The Charleston Gazette - West Virginia News and Sports

I first met Sriracha several years ago in a Vietnamese place on New York's Upper East Side. The bright red bottle of sauce, with its telltale green top and line-drawn rooster sat nonchalantly on the table as a huge, steaming bowl of pho landed before me.

Look for the rooster on the label to make sure you’re getting the real Sriracha.

Rock the crock-pot with fresh ingredients

Fresh ingredients, fast prep, and three easy techniques bring your slow cooker up to speed. Check out these recipes and tips for fall favorites made on your countertop from the October 2008 issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine.

Don't Say Diet: Meatloaf muffins are a slim comfort food

Surveys suggest that meatloaf is one of America's most popular comfort foods, and my readers keep asking for more slimmed-down versions of this favorite dish.

The Main Ingredient

The scoop on yellow squash

I suspect Rob was burying his servings of squash in the potted plants.

Julie Robinson

Beer and brats

October seems an ideal time to explore German cuisine, specifically Oktoberfest fare. I thought I'd look beyond bratwurst and beer, so I called my friend Martina Hart, who grew up in Lünen, in northwestern Germany, for some guidance on alternative Oktoberfest menus.

Fueling fans for the big game

Michele and Lori Crist's friends are frequently guinea pigs - and they love it. The mother-daughter duo shares a love of experimenting with new recipes for their gatherings. They're the opposite of conservative cooks who bring out their tried and true dishes when company comes.

Soccer suppers

He's one of my favorite commercial characters, but the dad who gleefully dances his way through the aisles of Staples, glum children in tow, to the holiday tune of "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year," is obviously not in charge of dinner at his house.

Darcie Boschee

Baking outside the box

Baking seems to intimidate many people, even those who like cooking. They assume that the precision required is so demanding that one small mistake will result in tragedy. However, I think even "tragic" cakes from scratch taste better than a pretty cake from a mix.