Derby Day is a time for big bets, bigger hats and tasty cocktails. Fashion is high and the expectation of a derby-themed cocktail is higher.

Here is a duo that should cover your bases for a party scenario that often encompasses an array of taste preferences.

First, we tip our hat to a perennial all-star: The Mint Julep is the quintessence of Derby Day imbibing with a permanent place in America’s liquid history. (More…)

Celebrate Mother’s Day (and National Mediterranean Diet Month) with delicious meals made with love, that love mom back!

Do it because more women need to take care of their heart health. In fact, more women than men have died of heart disease each year since 1984, and it’s still the number one cause of death among both men and women in the U.S. and around the globe.

Great news: It’s largely preventable. A heart-healthy diet is a good place to start. (More…)

With Cinco de Mayo fast approaching, let’s take a look at two fun and tasty cocktails for the adventurous palate!

Before we get rolling, I will make quick mention of a product that has taken the country by storm.

If you are strapped for time or cash (or both!) click on Skinnygirl Margarita and “forgeddaboutit!” Bethanny Frankel‘s open-and-serve margarita is a quick option for the calorie-counter seeking a festive sip. Simply pour over ice or blend.

Those looking for a heightened marriage of tastes can experiment with equally festive — yet more elaborate — cocktails. (More…)

In my last post, I began my journey into the world of FreshDirect One-Click Recipes — a journey that for me was far more nerve-wracking than it probably is for most people.

But when my ingredients for Pasta with Ricotta, Herbs, and Lemon and White Bean, Red Onion, and Tomato Salad arrived this past Saturday (along with my grocery staples like orange juice, garlic, and arugula), all clearly labeled and smelling wonderful, I began to look forward to my recipe adventure. (More…)

Technically, Cinco de Mayo is Mexico’s holiday (it’s the celebration of a victory over French occupiers at the “Battle of Puebla” in 1862), but early May really needs a good food holiday, and Mexican food is SO delicious, we’re willing to make up any excuse we need to get tacos to the table.

If you’re looking for a few great recipes to throw a little fiesta flair into su casa, mix yourself a drink, toast our southern neighbors and check out these five muy delicioso recipes plucked from our One-Click Recipes collection. (More…)

Well friends, if recent weather is any indication, it seems that it’s starting to feel a lot like Spring (finally)! And if winter’s lingering melancholy weather kept you out of the parks and out of the gym (and who could blame you), then welcome to a new day!

The sunshine and kinder temperatures are perfect for jogging, rekindling a relationship with a hula hoop or jump rope or simply skipping across a field.

Along with a balanced diet, regular exercise is essential for maintaining a healthy weight, strong muscles, joints, and bones and for lowering your risk of the big three chronic diseases in America: heart disease, cancer and stroke. (Plus, it just feels good!) (More…)

Last fall, we launched a truly unique new line of meals: FreshDirect Frozen Entrées.

FreshDirect’s Chef Tina Bourbeau designed these meals using a variety of impressive ingredients (seriously: when’s the last time you saw chanterelle mushrooms, Romanesco cauliflower or crème fraîche in a frozen meal?), and they’ve been so popular, we had to launch five new Frozen Entrées this month.

I took a few minutes to quiz Chef Bourbeau about the Frozen Entrées and find out what’s so special about them.

Q: Clearly, what you’re cooking isn’t what people generally think of when they picture “frozen meals.” What do you do to make them taste so fresh?

Chef Bourbeau: It’s the choice of ingredients we use and the quality of those ingredients. Honestly, the stuff we use is more expensive than what other people are using in their frozen meals, and it’s just better. I mean, it’s not like we invented frozen food. We’re just making it better than everyone else. (More…)

I don’t know about you, but after all the colored eggs have been found and the chocolate bunnies have been nibbled, I find that Easter dinner is a welcome break from the long parade of Easter sugar.

Dyed Easter Eggs

Easter Sunday’s big meal is presented differently across cultures, but it’s always an opportunity to embrace rebirth, renewal and delicious springtime ingredients.

And unlike some holidays (I’m looking at you, Thanksgiving!) Easter tends to have fewer “rules” about what’s required on the dinner table. So whether you choose to cook lamb, ham or a vegetarian entrée, it’s easy to accompany the main course with something a little something special that invites conversation (and compliments!) at the table.

To mark the occasion, I’ve chosen five inspiring Easter recipes: two steeped in old-world traditions and three more simple side dishes that salute the season. Bon appétit!

• Italian Easter Soup from “New York Cookbook”


• Bread with Red Eggs from “The Olive and the Caper”


• Light Spring Soup with Peas and Asparagus from “Vegetable Love”


• Creamed Spinach Gratin from “Real Simple Magazine”


• Mild-Mannered Deviled Eggs from “FreshDirect Recipes”

Find more ideas for Easter Feasting in the FreshDirect One-Click Recipes section.

I can still remember my first taste of raw fennel.

I had yet to reach the age of happily consuming vegetables (and broccoli only served to amuse me with its tree-like appearance), but here was a crunchy vegetable that looked a little like celery and… TASTED A LOT LIKE CANDY! One crisp, licorice-scented bite and I was hooked.

Once I started cooking on regular basis, my childhood appreciation of fennel’s sweet flavor developed into a deep, abiding love.

It might seem silly to declare my devotion to foeniculum vulgare, but I find fennel to be such an engaging ingredient. This singular vegetable develops a variety of characteristics based on different preparations, and it brings its distinct flavor to whatever I’m preparing.

Since fennel offers a hint of spring before most of the real spring vegetables arrive, now’s a great time to experiment with a few tasty ideas… both raw and cooked. (More…)

I can’t wait for my meal to end. I don’t want my guests to leave — I just want dessert.

Serve up prime rib and my mind is craving cookies. Give me baked potatoes and I’m daydreaming about créme brulee.

In fact, if I could skip the entire meal and munch my way from muffins to pound cake, I would be in heaven. But some people, (my husband and son) actually like eating the entire meal.

With our family’s busy schedule, any dessert to be enjoyed has to be quick and easy, but decadent enough to pass my rigorous crave test. Behold the wonder of frozen puff pastry! (More…)