ArcaMax

Here’s a simple dinner that provides a warm charm, with tender medallions of pork covered by a silky, lemon-wine sauce. Each piece is lightly browned, offering a golden crust that contrasts beautifully with the vibrant green of steamed spinach.

The tangy zest of lemon mingles with the briny notes of the capers. The spinach is combined with ...Read more

Chicken soup famously warms your soul in all kinds of weather, but when the thermometer dips into the 20s, it’s time to pull out the big guns and get serious with a bowl that’s as sustaining as it is comforting.

Winter is when stick-to-your-ribs dishes come calling, after all. Winter activities such as shoveling snow, sled riding and ice ...Read more

When making dinner for one (i.e., me), I choose eggs.

Fried eggs and scrambled eggs were the first dishes I learned to cook as a kid. They became my go-to meal when money was tight and I was alone. As a graduate student, with a hot plate in an attic apartment, I lived off egg sandwiches, egg salad, omelets and toad-in-the-hole. Eggs are (...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS -- Few things are more comforting than a big pot of soup simmering away on the stove. Every spoonful feels like a warm hug, and knowing it can all come together quickly and easily, with ingredients you’re likely to have on hand, makes it even more satisfying.

If you live in the North Country, soup can take on an even bigger role ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS -- Jenny Kedward likes to joke she’s “Hennepin County’s mom” because she’s on a mission to get residents to clean their plates.

For Kedward, the Minnesota county’s food waste prevention specialist, it comes down to a simple mantra: “Buy the food you will eat and eat the food you buy.”

Kedward wants residents to ...Read more

I have two pieces of pat advice for anyone rash enough to approach me for counsel. First, never speak to the press. Second, don’t open a restaurant.

But seriously... I encourage you to speak to me if I approach you on assignment, though I will make clear that while you may think it’s your story, it’s really mine (or my editor’s). As for...Read more

Who needs dinner out when you can make your own gourmet burgers at home? We made a zesty horseradish sauce to cut through the richness of juicy cheeseburgers smothered in sauteed mushrooms, onion, and Swiss cheese. Simply serve with your favorite sides (try homeandleisure/recipes/americastestkitchen/s-3551874">Read more

CHICAGO — “Man, I’m out here selling bean pies.”

James 40X’s voice crackled through the phone, as if his whole life was on the move. I told him I’d meet him right away, near Supreme Bean Pie’s bakery, at the Nation of Islam’s headquarters in the Mosque Maryam compound.

In the parking lot, 40X cut a dashing figure in a striped ...Read more

In my 9-to-5 life as a food writer and editor, I'm pretty adventurous.

An ever-growing library of cookbooks coupled with a hearty appetite for food-focused social media means I'm always finding new recipes that explore world cuisines, seasonal ingredients and unusual flavor combinations that I want to explore. It keeps me on my toes.

Dinner ...Read more

I have a confession: I watch trash TV. Not much of it, just one show. And a colleague insists that the show I watch isn’t nearly as trashy as some others.

If that is true, I don’t want to see the others.

The show that I am hooked on is “Below Deck,” which apparently is so popular that it has spawned three other shows that look to be ...Read more

Here’s a quick and easy dinner that will brighten up your winter table. Golden seared scallops rest atop a vibrant, garlic-tomato sauce, their delicate sweetness complemented by the tangy flavors of the sauce.

Beside them, a bed of nutty, slightly chewy brown rice mingles with fresh, peppery arugula, adding a hearty and earthy contrast to ...Read more