NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - Chef Lidia Bastianich explores the lesser known regions of Italy and serves up recipes in her new cookbook that highlight the complexity of the country's history and cuisine. In "Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy," the award-winning U.S. chef includes recipes from regions such as Valle D'Aosta and Sardinia which have been ...

The brighter the hue, the better the carrot. When shopping, pick large, firm, deep-orange carrots that are smooth and free of cracks-they'll taste better and are much more nutritious. Keep carrots refrigerated in a plastic bag in the produce bin for up to 10 days. They're OK to eat for a while after that, but they will have ...

THERE'S NOTHING QUITE SO COZY AS a pot of soup or stew bubbling away on the stove. So celebrate cold weather-pull out your Dutch oven, and try one of these bountiful batches. Simmer the ham hocks for hours to make the base for Pot Likker Soup. You'll get the nutritional goodness of a mess of greens bathed in ...

Laura Barton started it all off. She was at her desk one afternoon, just across from where the mighty engine that is the Weekend Guardian team was huffing and puffing away. We were talking about soups, as one does. "Onion soup," she said. "There's a female soup if ever there was one." I was startled. I had never thought ...