Sometimes I'll make a hurried salad by haphazardly throwing vegetables and oil into a bowl. Other times, I'll make a leisurely salad with homemade croutons and an elaborate vinaigrette. This amazing dinner salad is the latter, because the vinaigrette has to be made in advance. Don't be intimidated though, once you've reduced the beer, the rest is easy. The ingredients — tangy blue cheese, Read more

One thing I look forward to during the Winter months is the arrival of the leafy green escarole. It's a variety of endive, making it a bitter green, but it's much less bitter than Belgian endive, radicchio, or frisée. Like most leafy greens, escarole is great for you. It's high in folic acid, vitamins A and K, and fiber. It also contains a good amount of vitamin C and potassium. When shopping Read more

If you're getting in shape for a big event like a wedding, or want to look your best for bikini season, what you eat makes all the difference. Besides helping with weight loss, the right foods can also minimize bloating. Here's where asparagus comes in: this Spring veggie encourages colon health and also stimulates the growth of probiotics in the body. From breakfast to dinner, help give your Read more

If you're itching for a culinary adventure, there's no need to leave your home! Escape to Avery Island for a crawfish feast with Food Orleans. This was my lunch. I ate it all. Avery Island is a gorgeous place; it's surrounded by a long lace of bayous, has plenty of wildlife roaming around freely (deer, bears, raccoons, alligators), and houses the beautiful Jungle Gardens and Bird Sanctuary. Read more

On my last trip to Tokyo, we hit up a tiny place known for its spicy tonkotsu ramen, those famous skinny noodles topped with a hearty pork bone broth. The guys behind the counter shouted a counting rhyme as they deftly assembled each element of each serving, and when my teeming bowl appeared before me, I was thrilled to see a heaping pile of seasoned bamboo shoots atop the noodles. It's Spring, Read more

Photos: For Your Party, Camilla Salem If you're planning to celebrate today's The Hunger Games release, might we suggest a party? In this case, the fun is in the details. They may be called the Hunger Games, but nobody will go hungry with food like lamb stew with dried plums and fresh bread topped with goat cheese. Turn your home into a scene from the glamorous Capitol, and discuss what your Read more

We're excited to share this post from our partners at BabyCenter! Every week, we will be bringing you the best parenting and lifestyle stories from the experts at BabyCenter, including this post from Evonne Lack about avoiding the dangerous trap of competitive parenting. The comparison game is one new moms know well. Even when we try to avoid the "does your baby do this yet?" questions, it's Read more

Thousands of cookbooks were published in the last year, but which ones are really worth buying? The International Association of Culinary Professionals, or IACP, tackled the question as it announced its cookbook award finalists for 2012 today. Among them: plenty of cookbooks from top restaurant chefs, like Jean-Georges Vongerichten, John Besh, and Andrew Carmellini, as well as new books from Read more

You eat carrots regularly — but how much do you know about them? Although they can be grown year-round, all root vegetables thrive during the Winter season, protected from cooler temperatures by the earth. Carrots are known for their vibrant orange color, but there are also purple, red, yellow, and white varieties — mostly grown as novelty crops. The root itself is crunchy and sweet, while Read more

People tend to be rather opinionated about cauliflower. Quite a few people completely abhor it, and some are crazy for it. Either way, there's no denying that cauliflower has a rich and interesting history. Cauliflower belongs to the same species as cabbage, brussels sprouts, broccoli, and collard greens. Though white is most common, cauliflower also comes in orange, green, and purple; all Read more