Ideas & Tips — Food & Drinks

'Tis the season for hot chocolate, and if you're a real fiend for sweet, hot beverages, you can find a way to fit it into almost any situation. Need something to wake you up in the morning? Dark hot chocolate will do the trick. Looking for an easy dessert? You guessed it, hot chocolate. Here are just a few of the many variations on the hot chocolate theme. See how many you can make before the new year: Milk chocolate peanut butter hot chocolate: For those times when you want to eat a peanut butter cup, but don't want to go...

Salt is almost literally the spice of life. It makes any dish more flavorful and is therefore one of the most popular table condiments in the world. There are many types of salt on the market that serve different purposes, from cooking to pickling to seasoning at the table. Here is our short guide to types of salt and how to use them: Kosher salt. This is a common table salt and is used in kosher cooking to draw out the blood of the animal. It has a milder flavor than iodized table salt, and dissolves quickly, making it a good...

Fall is the perfect time to experiment with making different homemade soups. Soups are an especially good food to make at home because you can easily double the recipe and store leftovers in your freezer. Just make sure to cool your soup in the fridge before freezing it. Kristen Eppich of Chatelaine offers some other helpful tips for making this classic (and good for you!) comfort food: Sweat your vegetables: An integral element of any good recipe is accentuating the flavors. "Vegetables like onion, garlic, celery and carrots–referred to as 'aromatics'–are part of most soup recipes for this very reason, sautéed...

Blood Marys are an acquired taste that manages to retain a strong fan base because there are so many ways to make them. The abundance of ingredients leaves room for adjustments that are just slight enough for the drink to retain its name while presenting a different drinking experience.  Invented in 1920s Paris by French bartender Fernand "Pete" Petiot, the beverage grew into an international phenomenon when he moved to New York City to work at the St. Regis Hotel. There, the drink took off and spread around the world through the many St. Regis chains.  Here are a few of the Bloody Mary...

Many of us have gone to restaurants and thought — "I could make a meal out of the appetizers!" Doing just that can make for a fun and unique dinner party or family supper. To make sure everyone gets plenty to eat and is fully satisfied, include a wide variety of options:  Fresh: Serving hors d'oeuvres for dinner doesn't mean you should forget about eating plenty of vegetables! Chop up some fresh bell peppers and celery sticks to serve with hummus. We also love a nice, summery Caprese salad, made from fresh tomatoes, mozzarella and basil. Just drizzle with olive oil...