Recently, reader Blanca123 raised some interesting questions when responding to our recipe for President Obama's chili: "Kindly explain why you call this pitifully flavored 'meat one-pot' a chili . . . Where's the heat? No cayenne, red pepper flakes or even hot sauce, much less real fresh chiles? Turmeric? Why?" She sure got us thinking about what are the intrinsic elements of a true pot of Read more

Every child has a food that's an absolute no. It varies by kid; my niece loves everything from asparagus to calamari to brussels sprouts, but she'll turn her nose up at mushrooms every time, no matter how they're prepared. When I was growing up, I was a pretty adventurous eater, but I despised frozen peas — so much that I made up an elaborate story about them being my doll's favorite thing on Read more

Sometimes I follow recipes to the letter, but most of the time I stick to preparations that allow me to absentmindedly add a pinch of this and a dash of that to achieve a perfectly seasoned plate. There are, of course, the basics like salt and pepper, but more often than not, I find myself reaching for the bottle of fish sauce. This umami-laden Southeast Asian staple made from fermented fish may Read more

In case you didn't catch sight of the throngs of families out and about yesterday, Mother's Day was a big deal once again this year. I wasn't in the same state as my mother this past Sunday, but I did make up for it the weekend before by treating her to huevos rancheros at one of my favorite Chicago brunch spots, Nana. There, we treated her to a plateful of crispy corn tortillas, chorizo, refried Read more

It's truth time. We all have at least one unusual eating habit that even though we may find totally delicious, completely horrifies other people. For example, I've been eating potato chips with mustard since I was a little girl — that combination is just so good! Even stranger? I like to pour vinegar on my mashed potatoes, which completely horrifies my family every Thanksgiving. I've also been Read more

Weddings are known for a few things: photos, tears, smiles, dancing, and lots of booze. I've been to my fair share of weddings with a full bar, but many people opt to serve just beer and wine. Both have their benefits and drawbacks (as well as significantly different price points). There's also the option to serve a signature cocktail for the evening, which can be a fun, creative part of a Read more

Last week, we got into a heated discussion in our office pod at Sugar headquarters about the world's most polarizing foods. Kristy hates coconut, Kelly hates celery, and Camilla despises mayonnaise. While I'm sure each one of us has a grave hatred of some ingredient or another, it occurred to me that these three condemned foods all have something in common. They're famously controversial, all of Read more

Easter is quickly approaching, and we've got eggs on our minds. There are just so many different ways to prepare and enjoy them. We love to poach them, hard-boil them, put them in burritos, scramble them, bake them with spices — the list goes on and on. So now we want your opinions. What's your favorite way to eat eggs? Source: Flickr User whitneyinchicago Read more

As a food writer, I don't often admit this, but right now I'm going to concede that I'm in a bit of a dinner rut. I tend to eat a lot of the same things on a daily basis — fast and easy pastas, roasted brussels sprouts, tomato-and-mozzarella pizzas — and lately I've grown rather sick of them. The whole issue got me thinking about the plethora of ingredients that I touch upon in my cooking all Read more

When it comes to bread making, it seems that most people like to leave it to the experts. While I see the logic in this (I mean, I will never come close to the perfect crusty loaves that come out of Tartine's kitchen), I happen to like a challenge, so the art of making bread kind of intrigues me. There is something really satisfying about being able to transform yeast, flour, and water into Read more