PITTSBURGH — Despite being a food reporter, I am by no means a master chef. I can handle simple recipe instructions like "stir," "fry," "simmer," "bake" or, maybe, "braise" — which is basically a combination of simmer and bake. I have an irrational fear of anything that requires equipment beyond a pot or pan.

Full of hope, my family once ...Read more

Summer heat often makes baking less than desirable, so if you're going to heat up the kitchen to make dessert, you gotta make it worth every bead of sweat that collects on your forehead.

These berry crumb bars are worth it and then some.

Built on a forgiving shortbread-like crust (it's supposed to be crumbly) and topped with gooey seasonal ...Read more

DETROIT -- Nate Peck peered over his shoulder at the oven, where the cheese lining the edges of one of his Detroit-style pizzas was caramelizing into its final, flaky form.

He recalled a recent visitor to his restaurant: a chef from New Zealand, of all places, hoping to expand his menu by learning the craft of Detroit-style pizza. Peck spent ...Read more

Hey, Food Dude: It’s been years since you ran one of these columns pitting your near-encyclopedic knowledge against questions that you generally make up yourself. And I, for one, have missed them as little as everyone else.

So I thought I’d ask you this: What is the best way to get a really crispy skin on chicken? — Jacques Pepin

Dear ...Read more

This flank steak recipe comes together easily on a baking sheet, but if you’re itching to take it outside, fire up the grill instead. Just be sure to use a grill basket for the peppers so you don’t end up chasing them around the grates, or worse, losing them to the fire.

Sweet & Peppery Flank Steak with Shishitos

Serves 4

Active Time: 20 ...Read more

True to their reputation, cucumbers are pretty cool.

The folklore

A favorite in summer gardens, cucumbers are made up of mostly water, which makes them literally “cool”-ing and hydrating in hot temperatures. They’re also “cool” in the popular sense. Cultivated around the world for more than 3,000 years, cucumbers ...Read more

Recently I had a crowd over for a barbecue that included kids and adults. For dessert I did a reinterpretation of my favorite summer dessert: fruit crisp. Usually, a crisp is made with a layer of cut-up fruit and a streusel topping. This time I wanted to put a custard layer in the center for a subtle yet decidedly creamy surprise.

It was not ...Read more

All summer long, we indulge in local corn every which way: on the cob with butter and salt, sauteed kernels with herbs and diced tomato, or grilled to goldenness. We stand in line at state fairs for cobs dripping in butter. Street festivals find us getting sloppy with Mexican-inspired cobs covered in sour cream, cheese and red chile.

We love it...Read more

I love all kinds of French toast, from the classic version with slices soaked in custard to the fun pull-apart type. If you dip bread in custard and cook it ...Read more

Every summer I look for a refreshing cocktail that’s easy enough to whip up at the last minute. The lava flow cocktail, a combination of bananas, strawberries, pineapple juice, and rum, blew me away with its beauty and undeniably delicious flavor. Since this cocktail is newer to me, I reached out to some friends (one lives in Hawaii, and the ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA -- At The Franklin Fountain ice cream parlor in Philadelphia's Old City neighborhood, a bust of Benjamin Franklin gazes benevolently down on two antique stainless steel bowls: one holds tiny, rod-shaped rainbow ice cream toppings, while the other holds chocolate ones.

For hundreds of years, or at least since 2004 when the shop ...Read more

I miss my husband when he's out of town for work (of course), but come dinner time, I can't help but appreciate being able to cook whatever I want for dinner without worrying about whether he'll walk away from the table happy.

Translation: Though I usually steer clear because he's highly allergic to shellfish, finally, I can fill up on ...Read more

Peas have a special place in French culture and cuisine. One of the earliest cultivated food crops, they achieved a special status at Versailles in Louis XIV’s court, where peas were considered “potager du roi,” or royal fruit. King Louis liked to eat his peas raw.

Peas should be finger food, especially those delightfully plump sugar snap...Read more

Hot dogs and creamy, mayo-heavy picnic sides like potato and macaroni salad are quintessential warm weather eats because they're both cheap and easy to pull together on short notice.

But no one can blame you if you want to stretch beyond the basics with dishes that are a little bolder — but still within the general framework of what we ...Read more

At the Mamiche bakeries in the 9th and 10th arrondissements of Paris, their famous pains au chocolat and croissants depend on an essential but increasingly scarce ingredient — butter.

The bakery’s regular supplier can no longer provide a steady flow of French beurre de tourage, a type of flat butter used to make the pastries. Mamiche has ...Read more

In victory, top chefs are much like the classiest of professional tennis players: self-deprecatory, admiring of their rivals, grateful to their teachers. A few weeks ago, just after his restaurant Maido was proclaimed No. 1 among the 50 Best Restaurants in the World at a ceremony in Turin, Italy, Mitsuharu Tsumura told me, “There is ...Read more

Free Slurpees are back at 7-Eleven as the 24-hour convenience store chain celebrates its 98th birthday this Friday.

On July 11, 7-Eleven offers its patrons a free small Slurpee drink at participating 7-Eleven, Speedway and Stripes locations nationwide while the Mountain Dew Infinite Swirl flavor makes its return for a limited time.

Fans of the...Read more

CHICAGO -- “I think it was important for us to be Black,” said Jamhal Johnson, co-founder of Chicago’s local Moor’s Brewing Co. “We put a Black man on the beer can.”

For Johnson and longtime friends Damon Patton and Anthony Bell, that’s been one part of a well-considered growth and branding strategy for Moor’s Brewery Co., the ...Read more

Tender vegetables soak up this tangy marinade and turn delicately smoky and tender on a hot grill. These kebabs make a wonderful side dish with grilled meats or fish. You can substitute the zucchini with yellow summer squash or use both if you wish.

Marinated Grilled Vegetable Kebabs

Serves 4

Active Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 20 ...Read more