Hi! I'm a writer currently based in Los Angeles, who also spends time in Bordeaux, Paris, and Honolulu. I write about food, wine, travel, health, fitness, and general lifestyle.
Tequila must be made from a specific type of agave plant — here's why it matters
Tequila is produced in one of five Mexican states and made exclusively from the Weber azul agave plant.
The entire agave plant is harvested, trimmed, pressed, and distilled to make the final product.
Tequila can be bottled directly after distilling for a blanco variety or aged for an añejo variety.
Tequila is arguably one of Mexico's greatest national treasures. Made from the heart of the Weber azul agave plant, this spirit has been mass-produced since the 1600s and is one of the first indige...
The Best Food Lessons I Learned from My French Mother-in-Law
As an American who grew up with a very nonchalant attitude towards mealtimes, I didn’t know what to expect when I first accompanied my now-husband on a trip to his family home in southwest France. Even though it was a decade ago, I remember the trip vividly: It was a cultural immersion that included going on trips to the open markets, nervously helping with meal preparation, and getting sideways glances for my New World table manners (a story for another time).
I came away from that trip with...
Add Joy to Your Table with These Colorful Glass Tumblers That Are Under $5 Apiece
They're perfect for spring get-togethers.
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If you're ready to lean into a colorful glassware moment, you've got a myriad of choices. Opt for intricately patterned pink goblets to complement Easter brunch or select highball glasses in school colors for a graduation dinner. Mix and match a rainbow assortment of champagne flutes for M...
What's in an old fashioned? How to make the whiskey drink at home
The old fashioned is the first American cocktail, and uses whiskey, sugar, bitters, and water.
It was designed to allow bar patrons to better enjoy the poorly-made whiskey of the early 1800s.
Today, the old fashioned is a style of cocktail that can showcase just about any spirit.
If you're into old-timey cocktails, the old fashioned is as classic as it gets. Made up of just sugar, bitters, whiskey, and water, it is believed to be the first American cocktail creation. This "alcohol-forward" co...
7 common types of tofu and how to prepare them
Common tofu types range from "silken" to "extra-firm," and the difference is in the water content.
From least firm to most firm, tofu's versatility make it suitable for blending, frying, boiling, or enjoying raw.
The type of tofu you use makes all the difference in a recipe.
Tofu is easily one of the most delicious plant-based foods in the world. That is, if you know what you're doing.
"Good tofu tastes nutty and buttery, with a very subtle sweetness. [People underestimate] how extraordinaril...
What's the difference between scallions, green onions, and chives?
Green onions and scallions are the same thing and can be eaten raw or cooked.
Chives are a different plant and are considered an herb and best utilized raw.
Chives and green onions are both members of the genus allium, which also includes shallots and garlic.
Chives and green onions are two well-loved and often-used ingredients across the culinary sphere. And while they've both got slender green shoots and an onion-like flavor profile, chives and green onions each have unique characteristics ...
5 essential techniques for preparing and cooking kale for salads, soups, stews and more
The best method for preparing kale depends on the dish you're making.
Before cooking kale, give the leaves a wash and remove the thick rib at the center.
Kale stands up well to cooking and retains its volume better than many other leafy greens.
These days, you'll be hard-pressed to find a more popular vegetable than leafy green kale.
A member of the Brassica family (and a relative of broccoli and cabbage), this hearty green — whether it's lacinato, curly, red, or another variety — has signifi...
5 ways to quickly chill wine when you're short on time
Nearly all wines can benefit from being chilled.
The fastest way to chill wine is to spin the bottle in a salted water ice bath.
You can also put the bottle in the freezer for 30 minutes or simply add ice cubes.
If you're a casual wine drinker, there's a good chance you've been taught that white wines need to be chilled while red wines can be served at room temperature.
It's not entirely wrong, but wine pros tend to store their wine — red, white, rosé, sparkling, or still — in already chilled...
How to eat crawfish — yes, you should suck the heads
Find a trusted supplier for whole crawfish, and choose domestic varieties for the best quality.
Eating whole crawfish doesn't require utensils — your hands are your best tool.
Simply twist the head off the tail, peel the tail, and eat the meat.
Every spring, the southeastern United States welcomes crawfish season. Also known as crayfish, mudbugs, or crawdads, these little creatures are either wild-caught in rivers and marshes or farmed and harvested to end up in such delectable delights as gu...
How to make a Manhattan and all its variations
A Manhattan is made with three main ingredients, so a good whiskey is the real star of this drink.
The Manhattan is one of several iconic cocktails from the late 19th century with a hazy origin story.
If the classic Manhattan isn't enough, try one of a variation like the Rob Roy that subs in Scotch.
"At its heart, the Manhattan is designed to make a great whiskey shine," says Heather Wibbels, Chair of the Bourbon Women Board of Directors and mixologist-in-chief at Cocktail Contessa. This magi...
What's in an Aperol spritz? How to make the simple Italian cocktail
Aperol spritz is a popular version of the spritz Veneziano, an Italian pre-dinner cocktail.
It only has three main ingredients — Aperol, Prosecco, and sparkling water.
Aperol is a sweet, bitter aperitif made with a well-guarded formula of orange, herbs, and roots.
Bright, bittersweet, and slightly effervescent, the Spritz — a traditional Italian aperitivo— has found massive popularity across the pond.
"For Italians, a spritz is a stimulation of the palate and gastric acid in order to have mor...
What is matcha? A guide to the traditional green tea and how to make it
Matcha is a beverage made from grinding whole, partially shade-grown green tea leaves into powder.
It has been used for centuries by Buddhist monks to keep focus during long hours of meditation.
Matcha powder can be used in a variety of beverage recipes, from lattes to cocktails and more.
For hundreds of years, many people across Asia have enjoyed the rich green tea concoction known as matcha. Created in China during the Tang Dynasty, it was brought to feudal Japan by Buddhist monks who used ...
Sustainable travel guide: Oahu, Hawaii
The Hawaiian Islands are some of the most isolated in the Pacific, meaning they’ve had eons to grow their own delicate ecosystem that only gets more fragile as technology churns and burns onward.
Oahu — home to Honolulu, Waikiki, and two-thirds of the state’s population — is only 44 miles long and 30 miles wide. Every inch of these hills, mountains, and valleys is precious. The tour and travel experiences below are sustainable, low-footprint ways to celebrate the land and sea, for kamaaina (l...
The 7 Best Quesadilla Makers of 2020
“Quesadillas are to Mexicans as the grilled cheese is to the average American,” says Chef Olivia Hernandez, owner of Austin-based Hernandez Hospitality. While her favorite quesadilla is a corn tortilla filled with Oaxaca cheese, grilled onions, and squash blossoms, in its most basic form, a quesadilla s...
What My French Family Taught Me About Breaking Out the Good China
In the house where I grew up, we had two living rooms: a formal one that we weren’t allowed to sit in, and the other that housed the television and, often, our overflowing toys and books. When my French husband visited my family home for the first time, the dual living room situation confused him: The house isn’t particularly large, and my parents don’t regularly host guests, so the formal living room sat empty most of the time. After some convincing, my parents gave us free rein to rearrange...