When it comes to desserts, nothing is easier than a crumble made with fresh, seasonal fruit.

In fall, that means one thing: plump and juicy Italian prune plums, which start ripening in August and if we’re lucky, are available through most of September.

I love them for their flavor — a high sugar level makes the flesh incredibly sweet and ...Read more

Peppery arugula, crisp Belgian endive, roasted winter squash, and smoky bacon make this autumn salad both colorful and deeply flavorful. A honey-mustard sherry vinaigrette ties together the sweet squash, salty bacon and pleasantly bitter greens with just enough brightness.

The salad is Seriously Simple to assemble, and much of it can be ...Read more

If your refrigerator is anything like mine, half of the space is jam-packed with condiments. Those tubs of miso, sticks of butter, and bottles of salad dressing can add something special to simple weeknight meals. Instead of buying more ...Read more

If you’re a fan of tiramisu, the layered Italian dessert that became popular back in the 1980s, you will absolutely love chocotorta. This Argentinian recipe features rich chocolate biscuits layered with a fluffy, mousse-like filling of homeandleisure/recipes/varietymenu/s-4303370">Read more

Q: Should you try microgreens?

A: You may have noticed the trend toward smaller, more delicate produce. Microgreens are young vegetables and herbs — like radish, kale and broccoli — harvested early in their growth. At this stage, they’ve developed just their first leaves (called cotyledons) and are only a few inches tall. Despite their ...Read more

If I spot chile rellenos on a menu at a Mexican restaurant, it’s pretty much guaranteed that I will order it. I love the combination of a soft poblano pepper stuffed with lots of melty cheese, all encased in a puffy fried egg batter that just soaks up the delicious sauce underneath. I’ve made homeandleisure/recipes/varietymenu/s-4303368">Read more

The trouble with being an accomplished cook is that friends expect a fuss. Even at fall tailgate parties or after a day biking through the colors together.

Best not to disappoint. Preparedness. Always the solution. Make condiments in advance and stock the fridge with ready-to-warm side dishes and fast-cooking, high-flavor proteins such as ...Read more

Things would be so much better if everybody just did what I want.

My wife came to me the other day with a jar of soup she had bought. She wanted me to taste it before she threw it out, to make sure I agreed with her that it was so bad we shouldn't even try to eat it.

I tasted it. I threw it out.

It wasn't cheap, either. It was the French ...Read more

When I head to a favorite farmers market, I usually have a few very specific ingredients in mind so I can make a few very specific dishes — say, heirloom slicing tomatoes for sandwiches, corn for Mexican elote or cilantro and other fresh herbs for a bright and zesty chimichurri.

This past weekend, for example, I was on the hunt for plump and ...Read more

LOS ANGELES -- It's lunchtime at Fountain Grains & Greens in East Hollywood, a counter-service restaurant where customers increasingly prefer their rice and vegetable bowls piled high with hunks of chicken or steak.

More and more, diners are leaning into "proteinmaxxing," the viral health trend that promotes increased protein intake with the ...Read more

Why LA's hottest bar is a leap forward for drinking culture

LOS ANGELES -- From the week Vandell opened in early December, crowds have gathered outside its forest-green door and down its patch of Los Feliz sidewalk, waiting to join the civilized chaos inside. Is it the hottest bar in Los Angeles in 2026? Easily, and for excellent reasons.

...Read more

Fructose has become one of the most misunderstood nutrients in modern diets. Often blamed for a range of health problems, it’s easy to assume that this type of sugar is inherently harmful. In reality, fructose itself is not the enemy— how and where we consume it makes all the difference.

Fructose is a naturally occurring sugar found in ...Read more

The Miami Vice is one of those frozen drinks that feels like a vacation in a glass. It’s made by layering two classic tropical cocktails together: a strawberry ...Read more

Simple seasonings coat these crisp, golden-brown potatoes, making them a good accompaniment to most main courses. I think of this recipe as my fallback potatoes that always come out perfect. I like to blanch the potatoes for a couple of minutes so the interior is cooked through. Little Yukon Golds are my favorite variety for their creamy ...Read more

Sugar Bee, Redfree, Pippin, Pink Lady, Braeburn, Pristine, Enterprise, Cortland, Mutsu, Ginger Gold, Winesap, Jonathan, Granny Smith. Please don’t forget the HoneyCrisp and the SweeTango.

While I want to eat them all, it’s a delicious struggle to keep the varieties straight. And to know which apple is best for cooking, eating out-of-hand, ...Read more

I ate a lot of breakfast casseroles growing up. Anytime there was a crowd to be fed before noon, this baked dish of egg, sausage, cheese, and day-old bread would appear. And yet, as an adult, I’ve discovered that the classic breakfast casserole...Read more

While practically all pasta dishes can be deemed “family-friendly,” this one might just win the prize. I think it has something to do with the way orzo is so fun for everyone at the table. Maybe it’s because of its cute, rice-like shape or how quickly it cooks. Regardless, it’s a fast-cooking favorite for weeknight ease, and a great ...Read more

It turns out that eating an apple a day really does keep the doctor away.

This turns out to be old news, but I am just learning about it now. And I’m excited, because the doctor it can keep away is the sort of doctor who tells you that you have Alzheimer’s.

Alzheimer’s disease affects about one person out of every nine over 65 in this ...Read more

DENVER -- A Denver restaurant specializing in Native American fare has joined the “food is medicine” movement, working with researchers and Indigenous communities to produce medically tailored meals for delivery.

Tocabe, located at West 44th Avenue and Lowell Boulevard, serves cuisine inspired by the Osage nation — a Great Plains tribe ...Read more