Bubbly makes everything better: a night becomes an evening, and lunch becomes a rendezvous; a gathering is a celebration, and an intimate dinner for two becomes a pronouncement of intention. Bubbly is, in all its forms (Prosecco, Cava and Champagne), magical in its ability to enliven and uplift every occasion — but never quite as much as when the bubbly is Champagne.
Our goal for ringing in the new year? Do it with a flash of color, vibrant flavor, heat, soulfulness, and, of course, sparkle. And no food said that for me this year like the creations coming out of Asha Gomez’s kitchen. Last year year, the chef and restaurateur became a cookbook author and published one of the year’s most celebrated cookbooks: My Two Souths.
Asha shared a few recipes with us for a New Year’s Eve menu inspired by her two souths — Kerala, the southern-most Indian state where she was born, and the American South, the region she now calls home. I chatted with Asha about the power of spice in her cooking, why fusion is considered the “F word,” and how food is always about celebration.
What if I told you that I could guarantee perfectly cooked, perfectly tender pork chops, every time? Would you believe me? Or have too many dinners of overcooked shoe-leather pork chops turned you off from this easy addition to the weeknight meal rotation? Let me convince you to try them one more time. Let me convince you to try roasting your pork chops in the oven.
Here is our step-by-step recipe for perfectly cooked, perfectly juicy pork chops.
This is a story about a part of your kitchen that you may probably pay zero attention to. You might not even know its actual name: The little cove at the bottom of your cabinets is called a “toe kick.” And it turns out that giving a little TLC to this humble spot can make a huge difference in the look and feel of your kitchen.
If we could have our paychecks sent directly to Trader Joe’s, we would. There are tons of unique (and delicious!) finds to be picked up at there that can’t be found anywhere else. These groceries are not all that expensive, either, so there’d be plenty of cash left for the little things like, um, rent.
Here’s a roundup of everything we bought from Trader Joe’s this year.
Every year, my friends and I come together to celebrate the new year in the Hudson Valley. There are eight of us in total, and this four-family sleepover is my very favorite event of the year. With delicious food, lots of downtime, and a chance to sit and talk for hours, it’s a perfect way to start each year feeling refreshed.
As kids have entered into the equation — there are now six between us! — things have gotten a bit trickier. But we’ve continued to hold onto this tradition of gathering around the table, telling stories, and eating and drinking good food and wine.
I know this year will be no different. The music may compete with the low hum of white noise coming in through dueling baby monitors, but we’ll be too busy enjoying a gourmet dinner to mind.
Here’s how we pull it off.
It’s wonderful that you decided to host New Year’s Day brunch this year, but maybe you’re starting to resent the thought of having to get up at the crack of dawn (or perhaps never even going to sleep!) on New Year’s Day to pull it off? Well, with a little planning ahead, you can host a crowd and still get your beauty sleep!
Here are all our favorite tips, hints, and tricks, and our most popular make-ahead recipes that will let you sleep in a little and still wow your friends with something delicious on January 1.
The internet can be a wonderful place filled with stories of kids reacting with pure joy when getting bananas for Christmas or using their piggy bank savings to pay for their classmates’ milk. But it can also be a dark place, where strange food pairings are born and people argue over the way food emojis should look.
In 2017 there were a lot of things on the internet that caused people to freak out, whether it was in a good way, in a bad way, or just in a very confused way. Did you miss any? Don’t worry — we rounded up the top 10 freak-outs of the year.
2017 was a good year in coffee, and 2018 promises to be even better. Pinterest even said “super coffee” was on the rise for next year. But before we look forward, let’s take a second to review everything we learned in 2017. People were really into adding collagen to their coffee, and found great grocery store coffee, and looked into if coffee is, in fact, good for you.
Beautiful cakes can make you stop everything you’re doing just to catch a long stare. They can warrant applause at birthdays and make just about any celebration even more special. We baked a whole lot of pretty cakes this year, fit for all of life’s festive moments. Here are 10 favorites.
Jonathan Wilhoite Blog 