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Fruitful ideas for summer drinks (2008/07/25)
A glass of sweet tea or lemonade reminds us of porches and summer nights.

Reader Exchange: Recipes for potato, tomato soups (2008/07/25)
It’s a woman’s prerogative to change her mind, as most everyone will agree.

Wine of the Week: Georges Duboeuf Pinot Noir Reserve 2005 (2008/07/25)
Georges Duboeuf is the French wine spelled very strangely and even harder to pronounce. Try Georgia with a soft ‘g’ and Dew Buff and you’re close.

500 Club: Add nutritious strawberries to salads, salsa, smoothies (2008/07/25)
Strawberry season is upon us here in the Coulee Region.

7-Day Menu Planner (2008/07/25)
Sunday (Family) Make family day special with Turkey and Vegetable Skewers with Walnut Lime Curry Sauce (see recipe). Serve the colorful entree with brown rice and dinner rolls. Buy a peach pie and top each slice with fat-free vanilla ice cream for dessert.

Tagine: one word, many meanings for this Moroccan dish (2008/07/19)
RABAT, Morocco — From ancient Arabs to Williams-Sonoma shoppers: It’s the unlikely path of the tagine, the signature slow-cooked and heavily seasoned dish of this North African nation that recently has been co-opted by adventurous American gourmets.

Wine of the Week: Trimbach Pinot Blanc 2005 (2008/07/19)
The Trimbach family is in its 12th generation of winemakers who started in 1626 and remains a prominent force in the Alsace region in northeast France.

Reader Exchange: Walk down memory lane leads to potato-kale casserole (2008/07/19)
This is merely an observation, not a complaint, but does it seem like winter gets longer and summer gets shorter every year? With the Fourth of July behind us, it won’t be long before we are inundated with back-to-school bargains and specials on everything from notebooks to knee socks. And those ads will have to hurry to beat the first of the unavoidable Christmas ads. Sheesh!

Mixing It Up: ‘Nothing tastes as good as it feels to be healthy’ (2008/07/19)
Well, folks, the time has come to allow this column — and me — to grow. Given my recent health issues, I need to start making incremental changes on my way to a healthier lifestyle. What I eat is the easiest place to start. My personal mantra will be that nothing tastes as good as it feels to be thinner and healthy.

500 Club: Kabobs are great on the grill — if you keep things safe (2008/07/19)
We’re already almost halfway through the summer, but there’s still plenty of time left for grilling.

7-Day Menu Planner (2008/07/19)
Sunday (Family) Expect raves from the family with these Caramelized Lamb Chops (see recipe). Serve the chops with grilled carrots, roasted red potatoes, mixed greens and sourdough bread.

Temperature does make a difference in how your favorite beverage tastes (2008/07/12)
His friends may call him a snob, and waitresses may give him odd looks, but David Turley isn’t about to drink a beer with chunks of ice floating in it.

Dazzle your family with polenta, as an appetizer or main course (2008/07/12)
OK. I stand corrected. Recently I referred to marble-sized bits of fresh mozzarella as “balls,” when in fact they are “pearls.” “Pearls” has a slightly more elegant, exotic ring to it, don’t you think? But no matter what you call them, these little gems are tasty and add a fun touch to salads, tomato soup and who knows what else? I plan to try some iced, basil-infused tomato juice seasoned with a bit of horseradish and a splash of Worcestershire sauce, garnished with a nice, crisp pickle or celery spear and a few mozzarella pearls on a decorative skewer. I think it would make a nice addition to a breakfast or brunch buffet. And of course, it wouldn’t take much to turn it into a bloody Mary, if you are so inclined.

500 Club: Throw out your recipes for summer (2008/07/12)
Summer can be fun and laidback — yet crazy and hectic at the same time.

7 day meal planner: Trisha Yearwood shares meatloaf recipe (2008/07/12)
Sunday (Family) Surprise the family with this delicious Mustard Chicken with Greens (see recipe). The bright grape tomatoes added to the plate, along with roasted red potatoes, make a colorful presentation. Add baguettes. Buy a Boston Cream Pie for dessert.

Wines of th week: Columbia Crest Two Vines Vineyard 10 Red and White (2008/07/12)
This week we’re featuring two of the three new varieties (there’s also a rose) of this economical Columbia Crest line. Both of these come from some of the oldest vineyards in Columbia Valley in Washington, the first of which were planted 30 years ago. The red is a blend of syrah, sangiovese and cabernet while the white features chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and semillon. One would be hard-pressed to find better wines for the price. The red features aromas of blackberry and raspberry fruit with a medium body and nicely tamed tannins. The white has floral and pear aromas with a fresh, juicy taste.

Dip right in (2008/07/05)
“Hey, how come people don’t have dip for dinner? Why is it only a snack, why can’t it be a meal, you know? I don’t understand stuff like that.”

Reader Exchange: Create some fireworks with these tasty potato skins (2008/07/05)
For the next few days, I suspect stovetops, ovens and microwaves will be abandoned in favor of the ready-made fare available at Riverfest. There is always a tremendous variety. Start with an appetizer of deep-fried cheese curds, finish with cake or ice cream, and squeeze a salad or exotic sandwich or two in between. Then stroll around the park enjoying the free entertainment.

Wine of the Week: Tormaresca Neprica 2006 (2008/07/05)
From the heel of Italy comes this interesting wine that takes its name from the first two or three letters of its grape sources — negroamara, primitivo and cabernet sauvignon.

7-Day Menu Planner (2008/07/05)
Sunday (Family) Make family day special with Flank Steak Verde. Brush 2 (1-pound) flank steaks (1-inch thick) with canola oil; grill 9 to 11 minutes, turning once, for medium-rare to medium. Remove to cutting board; let stand 5 minutes before slicing. Meanwhile, combine 1 cup salsa verde (green salsa) and 1 cup cilantro leaves in a food processor. Process until smooth and serve with steak.

Making crust really can be as easy as pie (2008/06/28)
A three-ingredient recipe sounds simple, almost foolproof … until a novice baker tries to combine a fat, a liquid and a flour for the perfect pie crust.

Wine of the Week: Yellow Tail Reserve Shiraz 2006 (2008/06/28)
Shiraz is the king grape in Australia, accounting for about 40 percent of the country’s harvest.

Reader Exchange: boat dock dip, black walnut pound cake (2008/06/28)
Once upon a time, there was a very astute cold remedy manufacturer that started its ads with a little song: “A summer cold is a DIFFerent animal, an UGly animal” and then proceeded to tell us how their product could tame that beast better than anyone else’s could. All I can say is cold remedy ads have changed significantly during the past 20 (plus) years, but summer colds most assuredly have NOT.

500 Club: Beans are excellent source of protein, iron and fiber (2008/06/28)
While the health benefits of eating dried beans and peas are many, most Americans don’t eat nearly enough of them.

Winning Dairy Days recipes announced (2008/06/28)
WEST SALEM, Wis. — Blanche Tryggestad’s Chipped Beef Dip took first place in the annual June Dairy Days recipe contest. This year’s theme was “Dips and Spreads.”

7-Day Menu Planner (2008/06/28)
Family Sunday Liven up family day with Cajun Roast Pork Loin (see recipe). Serve it with Creole Potato Salad by doctoring your favorite potato salad with some diced red and green bell pepper, diced onion and diced celery. Season with spicy brown mustard and a dash of hot pepper sauce. Add sliced tomatoes and baguettes on the side.