Food and Recipes

Here is a place for you to play with your food -- literally: enjoy, have fun with and celebrate food -- but don't worry, we'll still help you get dinner on the table every night.

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On the east coast of Italy, south of the boot cuff, in the temperate region known as the mezzogiorno, is Abruzzo.

By Eleanor Duse

Did you know that you can cook cake inside an orange peel and a casserole inside a coffee can? Just two of the many ways you can make meals over a campfire.

By Rosalind Jackson

Restaurants and grocery stores seem to think Black Angus Beef is the bee's knees. But most steak consumers have no idea why. What's all the hype about?

By Rosalind Jackson

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Movie stars, musicians and professional athletes have had the celebrity corner locked down for decades. But these days, there's a new breed of celebrity that wields a whisk and a wooden spoon instead of a guitar or baseball bat.

By Alia Hoyt & Emilie Sennebogen

Where can you find the world's best pasta? The obvious answer is Italy, where the food staple originated. But did the Italians take a culinary cue from the Chinese? Were Marco Polo and Kublai Khan swapping recipes in the 13th century?

By Cristen Conger

Congratulations! Your baby is ready to start eating solid foods. Now what? You could buy jars of baby food off the grocery store shelf to meet this need, but making homemade baby food is almost as easy as boiling water.

By Heather Kolich

"A spoonful of high-fructose corn syrup makes the medicine go down" just doesn't have the same ring to it. Is this artificial sweetener the sugar cube's evil twin?

By Tom Scheve

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It may come in fourth on the list of top protein choices, but one day out of the year nothing else will do. Every Thanksgiving Day, chicken, beef and pork all step aside for turkey. But would the bird be so popular without its own holiday?

By Jessika Toothman

Find yourself dreaming about mounds of sweet, delectable candy? You aren't alone. The average person in the United States eats 10 pounds of chocolate per year -- and that's just chocolate! Join the ranks and check out this candy image gallery.

By Marie Bobel

Baking powder is an essential ingredient when preparing and making baked goods. As a leavening agent it gives volume and a fluffy texture to muffins, breads and cakes.

When farmers go to market, they cut out the middleman and bring fresher products to the consumer. So how do farmers' markets run, and where can you find one?

By Maria Trimarchi

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If your morning routine includes a cup or two of coffee, you may know a few things about it. It's a stimulant drink, it comes from beans that are roasted and ground and, for many of us, it's a staple of life.

By the Editors of Publications International, Ltd.

In the 1,400 years since the pretzel was invented, bakers have come up with a wide variety of shapes and flavors. These fun facts show how adaptable and versatile this twisted snack truly is.

By Jeremy Glass

You'd be hard pressed to find a Canadian restaurant in the United States (except for the 300 Tim Hortons franchises...we'll get to that), but Canada's cultural and geographic diversity has produced quite a few foods that can boast Canadian heritage.

By the Editors of Publications International, Ltd.

Cheese has been around in the Mesopotamian region since before 6000 B.C. That's a long time for a food to gain notoriety in the culinary world. See what cheese has been up to for the past couple of thousand years in this cheese facts article.

By the Editors of Publications International, Ltd.

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Eggs are an emblem of life for every culture, but each culture has it's own specific rituals and rights surrounding the egg. Find out some of these strange and foreign egg facts.

By the Editors of Publications International, Ltd.

Mushrooms, whether cultivated or harvested wildly, can provide a delicious addition to any meal. Learn more mushroom facts about these fungi.

By the Editors of Publications International, Ltd.

Hungry? A restaurant in Detroit, Mich. has made a 134-pound cheeseburger. It's sure to set the new world record for size, but it's certainly not the costliest menu item available.

By Josh Clark

While peanut butter does contain a lot of the components you need in your daily diet, it doesn't have all of them. What would happen to your body if you only ate peanut butter?

By Katherine Neer

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Locavores avoid eating ingredients that have not been grown and produced locally. But does giving up your morning coffee or even chocolate really help the environment and the local economy?

By Maria Trimarchi

Organic foods and other products are popping up everywhere. USDA organic seals make them fairly easy to spot. But what's behind the label? How do products become certified organic?

By Maria Trimarchi

Many people believe buying organic or local food helps the environment. But which purchase is more environmentally sound? Is it better to buy pesticide-free food from exotic spots or local food from non-organic farms?

By Maria Trimarchi

Flavorists are enlisted by food manufacturers to concoct new and improved flavors for food. But how natural is the process?

By Sarah Dowdey

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Love 'em or hate 'em, fruitcakes are an enduring tradition. And right now, we're smack-dab in the middle of fruit-filled log season. These holiday treats have the same density as mahogany, which has prompted some resourceful ideas.

By Julie Douglas

From Mom's apple pie to a healthy afternoon snack, this scrumptious fruit has long been a part of our culture. Learn all about the various baking apples from Granny Smith to McIntosh.

By the Editors of Publications International, Ltd.