PORTLAND — Every year, as the Super Bowl draws near, football fans start trotting out game-day recipes that are sure to make their spreads the talk of the town.

Some Super Bowl party hosts like to impress their guests with fancy hors d’oeurves or buffet tables groaning with lots of choices. But sometimes the middle road is best. Why spend all your time in the kitchen when you could be enjoying the game with friends?

We asked two of Portland’s newest restaurants for their take on Super Bowl food, and both had great suggestions for keeping the menu uncomplicated but still delicious.

Rachel Schifter Thebault, author of “Sweet Chic: Stylish Treats to Dress Up Any Occasion” (Ballantine Books, $28), views devil’s food cake as the “little black dress” of desserts. Serve it as a casual treat, “dressed down” as Mini S’mores Cupcakes, or dressed up as Rich Chocolate Ganache cake. Thebault, confectioner to celebrities such as Cameron […]

Have you been getting sick a lot this winter?

You’re not the only one.

I rarely get sick, and when I do it’s usually just a cold during winter. This year, I went through a string of three nasty colds that lasted from early November well into the New Year.

Occasionally I’d start feeling better, but it didn’t last long, thanks to crowded airplanes crawling with viruses at the holidays and the fact that newsrooms are, by their very nature, as germy as daycare centers.

“How to Squeeze a Lemon: 1,023 Kitchen Tips, Food Fixes, and Handy Techniques” (Taunton Press, $19.95) isn’t exactly a cookbook, but it’s a good reference to have in the kitchen. It’s the sequel to the award-winning “How to Break an Egg.” Who doesn’t love learning tidbits like this one about preparing kale: The secret to […]