Coffee and Convo on the Blog
All the things you'd talk to a friend about over a cup of coffee.
Why is Martha Stewart so fat?
Have you noticed that Martha Stewart is fat? There’s practically an inner tube attached to her waist.
Service is all over the map at new "global" restaurant
Here's my story of the worst service I've ever had at an upscale restaurant. What's yours?
Should your home office go in your bedroom?
Should your home office go in your bedroom? Alicia says NO!
Am I crazy to crave a week alone with just the ocean?
One week alone at my parent’s beach house in North Carolina. Is this too much to ask?
Rearranging your life changes the furniture around, too
Do you rearrange your furniture? Alicia contemplates her new digs and a different design.
This BLT dip has all the flavors of my favorite sandwich
After having this dip at a party, Alicia just had to have the recipe. It's fantastic!
How do you cook with chard?
Do you cook with Swiss chard? Have to admit that it’s a new veggie for us!
Share your cocktail recipe and win a cookbook!
Send us your cocktail recipes and we'll enter your name in our drawing!
Alicia's Favorite Juicer
Alicia turns to an antique juicer to get the best results.
Make guacamole at home and skip restaurant contamination risks!
By now you’ve probably heard that salsa and guacamole are top causes of restaurant food poisoning. What to do?
How do you feel about beets? Love 'em or hate 'em?
We suspect that beets are one of those polarizing vegetables that you either love or loathe.
Desperation Dinners readers eat up Shrimp Pasta Salad
This salad got raves from our newspaper readers. “I loved the brightness of flavor!,” wrote Ada Winters of Raleigh, N.C.
Vegetable garden update: Beginner's growing pains
A bunch of gardening mistakes doesn't deter this rookie farmer.
Peach season peak: Plenty of reasons to get nostalgic
Visiting the North Carolina Farmer’s Market in Raleigh and seeing the mountains of peaches makes Beverly delirious.
Anyone can make a streamlined Chocolate Cherry Tart
This glorious tart got a gourmet beginning and has been streamlined a bit to fit today's hectic lifestyle.
Gas or Electric? What's your preference?
A friend wants advice on which to go with as she remodels her kitchen.
My Garden to Go
Hoping to sell her house, Alicia planted a garden that will move with her.
National Sugar Cookie Day? Right, dude!
Today is National Sugar Cookie Day, and I'm a sucker for anything that promotes eating more homemade cookies.
Funky Food Art Promotes Healthy Eating
We love these funky posters made from vegetable collages by our friend and colleague Lee Svitak Dean.
Sun Ripened Tomatoes are Here!
Finally summers' tomatoes have arrived!
What are your favorite quiche flavors?
Just about any way you make it, quiche is delicious!
Before the Strawberries are Gone
Fresh local Strawberries come only once a year. Alicia has one last recipe before they are gone.
Alicia's CSA experience - Chapter 1
Alicia shares her organic farm Community Shared Agriculture experience.
Is bread an appetizer or is it dinner? Rethinking a restaurant pacifier
When did bread become an appetizer? What do you think?
Does potato salad belong in Greek Salad? Let's Dish!
A traditional Greek salad does not include potato salad. But try it, you'll like it! Readers weigh in.
Are you a food watcher or a food doer? Is it a cop out?
With the ability to watch cooking on TV around the clock, are people more educated about cooking? Or have we become a bunch of food watchers and not doers?
Farm Share Diary, Chapter 2: What you get for $27
My CSA farm share boxes are oh, so bountiful. Each week’s ingredients are a delightful surprise.
Diary of a Farm Share, Chapter 1: How I became a finicky vegetable fanatic
Now that I'm an adult, I long for those bountiful summers of all-heirloom, all-organic, all hyper-local vegetables. Finally I understand what drove my mother and grandmother to become field hands every summer.
Empty Nest, Empty House? How do I unload this thing?!
As many empty nesters do, I’m downsizing. The four-bedroom house I have lived in for the past 12 years is way to big for just me and two dogs.
