If you plan on making lemonade or a batch of cocktails that require fresh citrus juice, be sure to use citrus that is at room temperature. According to Food & Wine Cocktails 09, refrigerated citrus will yield up to a third less liquid than fruit at room temperature. To bring cold citrus to room temperature quickly, soak the fruit in really hot water for five minutes before squeezing. Read more

One farmer on why she grows rhubarb and what dessert she likes to make with it. — The Atlantic Classic pasta carbonara inspires this scrumptious potato salad recipe. — Chow What exactly is a hot brown? — Epicurious Use lemon juice to naturally brighten dishes. — The Kitchn Surprisingly these classic cocktail recipes from the 1940s seem totally modern. — Gourmet Despite the swine Read more

I was at my vacation house when an intense craving for homemade waffles hit. Since it was snowing heavily, we had to make waffles with the ingredients in the kitchen. The recipe called for buttermilk, and rather than find another recipe, I decided to make the simple substitution for buttermilk that is a combination of milk and lemon juice. Here's the easy recipe: Place a tablespoon of lemon Read more

At the Governors Ball, the majority of the stars will be sipping sparkling wine, so stock up on more affordable bottles of Cava or Prosecco. Place wine buckets around the room and fill with ice and bottles. Arrange champagne flutes or saucers nearby. Besides sparkling wine, three specialty cocktails will be poured at the Oscars afterparty. Select one to serve your friends. I like the Golden Rush, Read more

A few weeks ago I attended the closing gala for San Francisco's Cocktail Week. The event was a casual happy hour spotted with lovely specialty drinks by the talented Absinthe Bar bartenders. The party served as closure to the week, as well as a release party for Art of the Bar, a cocktail book by the Absinthe bartenders. So naturally, they were showing off some of their specialty drinks. I was Read more

We've all done it, we've bought lettuce with the perfectly good intention of turning it into salad, only instead of making a salad, we throw it in to the back of the fridge and forget about it for a while. We come back a few days later and find that the leaves look a bit sad and wilted. Well, what do you do? Do you toss it out? Nope! You soak it! Place washed lettuce leaves in a bowl (preferably Read more