Food and Drink

Dear Eric: Would you have a good recipe for granola? Susan Dear Susan: I certainly do. And a sleepy Sunday is the perfect time to make granola. You can leisurely shop for its ingredients.

Dear Eric: Slow cooker recipes usually give you a choice of using, for example, the low setting for seven to nine hours, or the high setting for 3.5 to 4.5 hours.

With the price of seafood, it’s no wonder fresh fish for many families is a special-occasion meal. There is an affordable alternative — canned wild salmon is prized for its great taste, convenience and excellent nutritional qualities.

Frankly, it’s hard to produce a healthy rendering of a Scotch egg. But we decided to give it a go, because these delicious little calorie bombs are just too tempting.

Strawberries need no preamble. One fine day they simply appear — entirely welcome, never dreary. Time to heap them over shortcake and make short work of saluting spring.

Dear Eric: I know bison is very lean and that, as well as its taste, is why I like it. But I have trouble making burgers that don’t fall apart.

Eric Akis explains the different uses for waxed paper and parchment paper

Dear Eric: I have tried unsuccessfully using potato and rice flour to make the crust for pizza because of my allergy to gluten.

Dear Eric: Would you have recipes for different batters? I am thinking fish and a crispy/crunchy batter for chicken, such as preparing strips, etc. Reg Blackmore Dear Reg: Below are three recipes to try.

This is my first column of 2014 and I thought I’d get things cooking by sharing food trends predicted for this year. Below are some of the numerous ones being made by new services, associations, bloggers, consultants and others.