How do you sharpen knives? Do-it-yourself or turn to the pros?
Years ago, I went to a little mom and pop hardware store that sharpened tools and knives in the back. Unfortunately, they went out of business. So I’m on the hunt for a new place to sharpen my knives.
Chocolate can reset brain chemistry, psychiatrist says
What would happen if you simply gave in to your chocolate cravings? Well, if you did it correctly, you could jump-start your metabolism to help lose weight, says a Cleveland psychiatrist.
Mindful eating and fun activity is the best way to stay fit
As we age, our bodies change. How are you going to deal with it?
Still trying to find that perfect travel mug!
I'm still looking for the ultimate, perfect coffee travel mug. This one comes pretty close!
A vegetable garden at school can change your life
As the kids showed me the results of their labor – fresh collards, pigeon peas, tomatoes, eggplant, papaya and habanero peppers – it literally brought tears to my eyes.
Which is cheaper for Empty Nesters? Eating in or out?
I'm looking for tips from Empty Nesters out there. How do you typically eat -- cooking at home or eating out?
Muesli makes breakfast a lot more bearable!
European breakfasts of muesli change my attitude about the dreaded first meal of the day.
Can Michelle Obama and Jamie Oliver cure childhood obesity? I'm hopeful.
I'm hoping for school cafeteria change but will it ever come? Turns out there's tons of information, conversation, governmental hand-wringing, advocacy and journalistic reports over the plight of the hot school lunch.
Will Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution translate in Miami?
How hard is it to improve the way students eat in the school cafeteria?
Earth Day: What minor thing are you doing to make a major difference?
In honor of Earth Day, what will you do to make a small, but important difference?
Fast-Food Calorie Counts on Menus: Do you give a flip?
Calorie counts are coming to a menu near you. Why should you care? Will it really make a difference in the way you order in restaurants?
Salmon with Pan Sauce dresses up wild fish
Wild-caught salmon is a lot leaner than farm-raised, so if I’m going to like it, the recipe has to have a bit of fat.
Risotto in the microwave is easy to tweak. What flavors do you like?
Microwave risotto is really just a formula. What flavors do you like?
What are your favorite specialty food items? I'm a fool for these
It's no April 1 prank -- I'm a fool for these special foods! And what are your favs?
Deviled Eggs -- A Definite for Easter!
One nice thing about cooking for Easter is that it’s straightforward, and a lot of boiled eggs are required. Ours will end up deviled!
Plenty of TV drama spices up Jamie Oliver's new show
What did you think of celebrity chef Jamie Oliver's show on trying to help one West Virginia community eat more healthy food?
Slow-cooker stare-down: Tell me why you don't like your Crock-Pot and I'll convince you!
I’m passionate about my slow cookers, and think everybody else ought to feel the same! What do you think?
A vegetarian minestrone soup that everyone can enjoy
Being a vegetarian in a carnivorous family isn't always easy. Alicia cooks up a soup to help her sis-in-law!
What on Earth is EVOO?
Extra Virgin Olive Oil is as complex as fine wine. Here are some of the details.
Chickpea and Sweet Potato Stew is a hit with readers!
Readers give us their ideas for variations on this hearty vegan stew.
Making biscuits with Maw Maw started a lifelong kitchen tradition
These rustic sweet biscuits are easy to make and the ingredients are usually on hand.
Calamata Olive Pits hard on the teeth!
Alicia bites down on a not-so-pitted olive and ends up in the dentist chair.
Love a Margarita? You've gotta try these!
Whether you love a margarita or would rather pass, you have to try these amazing drinks.Measuring the success of Miami's public school veggie gardens
By any measure, school gardens make a difference in kids' lives.
Won't share your recipe? That's just mean!
It's always astounding when someone refuses to share a recipe. Really, what could a cook be thinking?
Greek Appetizer Soup Makes a Wonderful Main Event!
With only 20 minutes in the kitchen, you can enjoy this restaurant classic without leaving home.
