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How a food writer grocery shops on a budget

I think a lot of people assume food writers and recipe developers cook in a state of endless abundance: casually tossing expensive cheeses into their carts, buying armfuls of herbs without checking the price, somehow always having fancy citrus in…
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6 smart ways to use ground chicken

There is a very specific kind of disappointment that comes with cooking chicken. You spend too much money on a pack of chicken breasts. You slice it the wrong way and, instead of a tender, juicy bite, you’re left gnawing…
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The magic dust your kitchen is missing

There is a very specific stage in any hobby where you become, if not insufferable, then at least a little susceptible to insufferability. You learn enough to know what you’re talking about, but not yet enough to understand that there…
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All you need is rice and lentils

One of the greatest lessons of adulthood took place in the quiet confines of my apartment kitchen. It’s on appreciation, namely for the recipes and rituals I took for granted, or rolled my eyes at, growing up. Spices that I…
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Summer has another flavor – Salon.com

Summer is a strange season in adulthood. When you’re a kid, it arrives all at once: the last school bell, the first trip to the pool, the permission slip feeling of a completely unscheduled Tuesday. But for those of us…
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Why I keep returning to the Twin Cities

For months, many people have had their eyes glued to the Twin Cities through the lens of international headlines. The most recent atrocities in Minneapolis showed the world how the city and the people who call it home fight back,…
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Boxed cake mix isn’t a cheat. It’s a gift

My love for baking was born from a humble box of Betty Crocker Super Moist Chocolate Fudge. I had been attempting to make Giada De Laurentiis’ recipe for a chocolate-raspberry layer cake — my first attempt at baking a cake,…
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Dolly Parton launches new coffee line

Who knows about slogging over a 9-to-5 better than Dolly Parton? The queen of country music, whose 1980 hit “9 to 5” became an enduring anthem for working Americans, is now entering the coffee business with the launch of a…
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How “Chopped” keeps us together

“I love bacon and chicharrónes, but I could never eat pork uterus,” I confess, wincing at our 60” Insignia television screen. “Foot soup doesn’t sound great, either,” my mother replies, squeamishly shaking her head. “But you’ve got to draw the…
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The secret to better summer beans

Once I grew up just enough to start grocery shopping according to a budget — not merely the amount of cash rattling around in my wallet that week — I realized something peculiar. For some reason, whenever I reached for…
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