Hamburgers are the All-American food and nothing screams summer like the smell of sizzling ground beef on a backyard grill. This summertime tradition has been around for ages and hamburger was once the staple food in the American household. I remember when I was growing up, my mom put hamburger in everything. From the ever-popular […]

I love mayonnaise. But mayonnaise and surprises don’t mix. I found that out when my older brother pranked me with the bucket trick when I was growing up. I found it out again when my kid, then in kindergarten, baked me a cake and used mayonnaise as frosting. Just last week, the lesson was reinforced […]

I once asked a beer critic what he looks for in a high-quality glass of light beer like American lager or German pilsner. He said, “I want to see every line of my fingerprint through the glass.” In other words, he wants the lightest beer to have far more clarity than an opaque style like […]

Summer is my favorite time of year because it means spending time outdoors in one of my favorite places…the garden. Despite my love of gardening, I am still just a novice and have much to learn about producing a bountiful harvest. Several years ago I added some apple trees to the corner of my yard […]

  My best friend is a diehard IPA fan and up until recently, I’d never seen her drink anything darker than a red ale. Whenever I’d offer her a taste of Guinness, she’d always shake her head and say, “Dark beer is too heavy and bitter.” One day, I decided to take her to one […]

In the chaos of working and raising a family, my husband and I often interact more like business partners than a married couple. Thankfully, last Sunday my husband and I escaped for a much needed ‘date night’ to reconnect and take a break from the daily routines of who was grabbing what from the store […]

Matt’s pulse was pounding. Sweat was beginning to collect at his temples. Just so slightly, his fingers were shaking. He stared at the hot dog. Could he do it? “What’s the matter?” asked Jen, and Matt turned to look in her eyes. She was beautiful. And kind. And funny. And she liked baseball. Matt had […]

I once opened a bottle of white wine, and before I even took my first sip, I knew it had gone bad. How did I know? It was a dull brown color that resembled a dry, dead leaf. Since the wine should have been a light straw yellow color, I was able to quickly discover […]