Ideas & Tips — Food & Drinks

Few treats in life provide as much pleasure as your own creation of fruits and vegetables mixed together and blended into a sumptuous nectar to be enjoyed in the comfort of your own home. However, those magical moments can be far and few in between because sometimes concocting the perfect smoothie is a tricky affair.  Nevertheless, the urge to try again doesn't leave us. Not only are they delicious but smoothies are also undeniably good for you, especially when mixed in with spinach, kale, bananas, avocado and a host of other fruit and vegetables in countless arrangements.  Here are a...

Depending on whom you listen, you either believe that Champagne is only for special occasions or can be consumed whenever the mood strikes. Wherever you stand on the issue, what can be agreed upon is that Champagne is a beverage that usually commands more attention and formality than others.  Originally hailing from the northeast region of France, the country has held onto the name Champagne as legally theirs for more than 100 years through the 1891 Treaty of Madrid. Eventually all of Europe joined protecting the name. Legally speaking, even American companies are only able to use the generic term,...

Spaghetti is a dish that comes with a deep, long history and is popular for a number of reasons, including both its taste and the ease with which it can be prepared. However, though there is no official set of guidelines for what comprises the perfect serving of spaghetti, these common tips are worth remembering the next time you plan to make a batch of pasta: Olive oil etiquette: Though there will never be a consensus regarding how olive oil should be used with spaghetti, some people believe that it shouldn't go anywhere near the pasta while it is still...

Salads are a popular meal choice for the nutritional content they supply. The cornucopia of vitamins and minerals they provide are key to a healthy lifestyle. A single salad can have anywhere from under 400 to well over 1,000 calories in one dish based on its ingredients.  Here are two tips to consider when making your next salad: Tasty foundation: Possibly the most important component of a salad is its base of greens. Not only does a good amount of greens load the meal with vital nutrients like lutein and folic acid, but you can use the foundation to add hunger-killing protein,...

It's that time of year again: Time to raise a glass with family and friends and toast to being safe inside with food, drink and a functional heating system. The holiday season is one of the biggest times of year for cocktails, given all the swanky parties that go on, so it stands to reason that there are an abundance of holiday cocktail ideas to choose from. Impress your friends and coworkers at parties by trying some of these out: Rosemary-scented champagne: Add rosemary-flavored simple syrup and a shot of rum to a flute of champagne for a holiday flavor with...