One of the finest Pocono restaurants is The French Manor's 4-diamond rated restaurant, featured as Pennsylvania's Best Restaurant in Gourmet Magazine. - Read more

Welcome to the Pocono Dining Guide. Dining guide of Northeast Pennsylvania. - Read more

Are lobsters good for you? (And other questions answered)

Q: Is pumpernickel bread better than white bread?

Food pantry recipes

The Penn State Cooperative Extension in Monroe County offers the following recipes that can be made with items given out at area food pantries.

Pocono pantries hand out delicious dish ideas along with groceries

The economy has made it difficult for some families to make ends meet each month, and many find themselves needing to choose between paying one bill over another. But food should never become part of that equation.

No sour grapes here: Pocono teacher finds second career in wine making

Many people aren't lucky enough to have a job they look forward to each day. Randy Rice has two. By day, he's a teacher. After dinner, he works in his vineyard, Mountain View Vineyard, along with his wife, Linda.

Monroe Farmers' Market celebrates 30th year

The Monroe Farmers' Market will celebrate its 30th year Sunday, Sept. 19 with a "Harvest Celebration Dinner" at the Gem and Keystone Brewpub at The Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort's River Sanctuary. The dinner begins at 3 p.m.

Sunny side of egg production: Pocono farmer has no fear of salmonella

It's hard for Brian Bruno to fathom what went on at two Iowa egg farms that has resulted in the recall of about 550 million eggs from store shelves across the country.

Eggplant without the oil

Arguably the most famous legend about eggplant involves the origins of a Turkish dish called "imam bayildi," or "the priest fainted."

Picky eating could be full disorder in adults

Picky eating: It's not just for kids anymore.

Secrets to keeping your kitchen clean, germ-free

Almost everyone loves a home-cooked meal: fresh ingredients lovingly transformed into our favorite dishes with just a dash of spice, staphylococcus aureus and E. coli. Catch that? We actually hope not.

All about chocolate

Buy, use and store the best chocolate for your baking needs. The percentages listed on a chocolate bar represent the amount of cocoa butter and cacao solids by weight. The rest is largely sugar.

Health-conscious West End Fair-goers must tread carefully among food vendors

Sticking to a special diet doesn't mean passing up tempting foods at the West End Fair. PMC dietitian Lynne Garris found many healthy-eating options.

Bring okra home — but do it right

Among the culinary divides (vegetarians vs. carnivores, cilantro lovers vs. cilantro haters, oyster slurpers vs. oyster abstainers), there is a gulf created by okra.

All the right spices: Simple additions add complicated flavor to your food

They've been in your kitchen cabinet since Ronald Reagan was in the White House, and for the most part, you don't know what to do with them anyway but spices and herbs can add zest to your cooking.

How hot are your chiles?

Cayenne — A bright red, extremely hot, pungent chile that ranges from 2 to 5 inches long and about ½ inch in diameter. Chipotle — This hot chile is actually a dried, smoked jalapeno.

Weekday dinner inspirations: Get creative (not complicated)

Weekday dinner inspirations: Summer pasta salad with shrimp and more.

Herb or spice?

What's the difference between an herb and a spice? Herbs, spices, extracts, food colorings and blends are all collectively called spices.

How sweet it is

Remember the days of Chuckles, the tasty candy of five multicolored squares with a fruit flavor and sugar crystals that you had to eat slowly because of all the flavor packed in every piece?

Coneflower growers discover color

Feeling hungry? How about some Tomato Soup and Mac 'n' Cheese? If you're a gardener, you can have this for lunch, then tend to them in your garden! Remember when purple coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea) were ... well ...

Some cakes are worth 'scratching'

According to Workman, the publishers of Anne Byrn's "The Cake Mix Doctor" series, 90 percent of home cooks use packaged cake mixes. So this article is for the 10 percent who might actually go through the trouble of baking a cake from scratch.

Thinking about vegetarianism? Ask yourself some meaty questions.

For many people, becoming a vegetarian is a choice made for health purposes. For others, it could be because of a love for animals or the environment.