"All the chefs think they know how to season your meal," complains Nancy Leson about the disappearance of salt and pepper shakers from restaurant tabletops. That's never bothered me. Mainly because I think the chefs do know how to season my meal. But for those who want it saltier, Nance has the solution: Bring your own. That and other restaurant-going tips and tricks, dos and don'ts in this week's Food for Thought.

My holiday gift list is limited to just one. Every year I present the Lovely & Talented Cheryl DeGroot with the same fabulous 110-piece socket set (American and metric!) in its handsome presentation case. I love the way she completely hides her excitement when she unwraps it. She’ll return it the next day, but I know it’s only so she can have the fun of getting another next year. Here are some gift suggestions from Nance and me for the cooks on your list who already have socket sets.

When someone asks me "Do you like a challenge, Dick?" I start looking around for the exits. So what was I thinking when I tried to make Stella Parks' "Impossible" pecan pie pie – a baking project even its creator warns against attempting. The recipe was originally in the draft for her BraveTart pastry cookbook, but the editors thought it too difficult for inclusion. Parks famously refuses to publish the recipe. She doesn't want to deal with the desperate questions and moans of anguish from those

Nancy Leson recently got to interview one of our favorite cookbook authors, Molly Stevens at Seattle's The Book Larder. Our copies of her previous books, " All About Braising" and "All About Roasting " are splattered with grease and gravy stains. Can there be higher praise for any cookbook? In this week's Food for Thought, Nance and I talk about the recipes we've made from Molly's new book and some of the great tips she offers – including the best way to crack an egg. Hint : Not on the edge of a

This story originally aired Nov. 10, 2018. It's getting to be soup season, and both Nancy Leson and I have our favorites. In this week's Food for Thought, Nance and I trade favorites from childhood, our go-to's at restaurants, and the homemade must-haves.

Sometimes my mind has a mind of its own. Especially when I purchase a kitchen gadget that I know I can't really justify but just...want. Nancy's the same. Even so, sometimes going against our better judgment turns out to have been pretty good judgment after all. In this week's Food for Thought we offer our personal examples.

I claim that the number one job of a Thanksgiving roll is to soak up gravy. "And butter," Nancy Leson added. Here are our two favorite roll recipes. Both have the virtue of being started the night before, giving already harried TG cooks a head start on Turkey Day.

One in six children in Washington is food insecure. And in the greater Seattle area, one in eight working people struggles against hunger. That fight will be center stage on Monday (Nov. 11) at a food justice panel at Town Hall Seattle. Northwest Harvest is one of the panel organizers. The organization is aiming to cut hunger rates in Washington in half by 2028. Among the panelists is Taylor Huong, a Redmond chef who runs a chain of pho cafes and a pair of restaurants. She and her parents

It was the Big Uh-Oh. An inch of lemon poppy seed sludge was left in the bottom of the KitchenAid mixer bowl when I poured out my cake batter. Could the gap between the bottom of the paddle and the bottom of the bowl be out of adjustment? It was easy to find out and all it took was one thin dime.

Julia Collin Davison needed to get a feel for Northwest food resources. And who better to give the host of PBS's popular America's Test Kitchen the tour than our own Nancy Leson .