Photo: arsheffield

My brother’s birthday just so happens to also be St. Patrick’s Day. There isn’t a year that goes by where his cakes, parties, and gifts, are always green, Irish themed, and more often than not, a little out of hand. Despite my family obligation to celebrate this day every year, it seems to be that many people, Irish or not, birthday or not, take the opportunity to dress in green, eat pub fare, drink Guinness or whiskey or both, and celebrate the opportunity to really, well, celebrate. When it comes down to it, everyone seems to be a little bit Irish when March 17^th rolls around. Read More

In Sweden, Christmas entails a long celebration, from the beginning of December all the way through the middle of January. With short days and scarce light, the festivities (and the food) are hugely important and widely enjoyed. Read More

With another Thanksgiving in memory and Christmas soon to come, it’s easy to feel like the end of year is all about eating. Take a couple of nights off your regular pasta dinner and eat some heartwarming soup. I promise you will feel warm, light and full. Also, soups are easy and usually quick to make! Read More

Whether you’re one of the lucky ones to have this entire week off or working hard through the holiday, make sure to indulge in the wonders of a firework display while eating some fantastic food. Whether you’re vegetarian or using the holiday to get into some serious slabs of ribs, celebrating Independence Day calls for delicious dip-friendly appetizers, grilling, and refreshing sides. Check out these summer-inspired recipes guaranteed to be a hit with any culinary crowd: Read More

Photo: devlyn

By: Michael Engle

Exactly one week from now, Jews all over the world will be observing Passover (Pesach, in Hebrew, as well as in universal Jewish common vernacular) with the first of two seders.  Technically, by that time, all Jewish homes should be completely ridden of chametz, or leavened bread products.  During Passover, five common and normally-kosher grains: wheat, barley, rye, oat, and spelt, temporarily become forbidden in all forms, except for Kosher for Passover matzo.  In addition, beans and legumes are widely avoided, as per Eastern European tradition.  This is why certain high-fructose corn syrup-dependent products, such as Coca-Cola and Fox’s U-bet chocolate syrup, make special batches with refined sugar, in order to maintain sales during Passover.  (Because of this seasonal change, certain food purists and enthusiasts, whether Jewish or gentile, buy these items in bulk during Passover.)

The most iconic Passover staple, matzo ball soup, is now in a class of its own.  No longer a week-long phenomenon, it is enjoyed year-round.  In fact, it is a very simple dish: all you have to do is make matzo balls, place them in a bowl with kosher chicken stock, and serve it!  Even spare dill sprigs or celery or carrot chunks can be considered superfluous.  Read More

Photo: Erik Forsbe

By: Michele Wolfson

As a personal chef, it’s this time of year that I get a bunch of frantic phone calls on advice about how to detox after holiday indulgences. All of the excessive eating, heavy partying, and sleep deprived nights have caught up to most of us and that holiday bulge is a nuisance that has to be eliminated from the waistline as quickly as possible.

Many of us take our livers for granted, but did you know that the liver is a filter for the body and needs to be purged of toxins to stay healthy and function optimally? The liver is the largest and most complex organ in the body and it cleans and filters our blood 24 hours a day.

A stressed, toxic liver can lead to many health problems, also including weight issues and cardiovascular & degenerative diseases. Read More

Photo: www.iangibbphotography.com

By: Michele Wolfson

Christmas is over and New Year’s is right around the bend, which most likely means that you’ve sipped on far too much eggnog and eaten about two-dozen Christmas cookies. Can I get an amen? If you are like most blue-blooded Americans, you’ve gained an average of 6 pounds since Thanksgiving. Each holiday season no indulgence seems too big and one small cookie here and there doesn’t seem like it could do much harm. Let me add it up for you- That extra jiggle probably came from all of those holiday parties at work and with your friends plus cheerful neighbors bringing over freshly baked cookies and cakes and let’s not forget the highly caloric holiday beverages that we all use to wash down those calorie-packed treats.

2012 is the year that we should vow to eat higher quality foods and consume less in general. In fact, there are foods that can actually help you lose weight while also tasting delicious. Here is a list of 10 flat-belly foods to add to your everyday diet. Some may really surprise you!

Also click here to read our list of Stress Relieving Foods. Read More

Photo: abrinsky

So you ate too much yesterday? Who didn’t?! As Americans, we know Thanksgiving and Christmas as the days when we overlook overeating all in the name of good spirit and celebration. And although we can’t take back everything we ate yesterday, we can take a couple steps to help detox and bring our bodies back to normalcy after much indulgence.

Here are a few tips you can use today to help your body feel as happy as you did when eating that meal yesterday. Read More

Photo: bernat

By: Michele Wolfson

Did you know that there are 49 million bubbles in one bottle of champagne? I learned that fact the hard way when I guessed the wrong answer in an intense game of Foodie Fight, a trivia game designed for Foodies that I bought from The Filling Station in Chelsea Market. While it’s a known fact that I hate losing, I was fascinated to learn that this New Years Eve (probably sooner, who am I kidding?), I will be sipping on approximately 9,800,000 bubbles if mine is one of five glasses from a bottle.

I also learned that Champagne is considered to be a true wine. Read More

Photo: Kevin Glowacki

Here to tell us about his classic Champagne choices for the holidays as well as a little background into Champagne history, is Red Rooster‘s Bar Director, Christian Post:

Of course it really isn’t the holidays without having friends and family visiting; and nothing says “Welcome to our home” better than a nice Champagne, especially this time of year.  So I recommend that you have some Champagne in your refrigerator chilled and ready to go.  But with so many to choose from which one should you pick?  Read More