LIVING NEWS

The latest lifestyle news from around Alabama

Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has been increasingly in the news in the past couple of years. The public fear which has bordered on panic about this condition has not been helped by the reports of "outbreaks" among high school athletes. While MRSA is no laughing matter and should be taken seriously, this article will point out some simple preventive measures to reduce the chance of your child getting ill.

Continue reading "Back-to-School Checklist: MRSA and High School Athletes" »

Ownership change brings even more attention to nationally acclaimed goat cheese made in Elkmont, Alabama

Though she made goat cheese in less-than-glamorous surroundings in Elkmont, Liz Parnell, who founded Fromagerie Belle Chèvre in 1989, garnered national attention and praise for her quality product.

While it can be found in Alabama, it is also in some of the upscale cheese shops around the country where it holds its own and often stands out among goat cheeses from around the world.

Continue reading "Belle Chevre's new slice of life" »

Blame it on the Olympics. Blame it on the economy. Blame it on the wonderful rice served with seafood gumbo last week at a local Cajun restaurant.

Rice is a staple of the diets of many nationalities, and though the price has risen recently, and there is a possibility that it may go higher, it certainly wins the congeniality award when it comes to going with other foods.

Continue reading "A refresher course on the basics of rice" »

Chilled, glossy, garnet-hued cherries are a favorite summertime indulgence.

Each year, when the sweet, petite treats make their appearance at the market, I snap them up and take them home to serve as a simple, sensational finale after dinner.

Continue reading "Cherries: Sweet & Sour" »

We are in what I like to call the summer vortex of food, right smack in the middle of several seasons.

It's that boring time when most stuff is either over or it hasn't started yet.

The crawfish are long gone, red snapper season is closed, the white shrimp haven't quite started to show up yet, and the summer garden is grudgingly giving way to the fall planting.

Continue reading "It's too hot to cook, so bring on the questions" »

I take my second grader downtown to school each day from Vestavia Hills. It is a seven-mile drive, and I can carpool if I want to, but at the end of that trip there is Birmingham's best soy latte waiting for me at Safari Cup. So I like to drive Eleni to school myself. The coffee shop is right on the way; I can pull over to the curb on Richard Arrington Drive, then Eleni and I can run in for my coffee, her croissant, and an over-the-counter visit with Sharon and Dave McLaughlin.

Continue reading "Grilled lamb burgers perfect for casual summer dinner" »

True, the upscale restaurant near Spring Hill, will be the setting for Monday's benefit for the Mobile Botanical Gardens.

It will feature a high-end, contemporary three-course meal prepared by chef Wesley True and his staff. Chef True, a Culinary Institute of America-trained chef, was still fiddling with the menu last week.

But he said he was toying with the notion of serving such tasty offerings as smoked scallops with corn soup along with grass-fed hanger steak.

Continue reading "Mobile Botanical Gardens raises money with benefit dinner at True" »

My first thought upon hearing that there is a vaccine for canine periodontal disease: "Yippee! No more trying to stick a toothbrush in my dog's clamped-shut mouth." But alas, it turns out that said vaccine isn't a panacea, although it could help prevent bone loss. "The vaccine doesn't eliminate the need for home dental care or professional cleanings," says Bert Gaddis, a veterinarian who specializes in dentistry at Indian Springs Animal Clinic. "There will still be some plaque and tartar building up." Continue reading "Dental Vaccine could help prevent bone loss" »