While grilling is usually associated with summer, more Americans are recognizing its year-round potential. In fact, 80 percent of North American households own a grill or smoker and 60 percent use it year-round, according to recent statistics from the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue … read more

Everyone should have friends like Jamie Villella. When Villella, owner and operator of Mama Villella’s Personal Chef Service on Bainbridge Island, needed to test-drive her new business, she recruited her friends to be “pilot clients.” For their honest opinions about her food, they … read more

Let me clue you in on a baking dish that will make life easy and fun. Some will remember the delightful dishes and cookware that accompanied many a family meal. A lot of those items were Pyrex, a U.S. product that reached the … read more

Tea time will stop business in some cultures; it can also conjure up images of romantic and floriferous parties or bring warm relaxation to a cold winter day. Tea… Is it a ritual, an herb or a beverage? Technically, tea is the plant … read more

It’s that time of year that we all feel it — the urge to go inward, for days at home by the fire with family and friends. It’s that time of year when sunset happens at 4:29. We all tend to eat comfort … read more

Millie Lindell gets to spend quite a bit of time with her five grandchildren. Both she and her adult son and daughter live on Fox Island, so the family spends a lot of time together. But Lindell wanted a special project with her … read more

Gardens in early American colonies were not for ornamentation; they were planted and worked for provision. Specific plants were grown to provide food, soaps, perfumes, insecticides, dyes and medicines — all the things needed to take care of everyday life in the home. … read more

Fall is here. Golden and red leaves are dominating the airway and transforming the Earth with a new, patterned blanket. The once-prevailing basil is bowing now, as if to say, good performance, curtain going down. A few weeks back that basil bush was … read more

There’s a lot of basil out there this time of the year, but it has reached the end of the season. Folks are scrambling to use and process the fresh aromatic leaves — drying and making yummy basil butter and pesto concoctions. Basil … read more