Back To School season is?a time for reconnecting with classmates and teachers.? And friends. ?With summer slowly fading in the rear-view mirror and the change of seasons coming up quickly, the air is filled with the undeniable feeling of change.? ?Celebrate this change by hosting a Back-to-School celebration to foster excitement for? your little on...

INGREDIENTS: 1 1/2 pounds fresh tuna steaks or fillets 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 2 teaspoons thyme 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, ground in spice grinder 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/2 teaspoon salt Olive oil for coating the skillet 4 sesame rolls or English muffins, toasted 6 to 8 tablespoons aioli PREP TIME: 0:30 MIN PREPARATION: Trim […]

INGREDIENTS: One 2-pound piece of boneless pork shoulder Smoked sea salt 2 tablespoons canola oil 1 Granny Smith apple, cut into 1-inch dice 1 medium onion, cut into 1-inch dice 1 carrot, cut into 1-inch dice 1 celery rib, cut into 1-inch dice 2?garlic cloves, crushed 3?thyme?sprigs 1/2 cup tomato paste 1 cup dry white […]

As a child I traveled frequently in the summer months, driving from horse show to horse show, from Ohio?to Massachusetts, Oklahoma ?to New York. Always by car. Road trips were fun. My family and I would play games to pass the time, I'd color in the backseat or listen to my Walkman (remember the Walkman!). […]

  INGREDIENTS: 1 750-ml bottle dry white wine 2 1/2 pounds small new potatoes, about 1″ in diameter 8 live lobsters, about 1 1/4 pounds each 8 large eggs 8 ears of corn, husked, halved 4 celery stalks, cut diagonally into 1/2″ pieces 1 1/2 pounds spicy smoked sausage (such as lingui?a, kielbasa, or andouille), […]

For many, dying eggs is the true beginning of the Easter Season, a time of family and joy. With Easter just a few short weeks away you can get a jump-start this spring holiday by using nature?s own pretty hues from fruits, vegetables and spices. DEAN & DELUCA has tested new natural ways in which […]

Before indoor grill pans and the George Foreman, many a soul north of the Mason-Dixon braved the elements to fire up grill, often amid the snowflakes, in search of the taste of summer. As many get spring fever, many too get grill fever. As the weather gets a bit warmer, the trees and flowers bloom

For many, dying eggs is the true beginning of the Easter Season, a time of family and joy. With Easter just a few short weeks away you can get a jump-start this spring holiday by using nature?s own pretty hues from fruits, vegetables and spices. DEAN & DELUCA has tested new natural ways in which

Kevin Johnson, executive chef of the Leawood, Kan., Dean & DeLuca, says Brussels sprouts started popping up on American restaurant menus thanks in part to the legions of chefs across the country that took a shine to the vegetable. He likens the leafy green orbs to a woman?s little black dress?the perfect accessory to any

Like any good love affair, I had a head-over-heels encounter when I least expected it several years ago, over a candlelit dinner. The object of my affection? Brussels sprouts. Although Brussels sprouts weren?t entirely foreign to me, I had somehow managed to mature into my 40s without making their acquaintance. Growing up in Iowa, I

Pie Season is Open Pie. It?s a tasty word. The ?p? is emphasized with the lips gently smacking, the ?ie? rolling off the tongue into dreamy pie infinity. ?I?d like a piece of pie? is quite possibly my favorite request of a server. Scraping the last crumbs of pie from a plate is the perfect

Its turkey time! This year, Heritage Turkey is the ‘It' Bird. What's the Big Deal? Heritage birds are leaner, more flavorful and have less breast meat than standard turkeys. Heritage Turkeys are typically humanely raised in the most natural and low stress of environments, free ranging on at least an acre of land, and fed

This week DEAN & DELUCA has explored the flavors of Spain. As we conclude the week, we are proud to feature a paella recipe from The DEAN & DELUCA COOKBOOK by David Rosengarten with Joel Dean and Giorgio DeLuca. Paella is Spain's extraordinary rice casserole. We're convinced that paella originated from Spain's Valencia region and...

?Complain all day,? says Mr. G, glancing at the bright-red tube resting in my lap. ?It?s not going to change the fact that snack food choices are limited when driving from Kansas to Colorado.? Slumping down in the passenger seat as the car bound for Breckenridge swishes across the Sunflower State, an unsightly pout tightens

by Tracey Ceurvels I?m not one to buy a sauce in a jar?I love making them from scratch?but there is something so inviting about cookbook author Maya Kaimal?s line of Indian sauces found in Dean & DeLuca stores that I just had to try one. And suffice it to say that an extra quick cooking

Jeni Britton Bauer steps out of tasting central at Jeni?s Splendid Ice Creams in Columbus, Ohio, to spread the gospel during a phone interview. Since I?m sitting in Kansas City, without the advantage of being in the hustle-bustle world of making some of the country?s best-darned ice cream (and let?s face it, the missed opportunity

