The other day my sister-in-law, Martha Grove, made a velvety smooth, decadently rich chocolate sauce to pour over vanilla ice cream. “How did you make this?” I asked, licking every morsel off my spoon. “It’s so easy,” she said. Here’s her recipe. I’ll skip the nutritional information. Moderation and self-control are key!
Martha Grove’s Perfect Chocolate Sauce
Makes about 1-1/2 cups
1-1/2 cups (8 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used Hershey’s)
6 tablespoons milk (any kind), to desired consistency
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Combine all of the ingredients in a heavy-based saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until melted and smooth. Thin with more milk, one teaspoon at a time, if desired. Serve warm. Cover and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.
We’re advised by health experts to choose red wine for its potential cardioprotective benefits provided by the antioxidant resveratrol. With the holidays fast approaching, here are my suggestions for three delicious California reds for under $14 (you’ll get an even better deal if you can find them on sale).
My favorite way to serve large globe artichokes is steamed or boiled, cooled to room temperature, gently pried open to look like a blooming lotus flower, then drizzled with homemade vinaigrette that reaches right down to the heart. Or, I sometimes put the vinaigrette in a tiny dish and I dip the wider base of the leaves, one by one, into the sauce before scraping the nub of pulp with my teeth.
It’s hard to imagine our world without plastic. It seems as if everything, from baby bottles to clothing, contains some form of plastic. And, it’s important to know that some plastics are safer than others. BPA (bisphenol-A), a chemical used in certain plastics, has been associated with disrupting the estrogen hormone. In 2006, Europe banned all products with BPA made for children under the age of three, including bottles and sippy cups. Here are some tips for buying safe plastic. Read more 
There is an art to boiling a perfect hard-boiled egg…and in the end it has less to do with boiling and more to do with letting the egg cook off the heat. Place your egg(s) in a single layer in a saucepan and cover with 2 inches of water and a generous sprinkling of salt. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute, then remove the saucepan from the heat, cover, and let stand 15 minutes. Remove the eggs, crack each shell on the counter, and place in a bowl filled with ice water. When cool enough to handle, peel.
Whether you are making a pecan pie, garnishing a frosted cake with sliced almonds, or throwing pine nuts into a salad, toasting the nuts before you use them unleashes their fantastic flavors. Toasting is easy, and it can be done a number of ways: 1) In a skillet over medium heat, with or without butter or oil; 2) in a preheated 350˚ F oven for about 8 minutes; or 3) under the broiler (watch carefully to avoid burning). You can make a big batch and store them in an airtight container to last the whole week. Pine nuts may develop whitish spots, but this does not affect their taste or freshness.
