As the Holidays come to a close and you begin the inevitable cleanup from the flurry of the season, don’t forget your Gift Closet. It can be a closet, or a drawer, or simply the corner of a shelf somewhere. It has a critical role throughout the year, but this seems to be the time of year when it needs your particular attention.

With Downton Abbey just over for the season and Mr. Selfridge just getting underway for its second season, I’ve been doing a little reading, some testing, and a lot of thinking about tea. I’ve come up with three conclusions:

Slice Across the Grain! We’ve all read this, and been told this, more times than we can remember … and still we forget … what does this mean? Why does this matter? And how do we do it?

Oh how we love a beautiful cheese course at the end of a meal! We picked up this habit traveling in Europe and often substitute it for dessert. This ritual, whether as a prelude to dessert or in its place, has become much more familiar and appreciated here in the US.

I don’t know about you, but every doctor and nutritionist we’ve talked to lately has preached, “Eat more oats!” Sometimes, we just feel like saying: Neigh! But we've found a better alternative...

Choosing, preparing, and cooking asparagus...

Make a delicious soup from 3 ingredients from Trader Joe's and almost no time investment!

Confused about all the choices from Charles Viancin? ... You're not alone

Here's our attempt to make the choices a little easier

What's in your basket? Guide to a great picnic infrastructure.

Here's why you shouldn't put tomatoes in the refrigerator...ever!