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Cooking a delicious Asian meal on a budget can be quite the challenge. Luckily, with some savvy grocery shopping and basic kitchen know-how, anyone can enjoy great Asian cuisine at home. Here are three great recipes that use basic, inexpensive ingredients so you can bring a delicious Asian feast right to your home, without spending an arm and a leg.

We all love a great outdoor party in the middle of the summer. Time to relax, spend time with friends and family while sparking up the bbq and lounging in the pool. Here are some helpful tips on how to make entertaining outdoor easier and whats new for hosting parties this summer!

Learn all about garlic and how to use it in your kitchen in this fun and fascinating read that will have you chuckling while you plan your next meal with this favored flavor king. As the old New York saying goes: "Three nickels will get you on the subway, but garlic will get you a seat." What it brings to the table is well worth it.

Summer is a busy time of the year for most everyone and, if you're like me, you want to be able to enjoy your time without spending money on things you don't need or can easily make yourself. So it's time to share some tips for some of my favorite time and money savers.

Get secrets to making the perfect frosty summer drink in this great guide to figuring out how to blend drinks and tweak existing drinks to improve flavor, texture, and more. Plus, get a bunch of great recipes to get you on your way to a cooler summer.

With summer eating heating up, having delicious watermelon on hand is a great way to cool down. Feel intimidated about slicing one up? Get insight into how to cut up an entire watermelon in about 5 minutes, without losing the fruit to the rind.

An upcoming move means working to be creative about using up as much from the pantry, refrigerator, and freezer as possible before packing up the remainder and carting it off. But when Mother Nature is tossing 90 degree days my way, what's a girl to do? Grab her trusty crockpot, that's what!

As Independence Day draws nearer and summer entertaining begins to become commonplace, it seems like a good time to look at ways to incorporate those patriotic colors of red, white, and blue into your menu without turning to desserts, where that color scheme is easily replicable. Instead, why not showcase them in a fun summer salad featuring incredibly fresh seasonal produce?

Blueberries are starting to come into season and, far from feeling blue, they bring great joy to me and my household. So it's with great pleasure and anticipation that we look forward to a simple cheesecake pie that's loaded with fresh blueberries and delicious blueberry syrup. Hooray for the season of fresh produce!

Whether it's understanding how to use chorizo to add depth of flavor to a dish or which wine to drink straight from the bottle and which to use in sangria, Spanish cuisine offers us a blend of flavors, textures, aromas, and colors to delight you and your guests. Think it might be time to learn more? Find out how in this fun beginning to a Spanish adventure!

When making sure everyone gets fed, there's something to be said for having items on hand that can serve multiple roles. This time around, I'm offering a muffin recipe that has a little bit of everything and holds its own as part of breakfast, brunch, snacktime, or even dessert!

A chef winning a James Beard Award is like a scientist winning the Nobel Prize for research. It's a huge honor and I'm thrilled to share that a local chef, Chef Tory Miller of L'Etoile in Madison, has won this year's for the Midwest. Many congratulations to him and his dedicated team!

Those that have the opportunity to enjoy fresh produce by way of a community sponsored agriculture share (or regular trips to your local farmers' market) know that now is the time when things really start to become truly breath-taking in the kitchen. Beautiful salads, tender rhubarb crisps, and stir-fries to make anyone drool become common on tables that are fortunate enough to experience CSA joy!

Are you concerned about using wine in your cooking? Do all your dishes end up swimming in Merlot or drenched in Chardonnay? Not sure how to balance the natural flavors in your food with the wine you have in your home? Get some great advice about how to do so without covering the flavor of your food and, before you know it, you'll be visiting your wine rack as often as you visit your spice rack when turn on your stove!

Do you have a go-to recipe for an easy dinner when you're not feeling like fussing much in the kitchen? I do. And it's a fantastic way to feed your family and leave your house smelling fantastic. Super simple baked chicken thighs can be easily paired with rice and a green salad and you've got dinner with minimal work.

Wondering how to lose weight for the upcoming summer without sacrificing flavor and satisfaction? Look no further in this quick look into how your favorite foods can remain favorites without destroying your weight loss goals.

When you're putting together a casserole, what's your go-to topping to give it that extra flavor and texture? I'm sharing my favorites and asking you to do the same. Some are tried and true, while others are a bit more unexpected. Add in the option of layering and the possibilities are endless!

Seafood is quick and easy to make. Using your microwave makes it even moreso. Before you get concerned that rubbery seafood is a guarantee, consider this guide to cooking delicate fish and seafood perfectly using your microwave and get a great recipe for Mussels With Garlic Cream Sauce.

A little nostalgia for a favorite carnival treat becomes the inspiration for a great cake. Layering a beautifully spiced apple cake with pillows of apple filling and a rich coating of sweet, sticky caramel results in bliss. Add a generous sprinkling of chopped peanuts and you've got a cake that's paying proper homage to the best carnival caramel apples.

Mexico's "Fifth of May" festivities are a perfect excuse to entertain friends. Hosting a Cinco de Mayo party to celebrate Mexican culture doesn't have to be overwhelming. You can turn up the heat with outstanding party decor and a menu to match from author and television host, Sandra Lee.

In the Lebanese culture -- even in the most humble of abodes -- coffee, tea, cookies and sweets are offered as soon as guests walk in the door. Turkish Coffee is the essence of what coffee should be. From how it is prepared, served, and enjoyed. Learn how to make it for yourself.

The preparation of cocktails is somewhat an art with its own terminology and methodology. Cocktail bartenders are true artists that are able to entertain their customers while preparing tasteful and exotic drinks. One of the most famous and recognizable methods is cocktail shaking. Learn more in this great guide.

Fusion gets dusted off and taken for a spin when fried rice brings together Tex-Mex and Asian flavors for a spicy dish that pairs beautifully with creamy, cheese-filled quesadillas. Get ready to enjoy a dish with complex flavors that takes about 15 minutes to make!

It's time to get to know ramps, also called wild leeks. They taste a little like onions and a little like garlic and are incredibly versatile, but have a season of less than a month. So get them into your kitchen and onto your table before they are gone until next year. You won't be disappointed.

Everywhere around me, spring is doing its thing. The grass is getting green, the flowers are blooming, and I'm looking for ways to work fresh produce into my meals as much as possible. So when tender venison steak finds its way to my kitchen, giving it a bath in Thai-inspired marinade and light searing before resting it on a bed of fantastic fresh greens and crisp vegetables seems only natural!

Imagine topping brownies with the recognizable flavors of Cadbury Creme Eggs. Now imagine the praise and admiration that is going to be heaped upon you by friends and loved ones when you share them. Happy Easter, everyone!

Every year, there's a question that will be reliably asked around this time of the year. This time around, answering it is the subject of an article. Just in time for Easter, I'm sharing the secret to perfectly hard-boiled eggs for decorating and enjoying in everything from egg salad to deviled eggs. Enjoy and have a Happy Easter!