spicy

Chilly evenings and early onset darkness lead the members of the Hill family to crave "comfort foods." In addition to the seasonal changes, our schedules seem to get really crazy during these early months of winter -- so I also want to cook foods that are easy to prepare. You know the type: Food that can be thrown together either into a crock pot, sauce pan or casserole dish and reheated on those evening when you have less time, but want to eat in the comfort of your own home.  

In a large mixing bowl, combine the cranberry sauce, sugar, horseradish vinegar, salt & pepper. Peel apples and grate them with the large holed grater. Immediately fold grated apples into the cranberry mixture before they oxidize and turn brown.  

Life in the dusty city of Jodhpur revolves around Mehrangarh Fort (The Fort, Jodhpur; 91-291-254-8790; www.maharajajodhpur.com ), perhaps the best preserved of the hundreds of forts in Rajasthan. It offers an excellent audio guide in English explaining the cannonball scars from battles with other Rajput kingdoms and the hidden balconies in the Pearl Palace, which Raja Sur Singh's wives once used to peek at the outside world. Before leaving, stroll through the Chokelao Bagh, a fragrant garden with exotic f  

Side Street Saloon opened Oct. 30 at 511 Lake Arrowhead Road, which is the former location of Callie Baker's Roadhouse. This time around the saloon has 50 televisions "...showing all the NFL, MLB, college football and basketball packages." There are daily drink specials, a happy hour from 4-7 weekdays and daily lunch specials.  

Last week, at the precise moment on screen that millions of screaming, tanned Angelenos tumbled down into a mile-deep cataclysmic crack in the planet's exploding crust along with their high-rise condos and labradoodles, a man's phone rang in the row of seats behind me. In a voice rising even above the sound of continental plates and Hummers scraping on each other, he discussed dining options with his caller. "Szechuan!" he spouted.  

Cornucopia has come and gone for another year but not before coinciding with one of the earliest opening ski seasons in Whistler's history. Should I ski or should I taste was a question many asked themselves each morning and walking through the snow most of Saturday and Sunday I could understand why some chose the ski lift over the lift you can get from wine. I worked out of the recently refurbished Westin for the weekend and was more than impressed with the $10 million update and warm friendly service en  

 

You've planned the best holiday meal ever. Now it's time to shop for all the ingredients. Your list is long, but the funds are short and no amount of coupon clipping, sale perusing or creative cooking is going to help.  

Red-lentil soup inspired my love of the brothy dish, both for its natural flavor and for its unparalleled comforting qualities -- in fact, so much so that my house has become known among friends as the "Soup Kitchen," and friends will randomly text while in the neighborhood to ask what's cooking. I discovered red-lentil soup rather late in life, during my college years, at Sultan's Market , a small but fiercely beloved Mediterranean spot in Chicago's Wicker Park. Braving the bristly winter weather with a