Lifestyle

Berks History Center presented Achievement Award from PA Museums |Apr 20, 2018

On April 16, the Berks History Center accepted an Institutional Achievement Award from PA Museums, Pennsylvania’s statewide trade association serving museum professionals and institutions, at PA Museum’s Annual Conference in State College, PA.

Kelsey Delozier,of Douglasville, honored at 2018 Women’s Leadership Awards at Indiana University |Apr 19, 2018

Kelsey Delozier, of Douglasville, was recognized at the 2018 Women’s Leadership Awards at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

FOOD: Use your noodle with help from the pros |Apr 18, 2018

It’s late. You’re hungry, tired. You reach for a take-out menu, but have second thoughts. Colu Henry knows the feeling. In fact, it inspired her to write “Back Pocket Pasta.”

FOOD: Go nuts for pecans. Area chefs share some recipes |Apr 11, 2018

In the kitchen of Malvern’s Strawberry Bakery, French chef Jean-Pierre Bournazel multitasked — prepping a 12-foot piece of puff pastry for Napoleons, cutting lemon squares and creating Instagram-worthy praline chocolate cakes.

Coconut-Chocolate Almond Tart is perfect for any occasion |Apr 4, 2018

Put away the matzo meal. Bay Area blogger Andrea Potischman of Simmer + Sauce has bestowed upon us the secret to delicious Passover from-scratch baking: almond flour.

This vibrant green pea soup gets added brightness from fresh lime juice and a hint of jalapeño |Apr 4, 2018

Spring is here and so are all those delicious spring vegetables, including sweet peas. This recipe is a great starter for your next celebration, whether it’s a bridal or baby shower or any spring party.

Easy Easter cocktails: Sip sangria, martinis, or even a mocktail. How about a Peeps Cocktail |Mar 27, 2018

Hop to it! This Easter pour some fun and colorful cocktails like a Bubbly Bunny or white chocolate Peter Cottontail.

QUICK COOK: Pita goes fresh and elegant |Mar 21, 2018

I recently had this salmon sandwich at a San Francisco restaurant and I have to say, it’s a dish worth copying. I raced to the market, then to the kitchen to develop my own twist on it.

FOOD: Make matcha your go-to green tea |Mar 14, 2018

This St. Patrick’s Day, get your green on with matcha — an intense, vibrant green-tea powder enjoyed in everything from lattes to cupcakes to avocado toast.

Oley Legion, Woman’s Club host Hope Rescue veterans breakfast |Mar 14, 2018

The Woman’s Club of Oley joined Oley Valley American Legion Post 878 to host a pancake and sausage breakfast for needy and homeless veterans at Hope Rescue Mission in Reading on March 10.

Hosts of ‘America’s Test Kitchen’ share tips on how to make the ultimate corned beef |Mar 13, 2018

Sure, you could buy a plastic-wrapped corned beef at the supermarket, in all its drippy, strangely pink hues. Or you could make it yourself. If you can shop and you can brine, you can corn, say Bridget Lancaster and Julia Collin Davison, the TV hosts of “America’s Test Kitchen” and authors of “Cooking at Home with Bridget & Julia” (America’s Test Kitchen, $35).

QUICK COOK: These potatoes are truly smashing |Mar 7, 2018

I’m just back from Chicago, where I was helping to care for my 85-year-old mother after she had a knee replacement. Usually when I’m home, I’m too busy seeing friends to cook. This time was different.

FOOD: Local artisanal collaborations to try now -- drinks, cheese and more |Mar 7, 2018

“Share the spirits!” So goes the saying at Five Saints Distilling in Norristown, where fans also can share the caramels thanks to a collaboration with chocolatier Gail Warner.

WEEKEND FUN GRAB BAG: Get ready to DineKOP Restaurant Week, OJR’s craft show and much more |Mar 2, 2018

Good tastes DineKOP Restaurant Week: Twenty-eight restaurants will be participating in the fourth DineKOP Restaurant Week from March 5-11, offering special three-course prix-fixe lunch and dinner menus.

FOOD: Local chefs offer Flower Show-inspired recipes |Feb 28, 2018

The dish screamed “springtime” — pansies and borage blooms dancing like butterflies through blackberry puree in a deconstructed crab cocktail. Call it a tribute to the Philadelphia Flower Show as edible flowers take “center plate.

Try these Indian-inspired meatballs |Feb 27, 2018

Whether you call them albondigas, polpette or klopse, meatballs are undeniable crowd pleasers. But chicken — or turkey — meatballs can be a little tricky. They tend to be a little dry, bland or both.

FROM THE GROUND UP: Japanese red maple trees still holding on to their leaves |Feb 22, 2018

My friend Jane Antley lives in the borough of West Chester. She emailed me last month with a question about leaf drop. “I’ve been meaning to write to you for several weeks about something that has me perplexed this year: the Japanese red maples.