Not measuring your flour correctly will ruin your cookies!
After a few readers had difficulty with Nanny Edith's Sugar Cookies, we thought this video could help with the problems.
Valentine's Day just begs for red foods! What are your favorites?
Combining chocolate and the color red make for the perfect answer to Valentine entertaining.
One-Bowl Fudge* is perfect for a quick and easy Valentine that's sinfully rich!
What are your favorite variations on this quick and delicious One-Bowl Fudge?
What are you serving for the Super Bowl and where will you watch?
A little Saints, a little Stuffed Potato Skins makes the perfect Super Super Bowl combo for Alicia!
What’s your favorite type of make-at-home pizza crust? We really want to know!
What’s your favorite type of make-at-home pizza crust? The field is a lot more crowded now that ever before!
Desperately seeking the perfect travel mug: Is this too much to ask?
Alicia needs a new travel mug and can’t find one. She's hoping that you all can help.
Does Michael Pollan matter? Come join the conversation!
Michael Pollan is to food what Al Gore is to Global Warming. Come join our conversation about if and why we need to pay attention to what Pollan has to say.
Easy and healthy Edamame Soup is a hit with our readers!
Lots of people emailed to tell us how much they loved Edamame Soup.
Can flunking your colonoscopy end up being good for your gut?
As if fortified yogurts and probiotics aren't enough for a healthy colon, now we've got to give the healthy bacteria a snack.
Black-eyed Pea Salad brings good luck and great flavor!
Black-eyed Pea Salad is hearty enough to make an entree for New Year’s lunch or serves as a suitable side dish. And everybody likes it.
Easy desserts make it easier to stay in on New Year's Eve
If you're not headed out on the town for New Year's Eve, you might as well eat dessert.
Recipe ideas for a special Christmas breakfast
From Eggnog French Toast to Pumpkin Pancakes, we've got Christmas breakfast covered!
Does anybody still have dinner parties anymore?
Are you giving any dinner parties this holiday season? Have you been invited to any? What did you serve or eat?
What are your favorite foods to fix for a potluck?
Holiday season means “Potluck Party Season” for us, but we expect it to be even more true with this year’s economy.
Ruth Reichl signs off on the latest (and last) recipes from Gourmet magazine
When Ruth Reichl was in Miami last month for the Book Fair, the demise of Gourmet, the magazine she’d edited for the past 10 years, had recently been announced. Ruth told an audience of several hundred fans that neither she nor her staff got any advanced warning whatsoever that the magazine would be axed.
"Desperation Dinners" price has Beverly a bit steamed!
In fine print on the books’ Amazon home page, there are 115 used copies of Desperation Dinners starting at 26 cents. What's up with that?
What’s your favorite junk food?
What's your secret craving -- the thing you can’t do without? Mine has to be Krispy Kreme donuts, but only when they are hot off the line!
Bananas and Bread Pudding...Love them? Or NOT!
Bananas and bread pudding share a common thread: Those who love them really do, and those who don't? Well.....
101 Ways to Make Hot Artichoke Dip? Tell us your favorite!
This may be the most popular dip in history – and the simplest. How do you make Hot Artichoke Dip?
Hungry men prefer plump women: Why the Hubby will be eating salad
New studies confirm that hungry men prefer the women a bit on the plump side. Why is that?
Old songs stuck in my head!
What songs get stuck in your head and why?
What do you fix when the feast is finished?
Dinners for the weekend after Thanksgiving are a challenge at Beverly's house.
President Obama isn't the only one who loves Pecan Pie!
Maybe if we all email this recipe to our friends and post it to our Facebook profiles, somehow it will wind its way to the White House. So help me out here people – it’s worth a try!
Don't sweat Thanksgiving menu! It always works.
On all other days guests might be passing judgment on your menu. But on Thanksgiving, the cook gets a free pass.
Thanksgiving imperfection? Tell us about your favorite T-Day disaster!
