Nachos. Fried chicken. Mac and Cheese. Hot Fudge Sundaes. Everyone gets cravings for their favorite fattening comfort foods. But now you can feed those cravings with real food that is good for you too!

Sweet and soothing, tart and rich, apples and sweet potatoes make a fall duet that is irresistable when sprinkled with spice and honeyed walnuts. I made these lovely layers with the help of a Japanese mandoline that will give you uniform slices in seconds. But there are plenty of other tools to make the prep time for your favorite Thanksgiving dishes go a lot faster without investing too much cash.

As a teen, I had a real passion for fried rice and, since I was a vegetarian at the time, I thought that ordering takeout Chinese vegetable fried rice at least twice a week was a fairly healthy choice. Now that I cook at home more frequently and often have leftover rice, I find that making my favorite takeout dish at home is cheap, healthy and delicious.

As a Pittsburgher born and bred, I get scolded quite a bit by my sports’ loving friends for not being into sports myself, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t turn on the telly to host an eating fest around football season, just like we did back in the ‘Burgh!

Dulce de Leche, a sweet found in Argentine, Uruguayan and Chilean cuisine, is prepared by cooking sweetened condensed milk to create a sumptuous sauce that tastes like melted milk caramels. I will warn you – it is dangerous.

Tamari almonds are a great ingredient in my banana-nut breakfast smoothie as they really add a hint of saltiness against the sweetness of really ripe bananas. But I realized that those tamari almonds were almost $2 a bag! So here’s my recipe to make your own…

Loved by lemurs and Indian and Thai food fans, tamarind is a tropical fruit that is now available in the US. My neighbor Susan shared tamarind pods with me last week. I loved eating the dried fruit directly from the pod and tried making my own tamarind paste.

If you’ve ever tasted real aged balsamic vinegar, you know that nothing compares with its aroma, texture and dark, deep flavor. The real McCoy is from Modena, Italy, made from the white Trebbiano grape and aged for 12 to 25 years, but try out my latest recipe!

Summer just so happens to be the perfect time to save money in the kitchen and save on calories. Why? Because nature’s bounty is plentiful, flavorful and naturally healthy! What’s more is that a little goes a long way!

My neighbor Susan recently gave me a charming book about old-fashioned cocktails. The author stresses throughout the book that the base of a delicious mixed drinks comes from premium spirits and fresh juices – no bottled mixes. So I’ve devised four recipes for lower-calorie shots!

The holiday season is a wonderful opportunity to connect with friends and family, and to celebrate and share the big and small events of the year. If you love entertaining, but wonder how to pull it off smoothly, download my latest digital booklet on Healthy Holiday Entertaining with how-to tips and recipes for five holiday cookies...