Ideas & Tips — Food & Drinks

Summer is a good time to switch up your snacking routine, opting for easy, light and healthy options that don't require you to heat up your kitchen by cooking! Here are some ideas to keep you full and energized throughout the day:  Cranberry slushy: Food.com has an easy recipe for a cool cranberry slushy. Just mix all ingredients together in a gallon ice cream pail or other large freezable container and freeze overnight. Serve spoon slush into our double-walled stainless steel drinking glasses with matching straws and add additional 7-Up or Sprite. Fresh fruit: Many different kinds of fruit are currently in season,...

Are you in charge of throwing a friend or family member a wedding or baby shower? If so, consider using a garden-theme for a fun and flower-filled affair. Here are some tips:  Arrange fruit: Set out this beautiful basket and fill it with fresh fruit for your guests to snack on. Invite them in style: Send mailed invitations that are in keeping with your garden theme. You might choose a floral stationery or tuck a silk daisy inside the envelope.  Make floral straws: We love many bloggers' idea that turn paper straws into awesome floral centerpieces. For the "stems," use our stainless...

Nothing is more fun than going out to eat sushi at a local restaurant, but what if you could also make your favorite sushi rolls right in the comfort of your own home? It may prove less expensive than dining out and it's also a fun activity with which to wow your friends and family members! Here are some tips to keep in mind:  Buy sushi-grade fish: It's very important that you only use sushi-grade fish when making your own rolls, which means it is safe to eat raw. Sushi enthusiast Monnie Nilsson writes in The Denver Post that you should...

We all know that a person's diet can have a dramatic effect on their longevity, but which foods are the most effective for extending the human lifespan? Nutritionists have studied the longest-lived ethnic groups in the world, including residents of the Japanese island of Okinawa (average lifespan of 81 years) and Seventh Day Adventists in the US, who outlive other Americans by an average of four years through a combination of alcohol abstinence and vegetarianism. These are some of the foods that these groups emphasize in their diets:  Fish. Loaded with omega-3 fatty acids, eating fish helps to prevent dangerous inflammation...

The mortar and pestle is a versatile and useful kitchen implement, but few of us actually grew up using one, so it can be a bit difficult to get into the swing of using it for cooking. Here are a few tips to help you take proper advantage of your mortar and pestle: It's not just for dry spices. Garlic, basil and other "wet" spices can also be ground into pastes or muddled in the mortar and pestle, making it a great tool for creating rubs and seasonings for meat dishes. Use it to make pesto. According to numerous cooks, the difference...