Think of beer and you may think of Irish pubs or Germany’s Oktoberfest. But a National Geographic book called the “Atlas of Beer” surveys beer across six continents, from banana beer in Tanzania to beer aged in wine barrels in Argentina. “We like to seek out and drink the local beer or just see how […]

Mussels are the perfect choice for a weeknight meal. They’re a terrific source of lowfat protein, they’re inexpensive, they cook up quickly, and as they cook, they automatically generate tasty juices to whichever sauce you’re making. Also, farmed mussels are pretty easy to clean. You just toss them briefly in several changes of fresh water […]

ENNISKILLEN, Northern Ireland We stood at the bar of the grand Lough Erne Resort, looking out at the driving rain. “You see that lake out there,” mused the barman wryly. “That was a field this morning.” This was my first trip to Northern Ireland’s lake lands in the western region, two hours by car from […]

Trisha and Dennis Rawlings, a couple in their early 30s, are moving to suburban Chicago and leaving their over-60-year-old first home in the St. Louis area behind. “We were looking at potentially buying a house,” Trisha says. But in the area where they want to live, the options within their budget were limited to purchasing […]

PHOENIX When I moved to Phoenix last summer, I was bewildered by all the bright green grass I saw smack in the middle of the Sonoran Desert — in residential yards, on golf courses, at community parks. While the temperatures were hitting nearly 120 degrees, these perfect lawns sucked up huge amounts of water delivered […]

CONCORD, N.H. When it comes to acrylic pour painting, there’s more than one way to go with the flow. As the name suggest, pour painting involves pouring rather than brushing paint onto a canvas to create swirling, abstract designs. Not only are there many techniques for applying the paint — puddle pour, dirty pour, flip […]

A larger-than-usual crowd meeting up at your house for dinner? This onion beer bread would add a lot to the menu. It’s delicious, of course, but it’s also very easy to whip up. Unlike more conventional breads, this one doesn’t involve yeast or require multiple risings. And except for the rosemary, you probably have all […]

The guests start lining up before 3:30 p.m., which isn’t usually considered “nighttime” for most people. For these guests, however, and the people who serve them, 3:30 is the beginning of a long evening routine that mostly goes unnoticed by the city around them and ends with housing an average of 58-65 homeless people each […]

Is there anything dreamier than the tender crumb of a light-as-air angel food cake? I’ve loved angel food cake ever since I first tasted it as a child. It reminded me of cotton candy. No wonder: angel food cake is essentially a fluffy blend of a super-sugary meringue laced with just enough flour to give […]

The first time Dustin asked me out on a date, I wasn’t super excited. In fact, the only reason I considered going was because my mom told me to. “Just go and be nice,” she said. “He’s a family friend.” “But, Mom —” “It’s not like you have to marry him,” she said (cue foreshadowing […]