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DREAMSTIME/TNS

Chickpeas are the base for this bold, warming stew

Entertainment / Entertaining /

Lablabi, a Tunisian chickpea soup, is so warming and satisfying, I could eat it every day. During this hectic, bitter cold season, I often do.

It's classic comfort food with plenty of personality, thanks to the addition of harissa. This North African chile paste packs a punch right out of the jar. The soup also gets a boost from tangy lemon.

...Read more

Burt Johnson/Dreamstime/TNS

In the Home: Tips and tricks to hosting family for the holidays

Entertainment / Entertaining /

As it nears Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah and other winter holidays, families are preparing to gather. If you’re the host family for this year, having dozens of people in your house may seem daunting. Cooking for your entire family, making sure everyone has a good time and cleaning up after can be overwhelming and tiring.

It’s hard to ...Read more

Looking for an easy holiday nosh? Try these 5 appetizers

Entertainment / Entertaining /

Holidays gatherings are among the best of the year. But because there's often so much other stuff going on at the same time — say, last minute Christmas shopping or kids home from school and suddenly underfoot — it can be a challenge to throw a party together and still feel sane.

One solution, of course, is to ask for help. The other is to ...Read more

Martin Rettenberger/Dreamstime/TNS

The best way to enjoy sweet potatoes? Make oven fries

Entertainment / Entertaining /

First off, sweet potatoes are not yams. Yams hail from Africa, are not sweet or very nutritious. Our growers created this confusion to differentiate the drier, firmer sweet potatoes from the moister varieties they promote during the holidays.

Second, sweet potatoes are for more than Thanksgiving. These members of the Morning Glory family are ...Read more

Gretchen McKay/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/TNS

Gretchen's table: Texas-style chili

Entertainment / Entertaining /

With the holidays fast approaching, chances are you're going to have a few extra people in the house — kids home from college, grandchildren or perhaps a sibling or two. That calls for something warm and comforting bubbling on the stovetop that young and old can help themselves to when their stomachs start to grumble.

If you're lucky enough ...Read more

Gretchen McKay/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/TNS

Gretchen's table: Acorn squash stuffed with turkey and mushrooms

Entertainment / Entertaining /

Roasted turkey with stuffing is the quintessential holiday meal, but it also can be something of a pain if you don't have a huge oven or are wary about ending up with too many leftovers.

This meal-in-one is the perfect solution for smaller appetites because it incorporates all of the wonderful fall flavors of Thanksgiving in one picturesque ...Read more

Sergii Koval/Dreamstime/TNS

Turn leftover turkey scraps into crispy carnitas

Entertainment / Entertaining /

Thanksgiving dinner is done, the turkey is stripped of leftover meat and its bones are simmering into a stock. There are plenty of hefty pieces set aside for making sandwiches, casseroles and salads. But what is the thrifty cook to do with all those tasty scraps of skin and dark meat stripped from the thighs, drumsticks and wings? Make carnitas....Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

5 recipes to get into the Halloween spirit

Entertainment / Entertaining /

Food is front and center at holidays, and Halloween is no exception. While candy, caramel apples and all things sweet get most of the attention, there are plenty of savory ways to add fun and fright to Halloween night.

Sometimes, it's all in a name. For kids, run-of-the-mill pigs in a blanket can turn into Dead Man's Toes with a swipe of ...Read more

Gretchen McKay/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/TNS

Fail-safes and fast fixes for last-minute Thanksgiving dinner crises

Entertainment / Entertaining /

Most of us would agree it's fun to get the gang back together during the holidays. Yet, cooking for a crowd can prove stressful for many home cooks, especially when there's an expectation the dinner table will hold a smorgasbord of your loved ones' favorite dishes.

The pressure can really build when an invited guest or relative you'll be ...Read more

Gretchen McKay/Gretchen McKay/Post-Gazette/TNS

Kick off football season with hall of fame tailgate recipes

Entertainment / Entertaining /

Once the kids are back in school, it's time to celebrate what really gets us excited in September: the start of the NFL football season.

Yet it's not just the game that gets us fired up and ready to roll on Sunday afternoons in the fall.

We also love the pregame party in parking lots outside the stadium or, if you're homegating, in front of ...Read more

Stephanie Frey/Dreamstime/TNS

Thanksgiving countdown: This easy to-do list makes planning a feast a (relative) breeze

Entertainment / Entertaining /

In a flurry of candy wrappers and sugar-crazed munchkins, Halloween is over … which means Thanksgiving is just around the corner. And you need a plan.

You may be thinking, “I know what I’m doing,” pushing away flashbacks of pre-pandemic panic over last-minute pie crust disasters and bone-dry turkey. (Oh, the things we used to fret over....Read more