Cranberries have been served alongside holiday meals long before white settlers immigrated to what we now call America.

Tart red berries, cooked down into a sauce to serve alongside meat, has been a British staple for centuries, and American Indians used cranberries in pemmican, the long-lasting snack made with pulverized or finely chopped ...Read more

I may never eat turkey again.

I don’t want it for Thanksgiving. I don’t want it for Christmas. I don’t want to have a turkey sandwich sometime next summer with a bowl of fresh tomato soup, although that does sound kind of good.

I’m done with turkey for ever and ever. Or at least for the time being.

Thanksgiving is next week, if you ...Read more

Are you suddenly overwhelmed by the thought that Thanksgiving is around the corner? Has the panic started to set in?

Don't worry. The Food Dude is here to answer all of your pre-holiday questions.

That's right, this year's Thanksgiving edition of the Food Dude actually answers real questions that have been asked by real people. It's an odd ...Read more

I recently purchased an outdoor griddle. This week I’m going to share with you the frustrating roller coaster I experienced getting the griddle set up, as well as a fantastic breakfast sandwich we made on the griddle, which can also be made on a cast-iron skillet on charcoal or your gas grill. But first, the short story of the griddle saga.

...Read more

It’s an understatement to say the last couple of years have been stressful, unpredictable and tumultuous. But if anything, it’s taught us the value of comfort and consistency. And who better to keep us grounded in those things than the people we know — and rely upon? It’s no wonder that in light of this, personalization is one of the ...Read more

The pandemic has made us hyperaware of many things, including the state of our homes, waistlines, and the way we interact with people.

As fall approaches, it’s an opportune time to cast any negative notions that may have been tied to these areas of life in favor of foods and moods that promote positivity, abundance and unity. It’s a time ...Read more

Somewhere, children are crying.

They are crying because they know that they will do everything right. Those who brave the virus will dress up as their favorite spooky entity or superhero, they will knock on neighbors’ doors and maybe even tell a joke.

And then they will come to a house that gets the Vermont Country Store catalog.

Don’t ...Read more

There’s no sense in trying to avoid candy altogether during the Halloween season, but sometimes you need some sweets and treats that aren’t candy.

Prepackaged candy makes sense when you are handing out candy to trick-or-treaters, but for Halloween parties and play dates, it’s fun to come up with spooky snacks that aren’t filled with ...Read more

As some of you know, this past year I decided to buy a pellet grill/smoker, which was a big deal (at least for me) as I had always used charcoal and wood. Today’s recipe was absolutely perfect for a pellet grill because you can quickly increase the temperature just as you might with an indoor oven. This recipe was so darn easy and extremely ...Read more

I love pork chops. Liz, not so much. I think pork chops are a blank culinary canvas capable of taking on all kinds of flavors and textures. Liz thinks pork, unless smoked or stuffed with an interesting filling, is simply boring. This recipe is definitely an exception, as it passed the “Liz test.”

There is a chef who I get a kick out of by ...Read more

Thinking of hosting a porch party? Erin Bellinger offers these two nuggets of advice: Keep it simple, and if people offer to help, let them! You'll have a better time if you don't have to do it all.

Some other tips:

— Decide what kind of party you're throwing. Is it a beer-and-chip kind of evening? Are kids invited? Are you planning to ...Read more

Ready to stock up on peaches? Here's some tips on buying and storing the summer fruit.

— Look for fruit with smooth, unblemished skin (shriveled means it's old) and a golden hue behind the reddish blush. Avoid ones that have a greenish tinge, or have bruises or scratches.

— Take a whiff. A peach that smells like peach will taste like peach...Read more

PITTSBURGH — Summer is wonderful for all kinds of reasons, but especially because of all the different types of fruit available for the picking.

June ushers in plump, juicy local strawberries, followed by tangy-sweet blueberries around the Fourth of July. If you're lucky, you can make it to a farm to pick them yourself, heightening the taste ...Read more

Die-hard "Schitt’s Creek" fans know how important games night is to David Rose. Quite specifically — for games night to succeed — a strict protocol must be followed:

Only six people can be invited (“Any more and gameplay gets too yelly.”)

It’s NOT a party.

It’s composed of three parts — beginning exactly at 8 p.m., ending ...Read more