Have you ever had that happen where you’ve never even heard of something, and then once you do hear of it, you start seeing it everywhere? You see something once in a dish, and then, all of a sudden, we can’t stop coming across it on menus. This is the case with Urfa Biber (commonly referred to as Urfa pepper), a Turkish chile pepper that’s distinctive for its dark burgundy color, irregularly sized flakes, and intriguing salty-sweet-smoky-sour flavor. It’s quickly becoming a go-to ingredient for chefs across the country.

Schools are closed, and we are all responsibly practicing social distancing, right? Whether you’re trying to keep your kids occupied or trying to continue their education at home, cooking with your kids offers a wide variety of opportunities to learn and grow. Stirring, measuring, rolling out -- these cooking tasks help kids develop necessary academic, cognitive, and motor skills. And let’s face it, it might make cooking messier, but it’s just plain fun! While you’re just having fun, you are also preparing them for success in school and in life. Cooking with kids helps with many things including the following:

Lots of us grew up eating meat at every meal. This is so much a part of our culture that I’ve heard many people say they have trouble cooking meatless meals. Today, however, we know that reducing the amount of meat we consume is good for our health, our finances, and our planet.

It seems like in this age of social media, food presentation has become even more important than ever before. Seeing diners taking photos of beautifully presented food is a very common occurrence. The fact is that whether you plan to post a pic of your food or not, visual appeal can be just as important as the taste of the food.

A flavor profile is a set of basic and common spices, seasonings, and aromatics that emulate a specific cuisine. Spices give aroma, color, flavor, and sometimes even texture to food. Each spice, chile, or herb has specific, unique chemical compounds that create the specific qualities you look for in your cooking.