It?s deliciously liberating to stand over a heat-radiating grill on a 95-degree day, turning a sizzling steak or halibut filet or stirring a fragrant tumble of fresh vegetables over the coals. Free from the chains of the indoor kitchen where breaking a sweatin summer?s relentless temperatures isn?t my favorite way to get a good meal

by Tracey Ceurvels Did you know that there?s such a thing as National Iced Tea Day? No? Neither did I (it happened to be June 10th). But I suppose it doesn?t matter because every day is iced tea day for me. In general I tend to like four beverages: water, wine, coffee and tea, with

America?s love affair with the sea?s bounty has always been robust?we stuff ourselves to the gills with fish, shellfish and crustaceans caught right outside our back door (if we?re lucky enough to live by the ocean) or halfway across the country (if we?re landlocked). There?s little argument today about the lack of fresh seafood available

by Tracey Ceurvels Adapted from The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook. I have a confession. For someone who loves food so much, there?s one ingredient I dislike immensely: peanut butter. While other people enjoy the occasional peanut butter and jelly sandwich?count me out. I do, however, like peanut butter cookies. (Yes, I am a conundrum.) But who

If you haven't heard about Jeni's Ice Cream, you are missing out. We got Jeni to answer some of our pressing questions about the name she is making in the dessert world. Tell us the history of Jeni?s Ice Cream. How did you get started with the business? When I was young, I worked at

by Tracey Ceurvels I'm constantly striking a balance at meal time. Do I make only what I like and hope my 4-year old daughter will like it, too? (In my dreams.) Do I make only what she likes and suffer a bit at the blandness of it all? Heck no. What I do is make

If memory serves most of us correctly, we gobbled bunches of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches during our formative years. In fact, the National Peanut Board declares the average child will have consumed somewhere around 1,500 PB&J?s before graduating high school. But that?s just the innocent beginning of our nation?s love affair with the san...

Nashville?s Kayne Prime has me at ?hello.? Walking into this modern-rustic steakhouse of my dreams and?with profound apologies to Dad whose backyard-grilled steaks were good?I know whatever protein I choose from the menu, it?s going to be like nothing I?ve ever experienced, a definite wow-wow-wow. How can I predict Kayne is going to satisfy my...

by Tracey Ceurvels Last year I was at a BBQ at a friend?s house and someone served this grilled eggplant that I devoured: it tasted both caramelized and tangy?complex for the humble eggplant. When I asked her the ingredients, I was shocked. Only one ingredient was added to the eggplant and it has this much

Entering Peggy Shannon?s world is a bit like stepping into a culinary-inspired Fantasia where everything is beautifully orchestrated and colorful?and lucky for us, edible. As proprietor of Cincinnati-based Queen City Cookies, Shannon?s regal spin on the time-honored combination of eggs, butter, sugar and flour is indeed fit for royal consumption. H...

A food-loving friend of mine in New Jersey lost her mom earlier this year. The jolt of the unexpected loss coupled with its sober reality sent her in search of comfort. Not surprisingly, she found a bit of solace in places where the familiar smells, sights, and sounds elicit virtual hugs: her home kitchen and

by Tracey Ceurvels Mother?s Day in 2008 was exciting and yet it was a blur. My daughter was only a month old that May and while she was the most wonderful gift I could have received, another gift I craved was sleep. Now that she?s four I?m (sort of) well-rested. Yet still, gifts that contain

by Tracey Ceurvels Amy Thomas has a self-proclaimed sweet tooth. In fact, when she spent two years living in Paris, she hunted down truffles, cakes and one of her her favorite sweets of all: macarons. Her research resulted in a recently-launched book: Paris, My Sweet: A Year of Living in the City of Light (and

It?s a brilliant Saturday morning in Madison, Wisconsin, and I?m feasting on a glorious breakfast?a pint of freshly picked Door County cherries. I pop the plump, blood-red orbs into my mouth, savoring the tart burst of each, slowly walking with the snaking throng through the country?s largest producer-only farmers? market. Ringing the perimeter of ...

The night I spent sipping and supping with Kathy Skinos Smith and her husband was pure magic. Perfectly grilled lamb chops, chicken melting from the bone, roasted potatoes redolent of garlic, oregano and lemon juice. Heaping bowls of nostalgia and wine hailing from her parents? homeland with toasts to health, happiness and prosperity. Kathy failed...

There are certain foods I regard as temporary culinary salves for the pressing concerns of life in the 21st century. Rising gas prices? Economic roller coaster? Global warming? A hollow chocolate Easter bunny nestled in an old-fashioned Easter basket is a delicious opportunity to live in the absolute moment, away from the headlines. Of course,...

