The crisp fall air seems to give us permission to officially declare it baking season, with recipes for pumpkin this and apple that everywhere you turn. But there shouldn’t be a season — sweets treats and breads should be baked into our routine year-round.

As soon as the calendar flips to September, we have cookies on our minds, thanks to ...Read more

Start the day with the delicious flavors of the Mediterranean — fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, lean proteins, healthy fats — and you’re doing it right. Eating a Mediterranean style breakfast is not only nourishing and satisfying, it’s important for health, performance, mindset, and the environment.

The Mediterranean-...Read more

As the weather turns cold, I like to add hearty breakfasts to my menu. Traditional polenta takes at least 30 minutes of cooking in a copper pot over low heat with continual stirring. Fortunately, an imported instant (precooked) polenta with a silkier texture has become available nationwide. Perfect for a Seriously Simple cook.

You’ll find ...Read more

On a recent trip to the U.K., we enjoyed dining at several National Trust properties. We’d spend the morning touring a historic mansion, garden, or ancient site and stop for a midday meal. Many of the conservation charity's more than 500 properties feature cafes that specialize in traditional ...Read more

Dessert bars are among my favorite recipes to make whenever there’s an opportunity to bring something sweet to share. Bars are easy to bake and simple to serve, and because there are so many styles to choose from, there’s a flavor for every occasion.

One of my favorite ...Read more

These cowboy sliders are exactly what you want on the table for football season. They’re built around all the flavors of a bacon cheeseburger loaded with homeandleisure/recipes/varietymenu/s-4326258">Read more

I’m always amazed at what a humble egg can turn into. It helps create the lush texture of lemon curd and homemade mayonnaise, and sets the filling in ...Read more

A woman I know had a small cancer, but it took a big operation to remove it.

I wanted to show my concern. I wanted to show that I cared. I wanted to make things easier for her family.

So I cooked some food and brought it to her house.

I waited a few days after her surgery to make certain she was home from the hospital and had started her ...Read more

PITTSBURGH -- With pumpkins, apples and jewel-colored squashes the showpieces of fall farm stand displays, choosing to make a meal that leans heavily on citrus might feel misguided on a cool, sunny day in October.

Peak season for lemons, oranges and grapefruit doesn’t kick off until late November, when specialty and heirloom citrus fruits ...Read more

If I could choose a superpower, it would be to have the ability to wave a wand and make a healthy meal appear.

Don’t get me wrong, I love to cook. And I love recipe sleuthing even more. However, life’s busyness often interferes with the best of my meal-prep plans — or worse, a trip to the grocery store — and leaves me with dinnertime ...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- A tiny Kentucky distillery known for letting visitors hand-fill their own bottles straight from the barrel has just won two major tourism awards, according to a news release.

Whiskey Thief Distilling Co. was voted North America’s Leading Distillery Tour 2026 and North America’s Leading Whisk(e)y Distillery Tour 2026 at the...Read more

Higher in protein than pasta or rice, farro is a versatile grain for soups, salads, stews and risotto-style dishes. It is also recommended for diabetics, making it a smart choice if you are watching blood sugar.

Partially cooked farro, available at Trader Joe’s and markets like Whole Foods, takes only 10 minutes to prepare — a Seriously ...Read more

Turning on the oven and filling it with highly flavored, slow-cooking foods brings out the best of a cool fall day. This Halloween, a Dutch oven full of pork, braised with tomatillos, poblanos and onions, will warm the souls of your treat-or-treaters after all the fun.

Chunks of fresh pumpkin add color and a touch of sweetness ...Read more

I shared a recipe for beef tips and gravy three years ago, and it has become one of my favorite comfort food dinners. It’s so universally loved that...Read more

I have always loved the way coffee and citrus play together — the bright and zesty notes of citrus have this magical ability to enhance the natural richness of coffee (and chocolate), and bring out flavors you might not even notice on their own. There’s something about that balance between bold and bright that feels comforting and just a ...Read more

Raisins are the most popular dried fruit in the U.S., beloved as a naturally sweet treat that’s also rich in important nutrients.

The folklore

Grapes have been dried into the tiny wrinkled gems we call raisins as early as 2,000 B.C. Raisins were not only revered as a delicious food, they were used as decor at feasts and ...Read more

Do you remember eating chocolate “dirt” pudding cups with crushed cookies and worms at every Halloween party as a kid? My birthday falls just before <...Read more

PITTSBURGH — Since it was introduced as an appetizer on New York City menus in the 1930s, perhaps no dish is more associated with Chinese-American food than the crunchy, humble egg roll.

Yet there is some confusion as to how the crispy rolls, which are served with hot mustard and a sweet-and-tangy condiment known as duck sauce, got their name...Read more

PITTSBURGH -- Ming-Na Wen spent her teenage years completely enveloped in the high-energy, often demanding environment of a family restaurant.

Even today, decades and thousands of miles removed from the sights, sounds and smells of Chinatown Inn, the historic Pittsburgh restaurant her family has owned and operated since 1943, the actor known as...Read more

Sam Kass, former Obama family personal chef and executive director of first lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative, is being honored Friday with the prestigious Julia Child Award at the Obama Presidential Center, recognizing his lifelong dedication to fostering equitable food systems.

Kass, a Chicago native who worked at several ...Read more