To Americans, the word turkey conjures thoughts of Thanksgiving. However, there are a lot of ideas about the bird and the holiday, which need clarification. It is believed that the first pilgrims that landed in Plymouth would have starved if not for the feast of turkey provided by the local Powhatan natives. In part, that is somewhat true. But, the Pilgrims ...

Tart and unassuming, the humble cranberry will once again take second seat to many Thanksgiving turkey this year. Cranberries have certainly earned a spot at every American Thanksgiving table, and to omit them from this harvest celebration would be extremely unconventional. I had a chance to learn a bit more about our favorite seasonal side dish firsthand at a talk at ...

The thick, black binder that Paula Gillett keeps charts her son Jack's battle last year against a food-borne illness caused by E. coli. Filled with medical records, meal calendars and other papers, the binder documents Jack's initial illness, the kidney failure that struck next and his eventual recovery. What is not in Gillett's binder - and what Jack's doctors and state ...

WASHINGTON - Alcoholic energy drinks, marketed under provocative names such as Evil Eye, Max Fury and Slingshot Party Gel, have quickly gained a foothold among younger drinkers. Now the producers of those beverages have a new, perhaps unwanted audience. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday said it will ask them for proof that their products, which blend caffeine ...

WASHINGTON - A Senate committee on Wednesday unanimously approved a much-awaited overhaul of the nation's food safety laws, though it gave little hint of how it would pay for the sweeping but costly reform of the Food and Drug Administration's system for protecting much of what the nation eats and drinks. Lawmakers gave themselves some time to figure out the financing. ...

It was an evening out that college students Leslie Pope and John Wagner will long remember. Not only did they get what they called lousy service, they got handcuffed and arrested. All over a $16.35 tip. They were with a half-dozen friends at the Lehigh Pub in Bethlehem last month, so the establishment tacked what it called a mandatory 18 percent ...

The holidays may not be so sweet this year. Nestle - which sells nearly all the canned pumpkin in the U.S. - says poor weather hurt its harvest, creating a potential shortage of its Libby's pumpkin pie products through the holidays. In a statement to customers this week, Nestle said heavy rains made it nearly impossible to pick its pumpkins during ...

Fried chicken is a dish eaten in shame. Some nights when the urge arises, I rush to the neighborhood Kentucky-style chicken emporium in a hooded sweatshirt and tinted sunglasses, find the farthest table from the entrance and begin desecrating the contents of a bucket. Is this because there's no civilized way of eating fried chicken? Part of the appeal is its ...

Yep, it’s that time of year. And rather than bore you with yet another Turkey Day post extolling the virtues of gewurztraminer or pinot noir, we’re going to tell it to you like it is. Are you ready? There is no perfect wine match for Thanksgiving meals. It’s something we as retailers have known for years (glorified in amusing detail by ...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. Lura Dannenbrock has her Denny's lunch order down pat. A "Better Burger" 100 percent seasoned beef patty, hand-pressed, grilled, with Swiss cheese and sauteed mushrooms. "They're a very good value for the price, but I also want it to taste good," said Dannenbrock, dining recently at the Denny's restaurant at Blue Ridge Cutoff. Americans have long craved the ...

JENNIFER CARROLL still gets teased at work for her televised admission that sometimes hair-pulling can be fun. The "Top Chef: Las Vegas" fan favorite, who is executive chef at 10 Arts by Eric Ripert at the Ritz-Carlton, says her "cooks go home after dinner service and watch the show, then they come in the next day and make fun of me." ...

If you can't take the heat, find a dame who has a penchant for fire. Clad in a burnt-orange chef's coat, local cookbook author and chef, Aliza Green reached across the counter at La Cucina in the Reading Terminal Market and tossed a handful of black peppercorns into a hot pan as she imparted a bit of culinary wisdom to her ...

For Central Indiana's top chefs, fine dining is no longer about white tablecloths and coats and ties. Good food is still a must, but it's gaining an artisan flair. And just as important, chefs are emphasizing fun and comfort. Whether it's the craft pizza at the soon-to-open Pizzology, the wine list at The Glass Chimney or the mood music at FARMbloomington, ...

Fishing author William G. Tapply once wrote: "I've gone fishing thousands of times in my life, and I have never once felt unlucky or poorly paid for those hours on the water." For more than 60 years, Joe Yee of Seattle has been living that dream by casting a cut-plug herring or a fly into just about every fishing hole one ...

Make sure you don't make these mistakes! A week ago, the New York Times ran a two part story (Part 1 and Part 2) about 100 things restaurant staffers should never do; the article was written by Bruce Buschel, a writer turned restaurateur who is opening a seafood restaurant. From these 100, I choose 10 that I couldn't agree more ...

TAMPA - Each Thanksgiving season, a few unlucky Americans manage to burn down their houses trying to deep fry a turkey. Proving there's almost no cooking hassle the convenience food industry can't solve, one major grocery chain in Florida will start selling pre-fried, frozen whole turkeys for this holiday season - Sweetbay. Just toss one in the oven for an hour ...

There are more ways to cook a turkey than just roasting. For people with small ovens or ovens that suddenly don't perform on a holiday, or for a special dinner, this should come as welcome news. For those who just want to try something new for Thanksgiving dinner, it could be an adventure. At my home, we've cooked whole chickens or ...

Thanksgiving is (ominous drum roll) almost upon us. You better decide soon what kind of Thanksgiving you are going to celebrate. Some forms require prior approval from the Environmental Protection Agency. Will it be the traditional Thanksgiving? By this I mean turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, and a heart attack. Or will you go for a totally post-modern Thanksgiving of ...

WASHINGTON - Poor Bill Yosses. He's the White House pastry chef. He makes desserts for a living. He works for Barack and Michelle Obama. They talk about healthy eating. All the time. Sounds like a recipe for disaster, right? Not at all. Yosses' creations - especially his pies - have won over even the Obamas. The president calls him "The Crustmaster." ...

White House pastry chef Bill Yosses' light, flaky pie crusts have earned him the nickname "The Crustmaster" from President Barack Obama. His trick to making fruit pies worthy of a president is to bake the bottom crust first, then fill and top the pie and bake it again. Yosses prefers to mix the dough by hand to avoid overworking it but ...