Growing up in Iowa, my holidays were defined by the meat prepared for a traditional dinner. Thanksgiving, of course, was a stuffed-to-the-gills turkey and Christmas was typically a standing rib roast. On Labor Day there were hot dogs slathered in yellow mustard; platters of corn-fed burgers crunchy brown on the outside were served on the

Ravioli: the perfect food. We can already hear the critics? ?ravioli- you mean the PASTA stuffed with CHEESE?!? Pasta has a bad rep of being the demise of dieter. Sometime after the Atkins diet came out there were (are) many that won?t even utter the word ?pasta? as if the white devil will somehow add

by Tracey Ceurvels It?s March 14, Pi day. Yes, 3.14=pi. So in honor of this geeky ?holiday? I?ve made a pie (another excuse, admittedly, to bake). Since apples are so autumnal and berries are not yet in season, I?ve made a key lime pie, which happens to be a popular choice in my household. This

by: Imen McDonnell I will never forget my first St. Patrick?s Day experience after moving to Ireland. Everything in our little village was closed on the day; the post office, the bank, a good number of shops, about the only place with open doors was the church, and I soon realized that it was not

Birgitta Hedin-Curtin speaks in a crystal-clear connection via Skype; it?s a sleepy Sunday morning stateside, 7:30 a.m. CST. My second cup of coffee is within easy reach and I take notes in between sips, occasionally straining to understand Birgitta?s thick and lilting Swedish accent. It?s 1:30 p.m. in Ireland, and Birgitta has sliced out a

There?s something fishy going on right about now. Communities across the country?especially in the Midwest and Northeast?have a deep-fried, pungent haze hanging over parish halls and churches on Friday nights. It?s the season of Lent and sacrifice, and Roman Catholics who abstain from eating meat on the fifth day of the week flock to dinners

by Tracey Ceurvels As a home cook who loves experimenting in the kitchen, I have the challenge of feeding my persnickety almost 4-year old daughter. ?No, thank you, Mama,? she?ll say oh-so-politely when I place something in front of her that doesn?t look appealing. It can be frustrating, this tango at dinnertime. So part of

There is a food that represents comfort for me in the purest sense, something that makes a looming deadline magically retreat or puts a temporary Band-Aid on a grown-up boo-boo. It?s a memorable and satisfying dish that my mother whipped up without the Better Homes and Gardens red plaid cookbook propped open on the counter?her

I live in Kansas City, a beautifully treed, food-frenzied and cultured metropolis that has more boulevards than Paris and more working fountains?212 and counting?than any city but Rome. To the outside world, we have rivers of barbecue sauce dissecting the 400 square-plus miles on either side of the gentle ribbon of road separating Missouri and...

It?s nearly Valentine?s Day…the time when phone lines are buzzing with restaurant reservations for two. This year, why not skip the restaurant scene and cook at home with your loved one. Instead of sitting in a sea of other couples at a restaurant you can relax at home, play your favorite music?and cook together. This

I just returned from Wisconsin?s chilly and snow-covered Northwoods where I giddily explored a tiny fraction of the 25,000 miles of snowmobile tracks that traverse the state. In Eagle River, the snowmobile capital of the world, you can skim groomed trails and enjoy the winter landscape zipping by as pure leisure, or rev up one

by Tracey Ceurvels What are you getting your sweetie for Valentine?s Day? Chocolates are always a pleasure?and we?ve gathered some swoon-worthy chocolates. We also have some cookies and cakes that will make your beloved's palate go pitter-patter if they (gasp!) don?t like chocolate. Love Caramels by Sweet Revolution Buttery, sweet maple and honey s...

A reminder popped up on my iPhone earlier this week: January 22, National Blonde Brownie Day. In my hourly tweet, text and voicemail barrage, some things are lost in translation, bits of information tumbling over one another. Luckily, though, this salient fluff of calendar notification was caught in a quiet moment when CNN had ceased

Since the mid-1990s, I?ve called it my happy place?the freestanding store on the northwest corner of 119th and Roe in Leawood, Kansas that bears the unmistakable block letters/ampersand of Dean & DeLuca. That familiar signage heralds the culinary Disneyland awaiting customers beyond the store?s double glass doors. Located in a suburb of Kansas...

Shepherd's Pie Serves 4 This is one of my favorite winter comforters?anything but a pie, the m?lange of meat and vegetables under a cover of browned mashed potatoes never disappoints. Tempt summer by serving a purchased apple pie a la mode for dessert. From the Dean & DeLuca Cookbook. Ingredients 2 large baking potatoes (about

by Tracey Ceurvels Have you ever considered pairing tea with food? Tea is my go-to drink in the morning and throughout the day when I am busily working on my computer, but I?d never considered drinking it with a meal (well, except for a bagel with cream cheese). That is until I came across TWG