HOME COOK: Make the ultimate Korean bibimbap at home |Feb 21, 2018

Every country has a distinctive comfort food. For Korea, it’s bibimbap, the rice bowl topped with grilled beef, a veritable veggie rainbow and a fried egg, drizzled with spicy gochujang and mixed with a spoon.

Local chefs compete with cookie-inspired dishes to benefit Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania |Feb 21, 2018

Thin Mint S’mores, anyone? How about a Lemonade Icebox Pie or Toffee Takeover cocktail?

FOOD: Two trendy kitchen gadgets to try now |Feb 14, 2018

It’s Valentine’s Day. And while kitchen gadgets don’t rate high on the list of romantic presents, here are two you’re bound to love — an air fryer and an electric multicooker like an Instant Pot.

FOOD: Surprise your valentine with homemade truffles |Feb 8, 2018

They come in flavors like champagne, red velvet, strawberry cheesecake and crème brûlée. They’re small in size, big in flavor, and they scream, “Valentine’s Day!”

Indulge in a sweet dairy treat, Chocolate Mousse Brownies |Feb 8, 2018

Valentine’s Day is a time to spend with your loved ones. For the Berks County Dairy Princess Taylor Pool she loves to spend it with her family and indulging in sweet dairy treats that include chocolate! Below is one of Taylor’s favorite Valentine’s Day desserts.

Children cook up memories at Frecon Farms near Boyertown |Feb 8, 2018

Frecon Farms has been hosting culinary classes at their Farm Market in Boyertown.

FROM THE GROUND UP: Get inspired by the new All-America Selections |Feb 1, 2018

There’s a lot that has to happen before flowers come popping out in our gardens. Even before the seeds show up in store displays and garden catalogues, there are years of development, trial and error, striving for certain characteristics worthy of introducing to the public.

FOOD: 5 stellar soups to warm your soul |Jan 31, 2018

Got plans for game day? Call an audible and host your own “Soup-er” Bowl.

QUICK COOK: Try a super bowl of soup |Jan 24, 2018

January is always a time for me to set intentions for the year, to clean out my closets and my body. But cleansing does not have to be hardcore. No need for fasting or eating food that tastes like cardboard.

FOOD: Nutrition experts offer tips to cut sugar |Jan 24, 2018

There’s no way to sugarcoat it. “Most of us eat more sugar than we should,” said Judy Matusky of Athens Nutrition in Ardmore. “Where are all those added sugars coming from? And once you can identify where they’re coming from, how can you cut back?”

HEALTHY LIVING: Keep off the pounds for good |Jan 19, 2018

The holidays are over, and as the fog of eggnog, gingerbread and candy canes lifts, many people find themselves confronting the harsh reality of the bathroom scale.

QUICK COOK: Indonesian flavors spice up dinner |Jan 17, 2018

This simple, vibrant curry, which originates from the Indonesian island of Java, makes a splendid “introductory” curry. It’s mild enough for sensitive palates, since it does not include any chiles and the white pepper is optional, and it’s super easy to make.

THE TREND IS TO BLEND: Meat-and-mushroom recipes to try tonight |Jan 17, 2018

Imagine an award-winning pitmaster serves you a juicy cheeseburger piled high with toppings. Bet your mouth’s watering. But this isn’t your typical patty. There’s a twist — button mushrooms blended with the beef.

Morgantown teen Sam Schmidthuber sings ‘National Anthem’ at PA Farm Show |Jan 16, 2018

On Saturday morning, Jan. 13, singer and song writer Sam Schmidthuber, 16, of Morgantown, sang “The National Anthem” at the closing day ceremony of the 2018 Pennsylvania Farm Show.

Crustacean sensation: These delicious crab cakes are easy to make and luxurious to eat |Jan 2, 2018

These simple crabcakes are easy to make and luxurious to eat. Serve them as appetizers or alongside a big, crisp salad and some garlic bread for a meal that feels celebratory.

Sommelier selections: Expert advice for New Year’s Eve |Dec 29, 2017

The countdown’s on. Bid farewell to 2017 and celebrate the New Year in style with reds, whites and bubblies for every budget, starting with pétillant naturel, a natural sparkler dubbed pét-nat for short.

THE YANKEE CHEF: Sweet cannoli for your holiday table |Dec 22, 2017

These intensely flavored cannoli are just as satisfying on any cold weather night when you can smell the house filling up with aroma of baking, but are especially pleasing when family and friends are around for the holidays.

