PITTSBURGH — Most people have pretty strong opinions on the foods they love, and are just as vocal about the ones they hate.

My husband, for instance, cannot stand black licorice while I would never eat an anchovy. (At least we agree on cilantro and blue cheese.)

When it comes to the most polarizing foods, one that heads the list is the ...Read more

Generally speaking, I'm a chunky chicken soup kind of person.

I like the hearty, stick-to-the-ribs quality of a good rough-hewn soup, and the contrast of textures and flavors of the broth and hunks of vegetable or meat or pasta. This extends to ramen or Korean hot pots, where the non-liquid elements outweigh the broth (though the broth is of ...Read more

To say that entertaining can be stressful isn’t breaking news. There are so many decisions to make, starting long before the day of the event. At first, you’ll probably have a lot more questions than answers.

Those questions usually begin with the obvious: What’s the occasion? Who gets an invite? When and where will it happen? Will it be ...Read more

Beets are divisive. To some, their earthy depth and sly sweetness are irresistible; to others, the root vegetable tastes like dirt.

"The beet is the most intense of vegetables," Tom Robbins writes in "Jitterbug Perfume."

"The radish, admittedly, is more feverish, but the fire of the radish is a cold fire, the fire of discontent, not of passion...Read more

LOS ANGELES -- The condiment shelf in my refrigerator is a chaotic place. I am no Marie Kondo, but I could argue that each jar, squeeze bottle and tube sparks real joy.

My bottle of Kewpie shares real estate with a 64-ounce jar of Best Foods. There are about eight bottles of chili crisp at any given time, plus Fly by Jing's chili crisp ...Read more

On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me a partridge in a pear tree.

So naturally I made a pan-roasted partridge — pan-roasted, so I could baste it in butter while it cooked — with a light salad of sliced pears (from the pear tree) with endive and a simple lemon vinaigrette.

I’ve never actually eaten partridge, but the ...Read more

It was around Christmas in 1989, when Johnny Carson held a small box up to the “Tonight Show” cameras.

“What do you think this weighs?” Carson said, his wrist bending from the weight. “It’s only a small box. But it weighs about 2 pounds.”

It was a holiday fruitcake, but it might as well have been a magic pistol, about to fire a ...Read more

There’s a good chance that you or someone you know has trashed perfectly good food over confusion about date labels. Now, the U.S. government is looking for a fix.

A group of four federal agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration, announced last week that it is requesting information from the food industry on labeling practices ...Read more

Like many other farm families, my family rents out some of our land to help pay the bills. Usually, when this happens, we can rest assured about two things: first, that someone will rent from us; and second, they will pay more year after year.

Farmland rents have risen steadily over the years, increasing 3.2% per acre over the last year alone.�...Read more

Master the perfectly seared sirloin steak with this easy method, while playing with fresh herbs to enhance the flavor. The key to success: letting the meat come to room temperature before adding it to the pan to ensure it cooks evenly. Rosemary and garlic give it an irresistible herby finish. For the best results, let the steak rest before ...Read more

Barley, as a staple, is anything but basic.

The folklore

Native to Ethiopia and Southeast Asia, barley has been cultivated for more than 10,000 years. Since ancient times, it has been used for food — both human and animal — as well as tea, alcoholic beverages, medicine, and even as a standard of measurement. These days, we...Read more

Save yourself some time and energy, and try serving easy appetizers this holiday season. Here are my ideas, along with a perennial favorite recipe of baked Brie.

For a cocktail party, I sometimes make a few rounds of baked Brie using different glazes and place them around the house. Make sure to serve the Brie hot from the oven, when the cheese...Read more

A standing rib roast, also known as prime rib, makes a spectacular holiday dinner. Cooked perfectly, the presentation certainly impresses. This fantastic cut of beef is tender, flavorful and relatively easy to carve. Holiday fare, for sure.

A whole beef rib roast has seven ribs, weighs 16 to 20 pounds and easily serves 15 hearty eaters. Some ...Read more

If I had to rank my favorite parts of being an adult, hosting friends for dinner is at the very top. Relaxing around the table with full plates and a glass of wine is one of my greatest joys. I’ve been brainstorming ideas for fast-yet-fancy foods that won’t tie me up in the kitchen, but will impress my guests. And these three-...Read more

There are those who only swear by chocolate desserts, but a bright citrus dessert wins out in my book any day. I love classic lemon bars, with their buttery homeandleisure/recipes/varietymenu/s-3514469">Read more

Move over, peppermint mocha — Dunkin’ is shaking up the holiday season with a spin on its winter classic.

The coffee giant’s latest release, Spiked Peppermint Mocha Iced Latte, combines the cozy comfort of its signature holiday flavor with a 6% alcohol by volume kick that’s sure to put some extra jingle in your bells.

The boozy ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Fifty years ago my great-grandfather Carlo Portolan hauled down from the roof of his Lincoln Heights home a glass jug full of fragrant black booze, warm from 40 days in the sun.

He decanted it into smaller bottles, affixed to each a masking tape label inscribed with the year — 1974 — and passed them around to friends and ...Read more

Like many people, I’m looking to add more plants to my diet. In the warmer months, my garden takes care of that. But this time of year, I start looking for easy alternatives without sacrificing flavor.

This frozen meal (just warm in the microwave) is unbelievably full of flavor and packed with vegetables. It’s made with sweet potatoes, ...Read more

Weeknight meals are often a test of planning and simplicity.

Most of us want a dish that can be whipped up in a flash, using ingredients already on hand or ones you remembered to pick up on a weekend grocery store run because you planned a week in advance.

Smoked sausage — easy to find in most grocery stores in a variety of flavors — is a ...Read more

There you are, reaching on your tiptoes in the grocery store to grab the milk on the highest shelf marked with the latest date. It's worth it, you think, to get milk that will stay fresher longer.

You don't finish the milk by that date, of course, so you dutifully pour the remainder down the drain the day after.

But that "Sell by" label doesn'...Read more