When I was a college student, I was living in a fifth-floor walk-up apartment in downtown Iowa City. The apartment was on the top floor of a converted seminary/converted office building and, consequently, had a tiny kitchen — maybe 6-feet long by 3-feet wide, but my very first. And it was here that I began...

Comedian Steve Martin once said, “Those French — it’s like they have a word for everything.” Charcuterie is one of those words. The art of pairing meats and cheeses with all kinds of delectable accompaniments is derived from the French words “chair” (flesh) and “cuit” (cooked). In 15th century France, the word was used to...

My husband and I exchange looks as soon as we see a pregnant person show up on the television screen because he knows I’m about to say things like, “What?” “Really?!” and “Why?” I understand that writers are trying to make their shows exciting, but the images shown often cannot be further from the reality...

Having to make dinner night after night can be a drag any time of year, but it can feel even more like a chore in the fall if you have kids in school. After the (relatively) relaxed days of summer, it can take a while to get back into the rhythm, routine and energy of...

Football isn’t the only thing people go nuts over this time of year. It also marks pumpkin-spice season, with the warming (and controversial) seasonal fall flavor finding its way into everything from your Starbucks latte and Southern Tier Brewing Co.’s Pumking Imperial Pumpkin Ale to cookies, popcorn, spreads, breads, creamer, yogurt, gelato, cereal and toaster...