By now you're probably familiar with MyPlate, the government's new food pyramid replacement; in case you hadn't heard, based on the updated guidelines, Americans are consuming far more sodium than they should. And new research suggests that overconsumption of salt affects cognitive function. High blood pressure, water retention, and stupidity? That's too much to bear. The good news is that there Read more

It wasn't until recently that I started to feel comfortable cooking large roasts. In particular, I'd always been intimidated by roasting legs of lamb, until I learned that with high-quality meat, minimal preparation is all you need for a result that's truly impressive. Any roast requires significant cooking time, so this may not technically be a fast recipe, but it most certainly is an easy one. Read more

Source: Flickr User aemosion The Korean Peninsula's position between China and Japan might lead you to believe that the cuisine is heavily influenced by both countries, but over the centuries, Korean food has developed into a genre quite distinct from its neighbors. Perhaps best known for smoky barbecue and spicy pickled cabbage kimchi, the cuisine actually is heavy on seafood and vegetables Read more

Thousands of cookbooks were published in the last year, but which ones are really worth buying? The International Association of Culinary Professionals, or IACP, tackled the question as it announced its cookbook award finalists for 2012 today. Among them: plenty of cookbooks from top restaurant chefs, like Jean-Georges Vongerichten, John Besh, and Andrew Carmellini, as well as new books from Read more

Nearly as big as the highly anticipated Oscars on Feb. 26 is Elton John's AIDS Foundation Oscars party, hosted annually by the musician and his husband, David Furnish. Guests at this year's fête will be fed courtesy of Cat Cora, who'll be pulling out all the stops with an all-out global-inspired menu. I spoke to the Iron Chef about what she's making for this bash (and her tips for hosting your Read more

You're late to work, again. No matter how much you reason with yourself, your lateness is probably due to the fact that you couldn't get out of bed. It's always unpleasant to drag yourself out of bed, so here are some tips to help you wake up alert and get you out of bed quickly: Assess your health. Your drowsiness in the morning might be health-related. Perhaps you need a better diet and Read more

Unless you know what you're doing, cooking at home can be as detrimental to your health as eating out. As far as your body is concerned, cooking with processed ingredients high in saturated fat, sugar, and sodium might as well be like eating McDonald's. But becoming a healthy cook isn't as hard as you think. Here are some essential habits for healthy home cooks, starting from the moment you set Read more

It's inevitable that the snack table is one of the most popular socializing zones in the house during the holiday season. Due to their close proximity to the television, treat-filled coffee tables are prime targets for unconscious nibbling — and who doesn't like snacking while watching a sporting event or a favorite Christmas movie? This year, try removing the bowls of candies and chocolates Read more

The holidays are always a little hectic, and there's definitely some added pressure for those of us who volunteer to play host for a Hanukkah celebration, Christmas dinner, or New Year's Eve party. We caught up with entertaining expert Katie Lee as she toasted her role as Clos du Bois wine ambassador in LA, and couldn't resist asking for some advice on how to make throwing a successful seasonal Read more