We’re in the midst of quite a hot summer, and don’t we all occasionally feel the need to reach for a cool, refreshing glass of white wine?  My question is, though, what do you usually reach for in these most dire and critical of circumstances?  Chardonnay?  Sauvignon Blanc?  Perhaps even a Riesling?  My, how adventurous [...]

What a wonderful evening I had last night!  My family and some friends celebrated my graduation from college (how weird is that: I’m a graduate!) as well as my mother’s birthday under the beautiful setting California sun.  While the occasion would have been special regardless of the menu for the evening, I feel compelled to [...]

We all like cheap food, but sometimes it’s all too easy to think that it’s hard to find good cheap food, or at least cheap food that is good for you.  Well, you’re in luck!  I discovered this great list of inexpensive ways to stay healthy.  Here are some highlights:
8. Garbanzo Beans
With beans, you’re getting [...]

In place of amazing pictures of rapturous culinary delights, I bring you now three books related to food and wine that I’ve read recently and thoroughly enjoyed.  Though reading about food isn’t quite as satisfying as eating the food itself, I did get a distinct and unique pleasure from each of these books that actually [...]

What’s better than a warm, fresh chocolate chip cookie straight from the oven?  Pretty much nothing.  Even that picture above is making me salivate.  The cover story of today’s New York Times Dining section is all about chocolate chip cookies, and I wanted to share it with you loyal readers because it’s incredibly detailed and [...]

Now don’t get me wrong: I’m a die-hard dark chocolate fan all the way.  Give me a bar of the 85% good stuff and I’ll be happy for a good long while.  However, I’m also experimental, especially when it comes to desserts, so I wanted to share with you all today my favorite experimental (read: [...]

I’m reading a book now called The Black Swan that discusses the surprising importance of the highly improbable, and there is an interesting quotation about food that preaches a good way to think about your consumption habits:
Look at how many calories you consume per year–if you are classified as human, close to eight hundred thousand [...]

As I write this, I’m looking out onto the beautiful Caribbean in Aruba.  My roommates and I are staying in an apartment-style suite with a fridge, oven, dishwasher, etc.  I just wanted to run through what our kitchen contains for the entire week, because we’re college students:

Ritz Bitz (peanut butter of course)
Ritz Whole Wheat Crackers
2 [...]

We are surrounded by such a wonderful world of wine–grapes of every conceivable color, consistency, shape, and taste. Yet, unfortunately, many of those grapes go untouched by most, either due to lack of interest or to lack of knowledge. It’s easier to reach for a Merlot than a Tempranillo, more comfortable to grab [...]

What’s an easy way to tell whether the restaurant you’re dining at uses high quality wine glasses or not? There are a few ways, including the thickness of the glass, its shape, and its height, but there is one quick tactile indicator that will immediately tell you if the glasses are up to snuff.
Put [...]