When the summer slows you down, this cold avocado soup will pick you upSFGate - Joe Yonan, The Washington PostMy first summer in Washington, I was fairly miserable. I lived barely 10 blocks from work, but what had been a 12-minute walk in the wintertime slowed to a 20-minute slog come June and July, as I tried
Social Security Planned ICE raids are putting the restaurant industry on edgeSFGate - Tim Carman, The Washington PostThe national restaurant industry is bracing for a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation that could round up hundreds of migrant families that have received deportation orders. Restaurant and
Dean & DeLuca's future is bleak. But when it opened it was a game-changer.SFGate - Maura Judkis, The Washington PostThe first time I ever went to a Dean & DeLuca, I did not know what harissa was. I was in college. I had never heard of a hen of the woods mushroom. I had no idea that salt could cost $40. I remember walking
Steak At just $14, this savory and rich French red makes a mighty match for steakSFGate - Dave McIntyre, The Washington PostMany importers contract with cooperative wineries to produce private label wines they can sell inexpensively back here in the United States. We may not realize which wines these are, unless we scrutinize
Puree, liquefy, crush: How to choose and use a blenderSFGate - Becky Krystal, The Washington PostA blender was one of my first countertop appliances, proudly displayed in my first apartment. That's more years ago than I prefer to calculate at this point. Even now, though, as I've acquired many (too
Recipes Summer romance: Watermelon and goat cheese were meant for each otherSFGate - Ellie Krieger, The Washington PostHere's a delightful, nibble to pop in your mouth as you sip rosé by the pool or lounge at home with the air conditioner at full blast. This refreshing finger food makes the most of watermelon's affinity
Starbucks The Starbucks Tie-Dye Frappuccino tastes like Laffy Taffy and disenchantmentSFGate - Maura Judkis, The Washington PostI have never tried psychedelic drugs, but I imagine the experience is a lot like drinking a Starbucks Frappuccino. Strange sensations, unnatural colors, increased heart rate, heightened emotions, paranoia:
Cookies Who makes the best cookies-and-cream ice cream in the US? We scooped up 15 top brands to find out.SFGate - Maura Judkis, The Washington PostIf ice creams could have zodiac signs, cookies and cream would be a Libra - obsessed with balance and equilibrium. If ice creams were countries, cookies and cream would be Switzerland - a neutral zone
Baking How to create the ice cream of your dreamsSFGate - Becky Krystal, The Washington PostIf there's a food that brings more universal joy to the world than ice cream, I've yet to find it. Frankly, I'm not sure I'd want to. Whether you eat it in a bowl or a cone, on a hot summer afternoon by
Cilantro How to manage - or even conquer! - your cilantro hatredSFGate - Becky Krystal, The Washington PostHere at Washington Post Food HQ, we're used to questions about substitutions and recipe changes. One of the most common ingredients that trips people up is cilantro. "This is one herb you either like dislike
Wineries Wineries are cutting energy use one bottle at a timeSFGate - Dave McIntyre, The Washington PostMaking and marketing wine requires lots of energy. Producing and transporting glass bottles (empty and full), cooling wineries and warehouses, running tractors in vineyards, sanitizing fermentation tanks
Spain This $13 Spanish red will provide a delightful match for all your grilled foodSFGate - Dave McIntyre, The Washington PostWith summer in full throttle, it's time for red wines that can match foods from the grill without overpowering us with weight or alcohol. This week's greatest value is a delightful mencia from Spain, bargain
Food chat: Glass or metal? The choice could change how you bake.SFGate - The Washington PostAnna Gass, author of "Heirloom Kitchen: Heritage Recipes and Family Stories From The Tables of Immigrant Women," recently joined The Washington Post Food section staff in answering questions about all
Snapchat With a wink and a 'yasssss,' Lazarus Lynch brings soul food to the Snapchat generationSFGate - Elazar Sontag, The Washington PostWhen Lazarus Lynch's debut cookbook came out last month, he slipped into an electric-blue-and-purple wig, a checkered trench coat and leather pants, and took to the streets. Followed by a five-piece band,
Barbecue This classic barbecue chicken recipe will complete your summerSFGate - Becky Krystal, The Washington PostMy parents just sold our family house of 31 years. One of my earliest memories there - food-related memories, anyway - is of my dad making barbecue chicken on his old Weber kettle grill on our driveway