Alicia fesses up to her biggest Thanksgiving Day disaster, so now, what was yours?!
Do we think we can dance? Not exactly...
A tango class in Buenos Aires turns out to be more than just a dancing lesson.
Come have "Coffee and Convo" with Alicia and tell us what's on your mind!
Starting today, we’re creating a new blog category exclusively for Alicia and the kinds of things you talk about with friends over coffee. It's call, appropriately, Coffee and Convo with Alicia!
Marathon season makes little sense to me!
Does it seem like all of YOUR friends are training for marathons too? Running 26 miles in one stretch, without ever haven even done it before? What on Earth could the motivation be?
Halloween Yes or Halloween No? What's it like at your house?
Is Halloween a yes or no at your house? Alicia wants to know...
At Casa SaltShaker in Buenos Aires, the restaurant door is "closed" but the kitchen opens wide
Behind closed doors in a private restaurant in Buenos Aires, the food and conversation make a memorable evening.
How do you cook for an Empty Nest?
We’ve been putting this off for as long as we can, but now it’s time: We simply must learn to cook for an Empty Nest. Cooking for one or two isn’t always as easy as cutting a recipe in half.
For me, food is social. How about for you?
For Alicia, sharing food is, and always has been, about fellowship. To sit at the kitchen table… by myself… and just eat… with no conversation… it steals all the joy.
Is heavenly Chocolate Bread Pudding worth the splurge?
If this warm, gooey Chocolate Bread Pudding was sitting in front of us at a dinner party we’d probably inhale it in 20 seconds flat. But how do you decide if it's really worth the calories?
One of life's best meals? Here's how I found mine among the grapevines!
Malbec wines, Chapter Two: After a woozy trip to the Legarde vineyard in Mendoza, Argentina, Beverly tries her luck at wine tasting once again. Here’s what she gleaned.
What's your favorite cooking show? Top Chef is tops with me!
What's you favorite television cooking show? Alicia's hooked on Top Chef ...
Beverly learns her lesson at a historic Malbec winery in Mendoza, Argentina
What happens when an unprepared wine novitiate gets airlifted into the middle of Argentina with more than 40 wineries and over 50,000 acres of vineyards? You live and learn!
Ciabiatta with Chicken and Cheese: A sandwich you could fall in love with
True confessions: Beverly doesn’t really love sandwiches. Especially not for dinner. And then Alicia steps in to change her mind.
A cookie recipe worth remodeling the kitchen for!
When a Kitchen Scoop reader told us she remodeled her entire kitchen around one cookie recipe, we knew we had to try them. Here they are, and are they terrific!
BBQ Chicken fit for a man with a bit of beer and a lotta banjo!
At Beverly's house, Barbecued Chicken means a man with tongs, meat and fire who has an excuse to hide in the backyard, sip beer and play the banjo. Preferably for a very long time.
Iceberg Wedge Salad Sparks Passion....Love it .. or Really, Really Don't?
By her own admission, Jeanette Sanders is an adventurous eater and cook. But when it comes to the Iceberg Wedge Salad, she’s just not buying it! Here’s what she has to say:
Alicia's favorite authentic guacamole is simple and easy, but is it the best?
There are probably as many recipes for guacamole as there are people who love this Mexican specialty. Here's Alicia's favorite recipe.
Perfect chocolate-oatmeal cookie is an old-fashioned childhood dream
All I want is that simple recipe for no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies – you know, the kind the elementary school cooks make with oats, peanut butter, and cocoa.
So, how many figs can you get from a 99-cent plant? Just don't laugh!
Backyard figs bring fun all summer long.
Home can be the best cooking school
Every time one of my girls talks about cooking, people ask me where they took cooking lessons. The answer is simple: at home.
Good Morning America Grills on the Sidewalk!
Fourth of July usually means you are going to grill. Some years that can happen in the oddest places on Earth. Probably the most fantastic (or oddest) place I have ever grilled is the sidewalk outside the studios of Good Morning America.
