Lifestyle Today

It’s one of the most iconic scenes in one of the greatest movies in American history, and it has almost nothing to do with the rest of the plot. It’s mob capo Paulie Cicero, played by the late Paul Sorvino. He’s in a minimum-security prison with the rest of the wise guys. They’ve bribed the guards so they can have all the stuff they need for a proper Italian dinner, which they are about to cook themselves: Vinnie’s making the tomato sauce, his meatballs a mixture of veal, beef, pork, and too many onions; Johnny Dio’s cooking T-bones in a pan over a portable electric burner; then Henry Hill, played by Ray Liotta, shows up with fresh Italian loaves, prosciutto, salami, and a bottle of J&B Scotch. There’s some Bobby Darin playing, and, most imp...

Everything You Need To Know About Balsamic Vinegar We enjoy balsamic vinegar year-round as a complement to tomato, mozzarella, and basil to, topping grilled chicken breasts to add another layer of flavor. I have purchased the really expensive aged balsamic, the cheap stuff you can find in most supermarkets and many in between.  This post will describe this remarkable vinegar, give you its history, and explain the differences between extremely expensive and less expensive brands. I hope you enjoy what you learn. What is balsamic vinegar? Balsamic vinegar is a type of vinegar made from pressed grapes, typically Trebbiano and Lambrusco varieties. It is aged in wooden barrels for several years to develop its signature sweet, sour, and complex flavor profile. Balsamic vinega...

I saw a tweet recently that stuck with me. “If smoking weed makes you paranoid and anxious, that’s because you approached the joint with impure thoughts and a heavy karmic debt,” it read. You could say the same thing about Noma. Its five-hour tasting menu will not cheer you up like a basket of hot garlic bread or a Tito’s martini will. And if you walk through those greenhouse doors and wince a bit while ducking under a nine-inch cucumber ripening on the vine above your head, the next five hours of your life aren’t going to be happy unless you really like getting drunk on cloudy orange wine and creating content. Lucky for me, I like all three. You can’t manipulate an evening at Noma, the legendary Copenhagen restaurant that is set to close at the e...

Ganesh Nair knows cashews. His grandfather started a business processing cashews in Kerala in the 1930s, and it’s the largest cashew exporter in India today. Nair grew up in the family business, but he left India for graduate school in the United States, eventually working in diabetic health care in the Bay Area and in Europe. He returned to India in 2010—his father was getting older, and his brother wanted help transitioning the business from a commodity to a value-added product. Years earlier, the Nair family had developed a proprietary technique of air-roasting cashews with their natural skins on, loosely encasing the nuts with wrinkly brown skins that crackled like dried leaves. It was a novelty that added crisp texture to the buttery cashews,...

“If You Have a Lemon, Make a Lemonade”- Dale Carnegie Lemons are a citrus fruit known for their distinctive tart and acidic taste. They are a common ingredient in cooking used for their health benefits and as a natural cleaning agent. Lemons are typically small, oval-shaped fruits with bright yellow skin and a juicy, pulpy interior. Lemons are believed to have originated in Southeast Asia and were introduced to the Mediterranean region by the Arabs in the 10th century. Today, they are grown in many parts of the world, including the United States, Italy, Spain, and South Africa. One of the most notable characteristics of lemons is their high vitamin C content. One medium-sized lemon contains about 30-40% of the recommended daily vitamin C intake, making it an excellent sourc...

In 1989, Applebee’s opened their 100th restaurant. By 1998, they’d opened their 1,000th. I was born in 1992, near the start of this novelty boozy, sometimes-cold-in-the-middle, Tiffany-lamp-adorned explosion in the American restaurant scene. It was during this period that I ate a lot of chicken fingers. As a family, we tested the waters of the full casual dining spectrum—Applebee’s, Bennigan’s, Ruby Tuesday, TGI Fridays, Friendly’s, Perkins… They all had fingers. I rarely had to look at the menu to point a finger.  Sometimes crunchy, sometimes crumbly, and always served with a sugar-buzzed sauce that could almost double as dessert, chicken fingers were the lifeblood of my Pennsylvania youth. They went by many names, but they were always “fin...

All About Bay Leaves Bay leaves, scientifically known as Laurus nobilis, are aromatic leaves from the bay laurel tree, a small evergreen tree native to the Mediterranean region. These leaves have been used for centuries in cooking, herbal medicine, and religious ceremonies. In addition, they are a popular ingredient in many cuisines worldwide, known for their unique flavor and aroma. Bay leaves are typically dried before use, and their flavor is most potent when fresh. They have a subtle, slightly bitter taste and a strong, pungent aroma. They are often used to add flavor to soups, stews, and sauces, and they are also commonly used in meat dishes, such as pot roasts and braises. Bay leaves are a key ingredient in classic French and Mediterranean cuisine and are also used in ...

Coconut Miso Salmon Curry: A Flavorful Fusion Delight My daughter found this salmon curry with coconut miso recipe on the N.Y. Times website and enjoyed it so much that she made a video on how she prepares it for me. She makes it for us whenever she visits. Let's look at some of the ingredients. Miso Miso is a traditional Japanese ingredient that has gained popularity worldwide for its unique and complex flavors. It is a thick paste made by fermenting soybeans and other grains, like rice or barley, with a koji starter culture and salt. This fermentation process can take weeks, months, or even years, resulting in different types and intensities of miso. Miso offers a savory umami taste, known as the fifth basic taste, which adds depth and richness to dishes. It has a dis...