Meatless meals make for mouthwatering dishes

By Cathy Branciaroli, Food Correspondent, The Times A baked mushroom pasta casserole can entice eaters to give meatless meals more than one try. Local chefs I interviewed recently on top 2018 food trends cited farm-to-table and hyper-local eating as among the top locally enduring preferences for the coming year. Indeed, the most readily available ingredients featured at farmers markets are local produce. ...

Don’t Retire, ReFire: Getting through the winter months

By Gail Supplee Tatum, Columnist, The Times One thing is for certain, in the winter months, the days are short and the weather is cold and unpredictable.  That combination can lead to the “winter doldrums”.  It would be very easy to give in to that and “wait out” the time in hibernation, doing nothing and accomplishing nothing. Productivity and purpose are essential to living.  Nothing good...

On Your Table: Groundhog Day leaves us between seasons – a great time for soup

By Cathy Branciaroli, Food Correspondent, The Times Versatile soups such as Vietnamese Pho bridge the gap between winter and spring. Well, will he or won’t he? I’m referring of course to whether Punxsutawney Phil will pop back into his burrow after seeing his shadow.  This is considered to be a predictor that spring isn’t coming soon.  Or, if he enjoys a cloudy day we can hope for its arrival...

On Your Table: With the Eagles in NFC Title game, make sure you eat to win!

By Cathy Branciaroli, Food Correspondent, The Times New Mexico Beef Chili packs a wallop and warms eaters right down to their toes. Well the Eagles remain competitors for the Super Bowl, with one playoff game left — Sunday night’s NFC Title game against the Vikings — and we might watch the Bowl regardless of whether the Eagles are playing or not, just to watch the commercials.  No matter...

Smile, it’s a new year

By Dr. Stephanie McGann, DMD FAGD, Columnist, The Times In the last few days the extreme cold temperature of the northeast has frozen pipes, chilled the soul and made people with sensitive teeth frown. When even smiling in the cold is too much for the teeth it’s a real concern. So many times we are asked what can be done. This month I am going to go over some tips to help keep those winter smiles. It’s...

Local chefs make 2018 predictions; spoiler alert it’s all about local

By Cathy Branciaroli, Food Correspondent , The Times Cooking and eating local will continue to be a top trend in 2018. Well, it’s that time of year, time for prognostication concerning foods we will or should hunger for in 2018.  The national associations and food producers have all weighed in on what’s hot for the coming year, along with what’s passé from 2017 – think main courses in Mason...

Don’t Retire, ReFire: What is your mission?

By Gail Supplee Tatum, Columnist, The Times Happy New Year!  Does the New Year excite you?  Does it scare you?  Do you ask yourself, “What is my mission going to be?  What am I going to do, in the coming year, if anything, to improve my health, my relationships, my finances, my work, and/or any other aspect of my life?”

Easy post-holiday buffet ideas

By Cathy Branciaroli, Food Correspondent, The Times What was a glorious ham dinner on Christmas can be part of a tasty — and easy — post-holiday buffet later this week. Whew we made it! We survived the holiday onslaught, fed large numbers of people and generally were all-around heros in the kitchen. Now’s the time to take a break from all that stress and offer laid back, easy to prepare dishes. ...

Being smart about your smile during the holidays

By Dr. Stephanie McGann, DMD FAGD, Columnist, The Times With the rush of the holidays, it can be easy to forget to maintain good dental health — but bad choices now could lead to problems in the new year. Here’s a few fairly simple tips to keep you and your family smiling well into 2018:

Don’t Retire, ReFire: The magic of the season

By Gail Supplee Tatum, Columnist, The Times Ah, to look at life through the eyes of a child, especially during this magical time of year.  Well, you can!  All you have to do is put yourself back to a time in your childhood where you were wide-eyed and filled with joy, wonder and excitement. Soon, you will have a grin from ear to ear and a skip in you step. Being the passionate person that I am, this...