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Gretchen McKay/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/TNS

Gretchen's table: Grilled oysters with chorizo butter

Entertainment / Entertaining /

If you're like the rest of America, there's a good chance you're cooking out on Father's Day — it's the fourth most favorite day for grilling of the year, after July 4 and Memorial and Labor Day. And no doubt there's a juicy steak, burgers or chicken on the menu, perhaps dressed up with a fancy sauce or rub to make the meal a little more ...Read more

Clarkson Potter/Clarkson Potter/TNS

5 sensational summer cookbooks, from noodles to no-churn ice cream

Entertainment / Entertaining /

Don’t cook much in the summer? Sure you do. Those delicious, memory-making “can I get that recipe?” dishes for picnics, backyard barbecues and swim team potlucks aren’t going to cook themselves.

These five cookbooks hold the secrets to all the new tacos, burgers, ice creams, salads and pastas you’ll want to make — not just this ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

The ultimate guide to National Selfie Day stations

Entertainment / Entertaining /

According to Google statistics, about 93 million selfies were taken per day on Android devices alone, way back in 2014.

It isn’t any wonder, then, that there’s a national holiday dedicated to the practice: National Selfie Day on June 21. If, like millions of other selfie-takers, you find yourself looking to make the most out of capturing ...Read more

Rekaya Gibson/The Virginian-Pilot/TNS

Celebrate Juneteenth with these food traditions and recipes

Entertainment / Entertaining /

Juneteenth — or June 19 — is a federal holiday to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States.

On June 19, 1865, Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to tell the enslaved that the Emancipation Proclamation had been signed two years prior and that they were free. They first celebrated freedom with church gatherings. It then ...Read more

Page Street Publishing Co./TNS

Recipe: ‘Easy, no-churn’ Cookie Dough Ice Cream Sandwiches

Entertainment / Entertaining /

In her cookbook, “Easy, No-Churn Ice Cream: The ‘No Equipment Necessary’ Guide to Standout Homemade Ice Cream” (Page Street, $23), blogger Heather Templeton shares 50 recipes for scoop shop-worthy ice cream made with little more than condensed milk, a loaf pan and freezer.

These edible cookie dough sandwiches require just a tad more ...Read more

Jessie Wardarski/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/TNS

Graze all Mother's Day long with a menu of shareable bites

Entertainment / Entertaining /

It's Mother's Day on Sunday, and if you're lucky, you get to spend it with the mother figures you love, munching on something decadent and delicious.

In years past, I might have orchestrated a backyard picnic or fancy Champagne brunch for my mom, who I'm lucky to have still living just around the corner, in the house I grew up in. But now that ...Read more

Monkey Business Images/Dreamstime/TNS

Teacher Appreciation Party 101: 3 ideas to elevate your favorite educator

Entertainment / Entertaining /

It’s hard to believe that another school year has almost come to a close. Yet, many signs such as proms, graduation party prepping and summer vacation plans prove that soon students and teachers will bid adieu to the 2022-2023 school year.

Speaking of teachers, who better to honor and celebrate after two semesters of lesson planning, ...Read more

Perry Correll/Dreamstime/TNS

Tips for Kentucky Derby viewing party perfection

Entertainment / Entertaining /

The event may last a mere two minutes, but the preparation, pomp and circumstance surrounding the Kentucky Derby extend far beyond the race. Did you know that on average, as reported in Town and Country magazine, spectators consume 142,000 hot dogs, 18,000 barbecue sandwiches, 13,800 pounds of beef and 32,400 jumbo shrimp (and that’s just a ...Read more

Gretchen McKay/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/TNS

Kick off summer with a Memorial Day cookout

Entertainment / Entertaining /

Memorial Day is the unofficial kickoff to summer, so it's not surprising this is the time of year when many home cooks start dusting off their gas or charcoal grills and power-washing their patios.

Summer is peak grilling season for the 80% of Americans who own a grill or smoker, according the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association, with Memorial...Read more

Nate Guidry/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/Nate Guidry/Post-Gazette/TNS

Yes, size does matter when it comes to baking with eggs

Entertainment / Entertaining /

(Editor's Note: This story was originally published April 10, 2019.)

Many of the chicken eggs Americans will consume this Easter season will be hard boiled and colored for egg hunts and baskets, while others will be baked into cakes or cooked into rich custards for a dessert following a holiday dinner.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture ...Read more

Gretchen McKay/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/TNS

Cooking a familiar Easter meal in a unfamiliar setting

Entertainment / Entertaining /

(Editor's Note: This story was originally published March 31, 2021.)

Along with feelings of joy, those who are headed to someone else's house this Easter weekend could also feel some trepidation if they're the one in charge of preparing brunch or dinner. How do you cook the holiday's grand meal in someone else's kitchen?

Unfamiliar kitchens ...Read more

Hillary Levin/St. Louis Post-Dispatch/TNS

For a special Easter meal, serve lamb in a crust

Entertainment / Entertaining /

(Editor's Note: This story was originally published April 13, 2022.)

Beef Wellington is the sort of dish I like to serve for Christmas. For lack of a better word, it’s fancy.

It’s a beef tenderloin covered by a thin layer of sauteed mushrooms and shallots wrapped up and baked in a puff-pastry crust. The golden crust hides the succulent ...Read more