Life

N.J. beach replenishment seen as crucial for wildlife habitat, migrating birds

HACKENSACK, N.J. — Sand-filled dump trucks — up to 50 a day — rolled onto beaches along the Delaware Bay recently in a feverish attempt to restore shorelines that had been washed away by Superstorm Sandy.

Warmer days call for easy jam tart

The days are getting longer, the air is getting warmer, and many trees are in full bloom. It feels like the right time to put away the gingerbread and molten chocolate cake recipes, and bust out some fruit desserts.

Full-fat cheese is key to this healthful quesadilla

At its heart, a quesadilla is a Mexican grilled cheese. Take a tortilla, stuff it with something savory, add some cheese, fold it in half and toast it. It's also pretty delicious.

Savory cobbler uses cornbread

Potpies are just plain appealing, but the crust and filling are loaded with fat and calories.

Try pork chops on the grill

It's May and that means grilling season is officially here. So fill up the propane tank or buy a new bag of charcoal and get your flame on.

A (shorter) passage to India

Simply put, Indian cuisine presents some of the most satisfying meatless dishes of any in the world, which is why in my relatively short time as a vegetarian I've become something of a regular at Rasika West End in Washington. But I want to be just as comfortable making Indian dishes at home as I am ordering them out, so I've been studying up. As intimidating as Indian cooking can seem, given its beautiful layering of spices and sometimes hard-to-find ingredients, diving in doesn't need to be difficult.

Food and wine calendar

Food-related classes & events in Clark County

Asparagus gives dish the taste of spring

Combine it with lemon chicken and roasted bell peppers

Fresh lemons, olive oil and Dijon mustard. Together they are the perfect trio to brighten up any dish.

Cilantro broth is lovely with fish

Fish stays moist and looks lovely when presented in this light broth. To complete the meal, it would be easy to toss in a small amount of blanched fresh peas, snow peas or haricots verts. Adapted from "The Newlywed Cookbook: 200 Simple Recipes and Original Meals for the Happy Couple," by Robin Miller (Sourcebooks, 2013).

Herb is my friend, even when no one else will cooperate

May is here with sunshine and tulips and warm temperatures, and I am left wondering how I can be so overjoyed with its arrival and at the same time so overcome with a feeling of dread.

The last word on peanut butter cookies?

I do not have a revolutionary approach to peanut butter cookies to offer you. I am not an advocate of the three-ingredient approach: In my book, it's not a cookie unless it has flour in it. Putting aside such radicalism, there are only a few potentially contentious ingredients in the basic peanut butter cookie formula, and for each of these I will give you my humble opinion of the best path. You are, as always, welcome to choose otherwise, as long as you understand that the probable outcome will be disappointment and resentment on the part of those you give your dry, crumbly, bland baked goods.