http://www.post-gazette.com/food/ All Food and Dining en-us Copyright 2012, post-gazette.com. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 21:40:03 -0500 15 http://www.post-gazette.com/includes/2007design/images/150x30pg_now_logo.gif http://www.post-gazette.com/ 144 39 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209019-53.stm?cmpid=fooddining.xml A crisp romaine salad with chicken or tofu and Kraft Creamy Italian dressing led the menu Wednesday. Scattered around the tray were raw carrots, cooked corn and peas, an apple and a whole wheat roll. The drink of the hour was milk -- skim, 1 percent or soy. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 15:44:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208847-34-0.stm?cmpid=fooddining.xml Culinary historian Michael Twitty's love affair with his ancestors' cuisine sprouted early. By age 5, the Washington, D.C., native was his family's Official Taster; as a tween, he'd become so skilled at shucking, cutting, mixing and seasoning that he was cooking dinner -- from scratch -- a couple nights a week. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 12:41:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208846-34.stm?cmpid=fooddining.xml Ah, Valentine's Day. Ah, my skewered heart. A spicy heart kebab is surely a dish to set before any beloved brave enough to try it. It also is a fast and flavorful way to get on board with eating more of the animal than the easy parts. So when Kevin Costa of Crested Duck Charcuterie offered me the heart of a cow he was butchering, it was a challenge. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 12:32:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208850-34.stm?cmpid=fooddining.xml Brown Dog Java at the Pittsburgh Public Market in the Strip District is not shy when it comes to flavored coffees. Before starting Brown Dog, Steve Moore worked nearly two decades for Arbuckles, where he was the primary flavor developer. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 11:56:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208854-34.stm?cmpid=fooddining.xml My grandchildren, Mason and Chloe Spikula of Mt. Lebanon, love Nutella, and we took this picture of them in the food hall of Le Bon Marche in Paris last April with 5-kilo containers of this yummy stuff -- Nutella heaven! Thu, 9 Feb 2012 11:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208848-34-0.stm?cmpid=fooddining.xml Valentine's Day gift-giving can be tough for the high-school set. A bottle of Champagne or dinner at a fancy, romantic restaurant is most definitely out of the question, and you also don't want your 15-year-old giving, or receiving, an expensive piece of jewelry from a boyfriend or girlfriend. Then again, a card doesn't quite cut it. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208852-46-0.stm?cmpid=fooddining.xml LOS ANGELES -- Ding. Bzzzt. Bap. Beep. That's the sound of conversation in restaurants these days. Where cell phones once posed a nuisance as people chatted loudly into them during meals, smartphones now present a whole new set of etiquette issues as entire tables disappear into the Internet via small glowing screens. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208855-106-0.stm?cmpid=fooddining.xml I miss the days when my kids were little and used to devour my cakes and pies. There was nothing left but empty plates. Unless they have have a few grandkids nearby, most baking empty-nesters end up with too much dessert for too few people. I often have this problem because so many of the recipes I test for Kitchen Mailbox are desserts. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208866-46.stm?cmpid=fooddining.xml Valentine's Day Elements Contemporary Cuisine will offer a full menu for Valentine's dining, along with a four-course prix fixe for $40 per person, which will be available Friday through Feb. 18. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208697-483.stm?cmpid=fooddining.xml It's not often I get inspired to make a dish after watching a celebrity chef whip it up on TV. Especially when said cooking star is Sandra Lee, who's best known for her "semi-homemade" style of cooking, which relies heavily on pre-packaged products instead of fresh items. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500