FOOD: Area innkeepers share recipes for holiday breakfasts |Dec 21, 2017

“This is the finishing touch,” said Rick Carro of Fairville Inn in Chadds Ford as he sprinkled pecorino Romano over a vegetable frittata. “I’m going to make a second one of these later on for tomorrow morning because we have 29 guests.

Pop star Meredith O’Connor brings anti-bullying message to Twin Valley |Dec 20, 2017

The kids went wild; the atmosphere was electric! Pop star singer, songwriter Meredith O’Connor appeared on stage in auditoriums filled with screaming kids at Twin Valley Middle School in Elverson and Honey Brook Elementary Center in Honey Brook on Dec.

FROM THE GROUND UP: Apples for the season |Dec 14, 2017

When I saw them in the store, I knew I just had to have them. I don’t know if they would have turned any other heads or whether I’m alone in my obsession. But there they were, heaped up in a basket: Stayman winesap apples.

THE YANKEE CHEF: A joyous occasion deserves a sweet, decadent treat |Dec 12, 2017

Reminding you of pecan pie, this recipe is far and above better flavored, joyous to the occasion and did I mention it has chocolate in it as well? One look at the crispy, toasted and decadent topping that literally crackles as you cut it, and it will soon become a favorite this Christmas.

WINE: A witty way with wine |Dec 12, 2017

A year of good wine? Yes, please. Especially when it comes in page-a-day calendar form from the pen of Karen MacNeil (“The Wine Bible”).

HOLIDAY TREATS: Locals share the art of clear toy candy |Dec 7, 2017

Wearing a long skirt and apron, Suzanne Wainwright-Evans worked tirelessly in the kitchen of Perkiomen Township’s historic Pennypacker Mills. During last year’s Victorian Christmas, curious visitors filled the room, watching her make an old-fashioned favorite: clear toy candy.

LOCAL DESTINATION: Where sky meets water. Get to know Welkinweir in Chester County |Dec 7, 2017

Tucked in a little valley in northwestern Chester County, there’s a place called Welkinweir — “where sky meets water.” Welkinweir is the former home of Everett and Grace Rodebaugh, who in 1935 purchased the property — which includes a large, stone estate house — as a weekend retreat and summer home.

BROOKS ON BEER: 6 books for the beer lover on your gift list |Dec 5, 2017

The holidays are just around the corner. While beer is the obvious gift for that beer lover in your life — something to impress, like a winter seasonal or other specialty brew — you might consider giving them one of the many stellar beer books that debuted in 2017.

FROM THE GROUND UP: That magical time of year |Nov 30, 2017

Do you believe in fairies? Do you know someone who does? Just when Tchaikovsky’s Sugar Plum Fairy will be taking to stages everywhere comes a new book from the editors of Faerie Magazine: “The Faerie Handbook — An Enchanting Compendium of Literature, Lore, Art, Recipes, and Projects.

FOOD: Holiday-ready rolls: 3 sweet, 1 savory |Nov 29, 2017

Warm up your house and your guests’ hearts this holiday season with rich, buttery rolls — ranging from savory dill to sweet cinnamon.

THE YANKEE CHEF: Dates get the spotlight in this cake recipe |Nov 28, 2017

Although there are very few dates that can live up to Medjool’s reputation, using the cheaper, bagged variety is perfect for this recipe. Not only will it allow you to taste the orange-flavored tea, but if you were to compare two cakes side by side, one with Medjools and the other with the dates we are using, you will find the recipe below to be far superior.

FROM THE GROUND UP: Gardening gifts for the holidays |Nov 28, 2017

As much as I’d love to play Santa to everyone who reads this column, that’s just not practical. But what I can do is put together a list of some of the gardening tools and related items that I think you or the gardeners on your own gift-list might enjoy.

FOOD: Try your hand at homemade pasta |Nov 22, 2017

Celebrate fall with a homemade pasta dish that’s sure to please. Whether you’re a pasta pro or first-timer, award-winning chef, author and restaurateur Marc Vetri has you covered.

THE YANKEE CHEF: Try this light, airy autumnal treat |Nov 21, 2017

Not quite a pie, not quite a custard. This deliciously moist dessert is light, airy and bursting with that warm, “cuddly” taste, if that makes sense. There is just something about the smell of pumpkin cooking that instantly puts a smile on your face, and this treat will put a smile on even that one relative that is a little hard to crack.

Thanksgiving all-stars: Recipes from chef Jose Garces, Lisa Thomas-Laury and Philly native Frankie Avalon |Nov 15, 2017

This holiday, add some star power to your meal with celebrity recipes that will have guests giving thanks.

Newly discovered painting shows Washington’s wartime tent. Will go on view at Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia |Nov 15, 2017

PHILADELPHIA >> Philip Mead was online late one night in May, looking for possible artifacts from the American Revolution, when a painting up for auction caught his eye and got his heart racing.