The Boys’ Gougères

By Andrew Hunter
For The Family Table, a blog for busy families

One fateful day a few months ago, we walked into a newly opened French bakery around the corner from our house. It was fateful because the boys discovered gougères that had just come hot out of the oven.

If you’re not familiar, gougères are like savory cream puffs. Delicious little pastries with cheese and herbs mixed into the dough before baking. So now gougères are the bread of choice in the Hunter household. The boys like them in the morning with scrambled eggs, at lunch stuffed with turkey and cherry tomatoes, and at dinner as slider buns.

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Meatloaf Appeases all Appetites

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By Ben Mims
For Cooking Newbie, a blog for beginner cooks

Whenever I’m thinking of a dish to make for company, I always go to meatloaf first. Not that there aren’t more exciting things to make for dinner, but meatloaf is that perfect dish to make to appease all appetites.

On a recent weeknight, I was having guests over that all had certain dietary restrictions. One was pregnant, the other couldn’t eat spicy foods or dairy-rich foods, and my partner likes nothing but chicken breasts or ground beef.

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Fried Olives

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By Sandy Hu
The latest from Inside Special Fork

Recently, Steve and I went to a neighborhood restaurant where we had been just once before, and we were surprised that prices had gone up. Where we were expecting entrees of $18 to $20, they were mostly $25 and higher.

We could have left for a less expensive place but we decided to stay and eat economically. For an appetizer, my eyes rested on the cheapest thing on the menu, fried kalamata olives, and certainly something we could share as a starter with our wine.

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How to Roast Beets

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By Sandy Hu
A new video for Video Friday

I love beets, but Steve thinks they taste like dirt.

So, given we’re a household of two, any beets I cook, I eat by myself. But I love them so much, it’s fine with me. Besides, beets are one of the 50 most nutrient-dense produce on the planet, according to the book, Melissa’s 50 Best Plants on the Planet.

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Caramel Banana Bread

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By Ben Mims
For Cooking Newbie, a blog for beginner cooks

As the weather outside is getting slightly chillier, my need to start baking cinnamon-y, spicy or pumpkin-filled baked goods kicks into gear. I mean, just look at the fervor surrounding pumpkin spice lattes at Starbucks; those flavors are what we all look forward to this time of year.

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