5 Tips for Perfect Tempura

By Katie Barreira

Maybe deep frying doesn’t exactly jive with your New Year’s resolutions, but I’m a firm believer that the only way to avoid temptation is to give into it, just a little. Plus, frying at home allows you to control the batter consistency (just a thin coating, please), oil temperature and cooking time, all key in side-stepping the grease soaked goodies that we pledge to avoid without entirely shunning fried food.

Follow these words of tempura wisdom and you can indulge (occasionally, I must remind myself) in fried food that is sinfully crispy, but fresh and light enough to pass the resolution police.

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On Cloud Nine With Meringues

By Katie Barreira

All my life I’ve been a chocolate girl. Chocolate and peanut butter to be specific…or caramel, or toffee, or….

See me at the movies and I’ll be cradling a sack of Reeses Pieces, Milk Duds or for a lighter treat, Junior Mints. On rare occasions, I’ll swing for Sour Patch Kids (there’s just something about that citric acid eating away at my tongue) but generally, my sweet tooth gravitates towards the earthy sweetness of chocolate rather than the saccharine intensity of say, frosting. But that all changed when I met the meringue.

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Holiday Rolls Two Ways

By Katie Barreira

As if the holiday season wasn’t daunting enough, it seems that every special occasion revolves around a feast. I mean, it’s festive and communal and I totally get it, but even a seasoned foodie can be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of significant meals that take place in the month of December.

Just as the latke parties are winding down, it’s time to gear up for Christmas Eve, Christmas morning, Christmas dinner, New Year’s Eve, New Year’s day…the chow-fests come fast and furious.

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Raising the Ice Bar

By Karie Barreira

While my cravings for winter ice cream may be a bit unconventional, it’s clear I’m not the only one who likes to embrace the cold weather. Seasonal watering holes have been popping up all over the country; like Igloo Bar, a temporal Eskimo den situated rinkside at Rockefeller Center and serving “ice melter” cocktails to skaters and spectators.

On a recent visit to Toronto, Canada, I visited the Drake Hotel’s “climate-defiant” rooftop bar, complete with live campfire and cozy blankets to snuggle while sipping your Scorched Marshmallow and Frangelico Hot Chocolate.

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‘Tis the Season for Hot Cocoa

By Katie Barreira

As promised, this week is all about the season, and there’s nothing like a steaming cup of cocoa to make the impending winter feel cozy and snug instead of bah humbug. Here are a few of the best hot chocolate recipes, traditional and not so, that I’ve collected along the way. No matter your brew of choice, the homemade marshmallows are a must try and pair perfectly with every variety of hot chocolate.

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