The calendar says winter, so break out the oft-neglected, hard-shelled gourds

Three new eateries aim to bring more diners downtownAlthough Syracuse University mascot Otto the Orange cheers from the sidelines these days, the rotund and fuzzy fruit is the latest in a long lin

Upscale breakfast provides a welcome respite from holiday hustleWonderful as the holidays are, they come with a lot of stress: shopping, decorating the tree, hosting and attending parties, visiting

Cupcakes are messy, colorful, playful, pretty and everywhere. From Hollywood to Dubai, they have been spotlighted in movies like Bridesmaids and in popular sweets stores like Magnolia Bakery in New York City and Georgetown Cupcake in Washington, D.C.

In season through early summer, this fiber-filled fruit provides a welcome respite from apples

the season for branching out and trying something new, sweet, special and most likely once (as in once a year). Really now, who thinks to roast a turkey for six hours any other time of year than the late-month holidays? Apple pie? Frozen, maybe, but from scratch? Not so much.

Four diners dig in along a two-mile stretch of Wolf Street

Fall is a great time for enthusiasts of fresh and local food. Farmers markets are overflowing with tasty produce at harvest time and, if you’ve worked long and hard on your home garden, it’s time to reap the rewards. Fresh food is harder to come by once the last leaves fall and the frost sets in, but there are still a number of ways you can keep your commitment to eating locally alive year-round.

Many relationship-type activities are conducted in private, with good reason. The world doesn’t need to see you chasing each other around the kitchen with frying pans, or the details of how you make up. But during a particularly volatile phase of my wooing of Shorty, our privacy was invaded by three Jerusalem artichoke plants.

It comes with a Friday-night fish sandwich special, or a burger at a cookout. The crunch of green cabbage masked with smooth and zesty mayonnaise makes for a tasty accompaniment and texture contrast to the palate. What’s more, it’s cheap, and can last, refrigerated, for days.