Who remembers that jump rope ditty? "First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes momma with the baby carriage." So too goes the nutritional lexicon for plant-based foods, where first comes fruit, then come vegetables. But think, who ever talks about 'vegetables and fruits'? It's always 'fruits and vegetables', 'fruits and veggies'. But if we want to improve our health through our diets, vegetables must come first. So first off --

I've been writing a series of post on BlogHer about Cooking with Fresh Herbs, which has included cilantro, tarragon, parsley, mint, lovage, basil, and chives so far. Today we're talking about Greek Oregano, which most cooks probably think of as the distinctive flavor in pizza sauce, and the category of herbs called oregano.

As promised in print, here are the notes on the restaurants from my fried chicken search not prominently mentioned in either the article or my list of favorites. (I'm leaving out Ajisen, Massey's, Nate's Seafood, Plus One Chicken and...Bill Addisonhttp://www.dallasnews.com/blogs/overthetop/emailbloggers.htm?contact=Bill

Many food bloggers are serious foodies -- and blog readers and other food bloggers have learned to rely on us for great recipes, cooking tips, kitchen shortcuts, ingredient sources, cookbook favorites and more. So no surprise: while many food bloggers could whip a five-course meal off a hotplate without breaking a sweat, when given the chance to build their dream kitchens, well, they're equally serious about creating kitchens worthy of dreams. Building a dream kitchen is serious business. For many families, the kitchen is literally and figuratively the 'heart' of the home: the single room where family gathers one, twice, three times a day; the place where much 'living' and conversation takes place; the room which must most adapt to changing family circumstances; the room which opens up to neighbors, friends and other visitors; and -- oh right -- then there's the business of storing and preserving food, then cooking and eating it. For many families, building a dream kitchen happens just once in a lifetime. It may require professional help, significant planning and a major financial investment. At minimum, it requires soul-searching about the dynamics of cooking, eating and living. The kitchen is the most complex room in a home (think, what does a bedroom need, just a place to sleep and a place for belongings?) with competing priorities of three dimensions plus budget, utility and aesthetics. It's difficult and often expensive to fix mistakes. Budget trumps dreams. With the experience of seven of my fellow food bloggers, let's take a serious -- and seriously practical -- look at what to expect when considering a dream kitchen. This will be a series of posts. Three are in the can. But if there's one thing I've learned from these food bloggers is that they love-love-love to talk about their kitchens. So if you have a burning question about a dream kitchen, if you can't seem to get a straight answer anywhere else, please, ask away. I'm willing to bet they'll be happy to provide their perspectives. (For practicality, please pose questions in the comments. I'll coordinate answers in future posts.) We've got a good mix of food bloggers here -- three recently finished their dream kitchens, two others some years ago, one is mid-construction, another is ready to break ground soon. One made a smaller kitchen and added a wall while others made the more usual moves of removing walls to create larger kitchens. Several employed professional help. One is an architect, himself and uses a recent client project as an example. Some stayed within budget, others went way over. What's it like to build a dream kitchen?  read more »

Here in Paris we said aurevoir to the last bches de Nol (yule logs) on New Years Eve and bonjour to les galettes des Rois on January 2, the day the citys pastry shops reopened. While the galette des rois is a cake meant specifically for January 6, Epiphany, its impossible to resist its temptations before or after the official holiday—so impossible that some shops offer the sweet until the end of the month. The galette is really very simple, if a little time-consuming to make—its an almond and pastry-cream filling sandwiched by two rounds of (all-butter) puff pastry dough—but so, so good.  read more »

Given the American love affair with coffee, it's surprising more people don't roast their own beans at home. All you need is a corn popper to make fresh and fragrant coffee beans.

Yesterday I was glad that Lucy alerted us to the existence of Totally Baked (something has been done to the Dining Section online, and now I am bad about seeing Food Stuff). Recently I was craving a baked potato on a night when I had no patience for cooking and no potatoes in the house, so I ran out to get one at a Hells Kitchen establishment that will remain nameless. It was gummy, hard in the middle, and totally disappointing. Now I have another spot to try. A well-baked potato with the right toppings offers an amount of pleasure disproportionate to the raw ingredients cost, especially with a green salad on the side. It also involves very little active time and kitchen cleanup.  read more »