Category Food

HalloweenВ is admittedly a kitschy holiday, but that's no reason to throw sophistication out the window. By serving a classic cocktail with a slightly morbid name (like Corpse Reviver #2 or Blood and Sand), you can subtly allude to the spirit of the holiday without sacrificing your usual style. Ingredients like blackberries or squid ink create a dark mood without venturing into cheesy territory.

First, we found out that soda is packed with a dizzying amount of sugar; then, we discovered diet soda might be linked to cancer. Now, it appears the so-called "healthy" soda alternative, sparkling water, isn't as virtuous as it might appear. Despite marketing efforts to brand Sparkling Ice as a good-for-you drink, The Wall Street Journal reveals it isn't healthy at all.

Martinis remain one of the most iconic (and glamorous) cocktails of all time, typically consisting of gin, vermouth, and an olive or lemon peel as a garnish. And what is gin? In very basic terms, when you get down to distilling process, gin can be described as a vodka steeped with botanicals-a fancy word for plants-like, most notably, juniper.

Foodie Crush As blissful as a warm beach day can be, it can also come with its own supply of stressors. Applying sunscreen evenly, finding a parking space, and generally ensuring that a swimsuit stays in place can all be enough to make our temperatures rise. So when sand happens to sneak its way into our freshly bought food, it's only natural that we tend to respond like a foghorn.

Heidi's Bridge If you live in a small apartmentВ in a big city, it can be hard to host an elaborate partyВ at home. The 60 people you want to invite over for a happy hour cannot all fit into a junior one bedroom. Luckily, big cities are full of sleek restaurantsВ and sexy bars, and a savvy host knows they can transform a beloved eatery or speakeasy into a venue for their next soirГ©e.

There are few things in life that scream vacation louder than a refreshing rum cocktail. Just picture landing on a Carribean island, checking into your hotel, and immediately being offered a complimentary cocktail. Chances are it's a piГ±a colada, a rum punch, or maybe even a simple shaken daiquiri. So if you'reВ itching to get away but simply can't find the time, try one of these simple rum cocktails to mentally transport yourself to a white-sand beach somewhere.

Butter is great, and while we all know this, those who've tasted brown butter are armed with another piece of knowledge-brown butter is better butter. Deeply nutty with a complex, comforting fragrance reminiscent of fresh bread, vanilla, and toasted almonds, it's a total game changer in the kitchen-fancy enough to elevate your favorite cookies and make them dinner party worthy but down home enough to drizzle over a pair of fried eggs.

Let's be honest, no one wants to wash dishes on a weeknight. Just the thought of tackling a sink full of dirty pots and pans alone is enough to make me reach for my phone and start scrolling through take-out options on Seamless. However, given that I'm on a strict budget, I can't (responsibly) rely on the convenient food-delivery app to save all my busy weeknights (aka every weeknight).

Whether you're sick of snobby baristas who stick up their noses at your order, you're really, truly trying to stick to your budget this month, or you just want to learn something new, so you can literally treat yourself to a hot, frothy drink whenever, wherever, making flat whites at home, is not as hard as you might think.

When the weather hits 80 degrees or higher, it's officially necessary for hot coffee drinkers to switch up their caffeinated beverage of choice. That means it's time to drop the Americano, drip coffee, cappuccino, and espresso because-let's face it-starting your day with a piping hot beverage during the summer just doesn't do the trick.

It takes a lot for someone to sacrifice their kitchen-countertop space, given how many of us don't have much of it. Seeing as how a good portion of it needs to be reserved for food prep, the rest of our open counter space is precious real estate. That's why most-used items, like your trusty toaster, coffee maker, and maybe even a blender usually get priority.

Sweet potatoes can be your saving grace when you've forgotten to plan ahead for dinner. They expertly straddle the line between starch and vegetable, giving you a balanced meal with one fewer pot to clean. They're naturally delicious and don't require excessive amounts of sugar or fat to make them enjoyable, making sweet potatoes the rare trifecta of healthy, easy and delicious food.

What would a summer dinner party on the patio or a day spent lounging poolside be without an ice-cold refreshing cocktail in hand? If you're keen on playing bartender and whipping up your own tasty drinks served up just the way you like, you'll want to experiment with a few easy cocktail recipes this summer.

The secret to brewing the best iced tea of your life? It's nothing. Well, almost nothing - you'll need to get a pitcher, and turning on a faucet is required (it's not as if you can make iced tea appear out of thin air, you know). Just as the art of cold brewing produces the most incredible iced coffee, a long, slow cold brew process will give you the kind of iced tea that will make you feel as if you'd been cheated your entire life.

The Modern Proper PizzaВ is always a good dinner option. Thanks to its versatility and general promise of satisfaction, this classic dish is one that will always be a favorite, whether it's eaten in a home of one or in a family of 10. Sometimes, though, biting into a warm pie covered in melted cheese and toppings just isn't enough.

So you've finally done it, splurged on a well-designed bag of whole beans from your favorite third wave coffee shop. You get them home-having carried the bag like a precious baby-and make yourself a cup, curious if your palate can pick up on the tasting notes printed on the package: black cherry, dark chocolate, caramel.

It doesn't take a sweeping investigation to find people who are fans of Trader Joe's. For some time now, this laid-back grocery store chain has grown a loyal following of customers who routinely sing its praises regarding everything from its best-frozenВ foods to its hidden recipe section. Funny enough, the same can be said about wine-it isn't tough to find someone who opens a bottle on a regular basis.

If you love dressing up, eating sweets, and cozying upВ indoors with good company, Halloween is likely your favoriteВ thing about fall. It's also the perfectВ excuse to get your favorite people together for a festive dinner party. Since there's definitely not a traditional, set Halloween dinner menu, it's also a great chance to getВ creative and have fun in the kitchen.

The summer of 2018 was defined by a few key cultural moments, including an excessive amount of well-documented celebrity vacations to Italy, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's royal wedding, and a seemingly unlimited number of Instagram posts featuring the Aperol spritz. In 2019, a new apГ©ritif seems to be encroaching upon Aperol's popularity.

Up until a few years ago, I could eat most of what I wanted without gaining weight; however, I wasn't eating anywhere near as healthily as I could have been (I was having chips for dinner). I'm actually thankful thatВ my metabolism finally caught up with me and my poor eating habits because it led me to learn about powerhouse high-fiber, low-carb foods that will keep me in shape and feeling good.