portions, which are sold as flank steak. Flank steak...

Distilling wine is an art as old as time...and shaped by time itself. The Greeks and Romans did it centuries ago, and the practice continues unabated today. Wine distillation is a process that...

Slow-cooked beef with tangerine zest and mixed mushrooms is an easy-to-prepare dish that is quite elegant and satisfying as a main course for a large Italian meal. Slow-cooked beef is a savory,...

Some parts of the United States call green hot peppers green chilies. The base of a spicy sauce comes from these peppers. You can use the sauce to cover or fill enchiladas, as a topping for tacos...

Tofu has been around for over 2,000 years. This food is notorious for having a bland taste and strange texture. However, it absorbs any other flavor that it comes in contact with, and it can have...

Ganache is a rich chocolate mixture that can be piped onto desserts, formed into truffles, whipped and used as a quick filling or melted and used as an icing. There are many different recipes for...

Yogurt isn't just a healthy dairy treat anymore. It now also serves as a common substitute for high-fat ingredients in baking. Yogurt adds moistness, creaminess and tenderness to baked foods,...

Lava rocks are coarse, porous chunks of Igneous rocks made from molten lava that has cooled. They are used in a gas grill to absorb and reflect the heat from the propane burner. The rocks...

Smoked haddock and lemon-parsley casserole is an incredibly easy dish dish to prepare that makes an excellent meal for an impromptu dinner party or quick weeknight dinner. Serve the casserole with...

Mushroom pasta with port wine and sun-dried tomatoes is a fairly simple Italian dish that relies on easy-to-find ingredients to make an elegant, rich pasta dish perfect for a main course or...

Parchment paper is a silicone coated paper that is also known as baking parchment or baking paper. A great use for parchment paper is using it as a decorating tool. Parchment cones are used to...

To create a little extra something in honor of the member of armed services in your life, why not make a flag cake for your next celebration? It shows you care about their service and can be used...

A fennel bulb is the root of a fennel plant. It has a strong licorice flavor, similar to anise. Even those who dislike black licorice, however, should give cooked fennel bulb a chance. As it...

A clam bake, a traditional New England party meal, requires a lot of set up. However, once you get your fire going, the cooking is easy. The name clam bake is a misnomer, since the lobster and...

Yellow Tail wines are increasing in popularity in the United States. Made and shipped from Australia, this particular merlot is a young wine that typically carries flavors of fruit such as plums,...

Ready made pie crust is available in the refrigerated section of most grocery stores. This easy to use pie crust comes in thin round sheets of dough which are the perfect size to fill a 9 inch pie...

Before making a trip to your bakery to purchase a western themed cake, consider making a cowboy cake of your own. Making your own cowboy cake will compliment your western theme, and give you a...

Cooking a microwaveable pizza is a great way to save money, and it is incredibly easy. These microwaveable pizzas usually come in packs of three or more, and are very cheap at most grocery stores....

Grilling is the process of cooking food over a direct heat source. There are many ways to grill food, a few of the most common ways are by using a charcoal, gas or open flamed grill. When it comes...

Whether your chili recipe is meat or vegetarian, spicy or mild, white or red, the reception can be completely thrown off if it is presented as soup. Texture and visual are partners to taste in...

Why do eggs stick to stainless cookware like glue? The simple answer is because protein in eggs acts as a glue. Eggs contain proteins resembling small coils. Heating the eggs unravels these...

Fried chicken is a quintessential American dish enjoyed by millions of people. And for as many people who enjoy fried chicken in the United States, there are almost as many fried chicken recipes....

Anchovy and mixed olive pate makes a tasty appetizer before a large dinner or as a snack at a party. Combining Kalamata and Nicoise olives with the earthy, savory taste of anchovies gives the pate...

Curd rice is a savory Indian dish that contains rice, yogurt (curd) and spices. There are many variations of curd rice and many people of Indian descent eat curd rice every day at the end of...

