“Ethnic food” is a phrase most of us have heard, possibly even recently. But what does it mean, specifically? If “ethnic” means to come from a certain national or cultural tradition, then literally all food would be ethnic food. But Tara O’Brady, the award-winning cookbook author, food writer, and proprietor of the popular blog Seven Spoons, explains that’s not the way people tend to use the phrase “ethnic food,” and she says it’s time to retire it. Because in practice what people mean when they talk about “ethnic food” is the food of non-white people, and that usage contributes to power differences and hierarchies in the food world that it’s past time to do away with.

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When I was 26 I set my wok on fire seasoning it (before I knew how to do it properly), but luckily my trusty fire extinguisher took care of things before it became really serious. That’s why the news that 38 million fire extinguishers are being recalled right now — models made over the last 44 years — is especially unnerving.

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Anthony Bourdain has never been one to hold back his language regarding other chefs and food personalities. He is always the first to call someone out on doing things incorrectly or doing them just for show when good, honest food isn’t involved. So, when Refinery29 recently asked Bourdain which big-name food star he think actually gets it right when it comes to food, we had to find out.

To no one’s surprise, Anthony Bourdain thinks highly of the one and only Ina Garten.

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With all the fuss that’s involved in building your Thanksgiving dinner, what to drink with the turkey and fixings should be the least complicated decision you make. Spend more time hemming and hawing between pumpkin pie recipes and less time perusing the wine store trying to find the best bottle to pour at the table and just head to Aldi instead.

Yes, they sell my top pick for Thanksgiving wine this year — and just like everything else Aldi sells, it happens to be wallet-friendly, too.

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First, let me explain: When I say “having” a dog, what I really mean is “babysitting” a dog. I do not have a dog of my own. Mostly because my husband and I can’t agree on a size. I want a dog that’s small enough for me to carry around like a baby and he wants one that he can ride. So until they come up with a breed that can grow and shrink on demand, we spend a lot of time taking in other people’s pups while they go on vacation. (In fact, we just said goodbye this morning to a shiba inu named Sumo.)

We’ve learned a lot from watching nearly a dozen different dogs over the years. For one, I like rubbing bellies nearly as much as dogs like getting bellies rubbed. I’ve learned that dog toys are key for beating boredom on rainy days. And I learned one important thing about my kitchen.

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Fall is the time of year when things get busy — really, really busy. At first, I embrace it, especially if I’ve had a good, properly lazy summer. Then November arrives and I find myself thinking Thanksgiving is coming! How is that possible? And once Thanksgiving is here, it’s time to think about Christmas and all my little nieces and nephews who are not-so-secretly hoping for light sabers and trucks and tiaras.

Maintaining my sanity and making sure I eat relatively well comes down to one thing I do on the weekend. If I don’t do it, I’m definitely calling wine and cheese “dinner” more often than I want.

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I’ve never been a big milk drinker, but I pour it over cereal or granola, add a splash to black tea, and order the occasional cappuccino. A couple years ago I discovered almond milk, and making the switch from cow’s milk to non-dairy milk felt like a no-brainer. It seemed like everyone around me was giving up dairy for health reasons, and since I wasn’t particularly attached to milk I joined in.

But then I learned a little more — and stopped drinking alternative milks altogether. Here’s why I made the switch back to cow’s milk.

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Even if you set your weeknight dinner plans with the best of intentions, sometimes the day gets away from you. Deadlines at work need to be met, errands need to be squeezed in, and all too often you’re left exhausted by dinnertime. These five recipes are for these moments. They require, at most, eight ingredients (often fewer), and come together quickly without fuss. That’s way better than a microwave meal, as far as we are concerned.

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We don’t all have a gourmet grocer in town where we can easily snag an organic, free-range or heritage turkey for our holiday feast. For a lot of people, it’s either an industrially raised supermarket turkey or nothing. But hope can come … through the internet. There are a few producers with online marketplaces who can ship you a freshly processed top-notch bird that will truly earn its place at the center of the table.

Here’s how they stacked up.

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How do you divide dinner chores at home? Most weekdays I cook dinner and my husband clears the dishes, puts away leftovers, and washes dishes in return. This is purely logistical based on our work schedules — mine is consistent and his is erratic. We both contribute to grocery chores, but as the primary cook, meal planning usually falls on my shoulders.

This week my husband has a rare open week and after he had three very specific requests for dinner, I passed the meal planning responsibility off to him for the rest of the week. What’s so different about a meal plan created by my husband? There’s more meat and inhibited cravings for comfort food. Here’s the cozy comfort food we are cooking for the week ahead.

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