Food

Whenever I decide to cook straight from the pantry, one of two things usually results: pasta or beans.

Dorcas Tarbell restocks her 97-year-old father’s fridge from a grocery list he gives her every week. One of the items that’s often on that list is a frozen TV dinner of green bean casserole.

”To achieve great things, two things are needed: a plan, and not quite enough time.” -Leonard Bernstein

The first time I saw an oven bag in action was well more than a decade ago when I arrived at my husband’s childhood home to find my sister-in-law prepping our Thanksgiving turkey breast, packing in lemon, apples and onions along with the meat. It sort of blew my mind.

First dates are famously fraught – there’s a reason they’re the subject of many a movie scene (and group text freak-outs). If they go well, maybe they’ll be mentioned in wedding toasts and reminiscences with doting grandchildren. After all, we’ve always heard that you never get a second chance to make a first impression.

As the holidays approach and we entertain more, I look for wines that are not the same-old yet won’t strain the wallet. Here are three, including a quaffable white from Gascony and two high-altitude wines from northern Italy made from less-familiar grape varieties.

Martha Domitrovich wants you to come over for dinner. It’s something she’s done for family, friends and near strangers over the years.

When I started celebrating Thanksgiving with my stepfather, Bob, I learned that though he’s not much of a dessert person, he doesn’t consider the Thanksgiving meal complete unless it involves a slice of pie. Some people skip dessert on Thanksgiving – after all, there’s a lot of food to fill up on. But like Bob, I like to end a big meal on a sweet note.

With Thanksgiving quickly approaching, many cooks will be tackling a whole bird. And if you’re roasting a turkey or chicken for the first time or if it is something you do only a few times a year, you may be confused about what to do with the giblets, or organs, often found inside the bird. If your first instinct is to throw them in the trash – don’t. That’s a lot of flavor that you’d be wasting. Here’s what you need to know to put turkey and chicken giblets to good use.

The roasted vegetables you’ll probably have left over from Thanksgiving may be unintended extras, but once you realize what a treasure they are, I bet you’ll roast a batch regularly just to have them at-the-ready in the refrigerator all season long, like I do. I dip them in hummus as a snack, chop and pile them onto avocado toast, and stuff them into omelets and frittatas. They are easily reheated to be served as a side with roasted chicken or any other protein, and they add seasonal splendor to everyday salads.

There’s more encouraging progress in the effort to lighten up wine by reducing the weight of bottles.

Remember to offer drinks for all guests -- not just the ones that drink alcohol.

Charcuterie boards have been around for centuries, but they’re certainly having a moment.

Vintage airplanes regularly take off from an airstrip just outside the back windows of the Skyway Café. A fleet of model planes hang suspended from its ceiling, and an abundance of military memorabilia decorate its walls.

This is the year year that Brent Roberts, of Friday Harbor, decided to make the jump into winery ownership. He is joining more than 1,050 wineries licensed in Washington, most of them small. That's a lot of dreams.

Starbucks fans remained loyal to their pumpkin spice latte order and other seasonal offerings this fall, helping the company report record sales in the fourth quarter.

Next spring – that’s how long fans will likely have to wait to see the estimable Kristen Kish take over hosting duty from Padma on the next season of “Top Chef.” (Filmed in … Wisconsin?) But in the meantime, the TV landscape is hardly a desert. There are new shows about Iron Chef-quality sushi, José Andrés and his family touring Spain, a five-star luxury hotel’s fancy kitchen and so much more. ...

The heartbreaking tragedy of my Wednesday-night dinner began with a simple message from my wife: She was on her way to an appointment and was defrosting a package of shrimp. Great, I thought. I'll make shrimp fried rice. Everybody loves fried rice. And although I think I had only made it once or twice before in my life, it will undoubtedly be fast and easy to make. I even found a ...

Here’s a flavorful vegetarian meal served in a bowl. I use several different vegetables for this meal. You can use any you have on hand. Just follow the amounts in the recipe for a balanced meal. Butternut squash is a treat this time of year, and the best part is that we can buy butternut squash cubes ready to use. I added quinoa to the bowl for its texture and high-protein content.