Recipes These 100-calorie chocolate pudding pops will take you back to childhoodSFGate - Ellie Krieger, The Washington PostNo matter how old I get, I will always have a childlike enchantment with summer and all its joys: jumping waves in the ocean, biking around town, biting into big wedges of watermelon, watching the fireflies
Nathan's Famous ESPN's new film says as much about America as it does about competitive eatingSFGate - Tim Carman, The Washington PostCompetitive eating occupies a strange place in American culture. Once the domain of county fairs where contestants buried their faces in blueberry pies, competitive face-stuffing has become professionalized
Couscous How cooking for charity made me a better cook at homeSFGate - Julia Turshen, The Washington PostEvery week, my wife, Grace, and I volunteer at Angel Food East, a nonprofit organization in Kingston, New York. Founded in 1992 with a mission to provide home-delivered meals to residents living with and
Recipes When the fridge is (almost) empty, this adaptable Japanese pancake comes to the rescueSFGate - Joe Yonan, The Washington PostMost nights, I open the fridge to find a bounty of fresh and cooked vegetables, grains, beans - along with all those condiments and sauces in need of Kondo-ing. When I've been too busy for my normal weekend
Refugees 'Culinary solidarity': Refugee dinners combat anti-immigration sentiment, one plate at a timeSFGate - Michael Kaminer, The Washington PostNEW YORK - For someone about to host 18 people for dinner, Hannah Goldberg didn't seem nervous. But an intense, compact woman in Goldberg's gleaming Brooklyn kitchen barely looked up from the stove, occasionally
Muffins How to swap baking pan sizes without ruining your recipeSFGate - Becky Krystal, The Washington PostRule No. 1 of baking is (almost) always this: Follow the recipe. As someone who shares recipes and frequently helps troubleshoot them, I'm a firm adherent to this adage. But . . . some rules are meant
Paso Robles Rosé all day with this refreshing California $13 pinot noirSFGate - Dave McIntyre, The Washington PostIs it possible to have too much rosé this time of year? Our greatest value this week is the Angeline rosé pinot noir. It's simple and straightforward, with delicious fruit and a great price. We also have
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil This colorful slaw is the gem that will brighten your next cookoutSFGate - Ellie Krieger, The Washington PostIt's well worth having this unique slaw at top of mind for your summer menus. It offers crisp, fresh contrast and colorful nutritional balance to whatever you might be grilling, and it holds up well in
Burgers Food chat: Can plant-based meats do the impossible and go beyond burgers?SFGate - The Washington PostMatthew Register, chef and author of "Southern Smoke: Barbecue, Traditions, and Treasured Recipes Reimagined for Today," recently joined The Washington Post Food section staff in answering questions about
A new wave of immigrant cookbooks celebrates America's delicious diversitySFGate - Sarah Henry, The Washington PostIt started with a meatball. Anna Francese Gass, born in Italy and raised in Rhode Island, grew up devouring her mom's meatballs slathered in tomato sauce. Her mother learned how to make the dish in a countryside
Canned coffee is suddenly a lot more interesting, with funky flavors and many more bubblesSFGate - Maura Judkis, The Washington PostWe're living in the golden era of canned coffee. It used to be that the best you could hope for was one of those Starbucks Doubleshots, purchased at a gas station as a last resort for a road trip that
Marshmallows If you made a cake out of graham crackers, chocolate and marshmallows, would you call it a s'morte?SFGate - Bonnie S. Benwick, The Washington PostWelcome to the Summer of S'mores! Or so it has been proclaimed by the media. The assessment is based on new items such as s'mores-crafted mochi ice cream pods; Starbucks Golden S'mores coffee blend with
Burgers Beyond Meat's latest plant-based burger is meatier, juicier and a big step closer to beefSFGate - Maura Judkis, The Washington PostIn the battle to create the best plant-based burger, Beyond Meat just fired a shot. The company has reformulated its Beyond Burger, making it meatier and better looking, with "marbling" to emulate the
Polenta This polenta will satisfy for those nights when time is tightSFGate - Bonnie S. Benwick, The Washington PostAre you a Polenta Snob? No judgment here. I inquire only to save you the chore of gourmand-splaining about how this quick recipe is nothing like the real deal you once had, or spent hours stirring and