Fennel is great eaten raw in a salad. It is crunchy, like celery, but without the slightly bitter taste that celery can have. It does have a faint licorice taste and aroma, so someone with an...

There are several different ways a person can cook a steak. Grilling is the most popular method during the spring and summer months. When you are preparing your steak for grilling, you will want...

Before eating out at a Mexican restaurant, consider making a chipotle burrito at home. A burrito is a flour tortilla wrapped around a filling, which usually is a particular kind of meat or bean....

Making ginger juice is a simple, rewarding exercise and can be easily done at home. Ginger is basically the knob-studded, irregular-shaped roots of the tropical ginger plant native to Asia, and...

Protein powder is simply a powdered form of protein, which is essential to building muscle. Not all protein powders are the same, however; some are made from soy, others from whey, or rice, and...

Wedding cakes take top billing at the reception, with their towering tiers of iced sweetness, seemingly defying gravity on decorative pillars. Fortunately, it's not too difficult to assemble a...

The sweetest part of a birthday often can be the birthday cake. If you are surprising someone special with a homemade birthday cake, you are sure to make that person happy. The only obstacle could...

There are four fairly common varieties of eggplant: the large purple globe type, which is the most common, baby eggplant, long Oriental eggplant, and white eggplant. Baby eggplant and the purple...

Tuna pasta with anchovies, crème fraiche and fresh parsley is an incredibly easy dish to prepare that makes an excellent meal when you're in a hurry. Made of common ingredients that are part...

Chicken stuffed with spinach, shrimp and prosciutto makes an elegant appetizer when served on its own, or a hearty main course rich in both presentation and taste when served over pasta. Serve the...

If you want to make a creative birthday cake for a child's birthday party, make a ladybug cake. Bake the ladybug's body in a dome cake pan or a large bowl and the ladybug's head in a cupcake tin....

Calphalon does not recommend washing its pans in the dishwasher. Doing so may damage the finish. You may be able to restore the finish if you have run your pans through the dishwasher just once...

Because a spiral ham comes pre-cooked and sliced, many people just plop the hunk of meat onto a plate and serve. For your next holiday dinner, try dressing your spiral ham up before serving it....

Cast iron can be a tough material to clean. It is an even more daunting task to get inside those enclosed nooks and crannies. While this chore requires some elbow grease, the actual process and...

Rice has been a staple in most Asian cuisine for thousands of years. It is native to China, but is now grown all over the world. All varieties of rice require very specific growing conditions in...

Before buying pickles from the grocery store, consider making your own extra crisp kosher dill pickles. Making your own dill pickles is inexpensive and will save you money over the years. Homemade...

If you love wine and are building a great collection, but don't have a vintage cellar in which to store all the bottles, do not refinance your home to afford such a place. A simple closet,...

Chili is a versatile dish in which you can add, substitute, mix and pretty much create anything you can imagine or have on hand. Basic chili includes a combination of meat, either turkey, beef or...

There are a hundred or more ways to season a chicken. Some people like their chicken to be spicy, sweet, or sometimes spicy. I found this blend of seasonings to be the most flavorful and perfect...

Schizandra berries have been known to Chinese medicine for the past two millenia. The Chinese name for Schizandra is "Wu Wei Zi," which means "Five Flavored Herb" because it is said in traditional...

Because it has a bitter taste, feverfew tea is typically drunk only as a pain reliever for such ailments as menstrual cramps and migraine headaches. However, it is recommended that you drink no...

Fondant is one of the most versatile, creative mediums available to both professional and amateur cake bakers. It can be colored, flavored, rolled, cut and molded into virtually any design you can...

Most people think canned tuna is only good for making tuna salad, but there are so many more things you can do with this canned fish. This simple pasta recipe gets a lot of flavor from a single...

Potato starch often appears in gluten-free recipes as a thickener instead of flour. Finding potato starch at a grocery store can be difficult, but you can make your own at home. For the best...