Latest Food & Dining headlines

Little Dipper expands its scope, plus more restaurant news you can use.

This year’s offerings were personal, evocative, and focused on the joy of everyday cooking.

The Brew It Stick ($14.95) has a fine nylon mesh basket to make a lone mug of French press-like java with little effort.

Researchers say a diet rich in red meat increases people’s circulating levels of a substance that can lead to the development of cardiovascular disease.

Author Janet Reich Elsbach takes a look at how helping people with meals in times of stress not only provides nourishment, but comfort and pleasure at times when all can be in short supply.

The almonds to use in these soft, chewy cookies are roasted but have no other flavors; they’re not salted, nor skinned. They add an intense nutty flavor to the buttery dough.

Here’s a neat tip for prepping dates: To prevent the dates from sticking to your knife, coat the blade with nonstick cooking spray.

Four flours in this pancake mix give it lots of texture and flavor. Scoop it into cellophane bags and add your own label with instructions for using the mix.

Lines snake down the block for weekend breakfast at the Union Square eatery. Borges-Foley runs the restaurant, which her late brother opened in 1983.

After you make these nuts to give away, keep them under lock and key because you can’t eat just one.

Homemade red sauce, paired with dried pasta (store-bought or otherwise) makes a wonderful holiday gift. Add olive oil, a wedge or Parmesan, and a crusty loaf to make your gift grander.

Cooks who aren’t particularly craftsy are giving friends gifts they’ve made, not just cookies — though who can resist a bag of cookies? — but pantry and fridge items to get you through the work week.

Police said the thefts happened at the Interstate 93 northbound store in Hooksett.

Cambridge glass-blowing artist Andrew Iannazzi has attracted attention for his cool, colorful tiki mugs he creates with iconic faces. He has now introduced a new line — vividly colored lowball or rocks glasses for sipping scotch, an old fashioned, or whatever else you might want.

Cultured butter may sound sophisticated, but it’s really just old-fashioned goodness.

Short on time? Try these globe-trotting dishes.

The national school lunch program is making room on menus again for noodles, biscuits, tortillas and other foods made mostly of refined grains.

The Bar Mezzana crew goes underground with rum-filled drinks and Asian-inspired finger food.

Restaurant news you can use.

Only six fries? Internet, you’ve got better things to freak about.

Travel news you can use.

The local burger chain will join competitors like Shake Shack and Five Guys when it opens across the pond.

The Rodman for Kids 16th Annual Celebration for Kids gala raised more than $1 million on Saturday, and proceeds from the event will go to youth organizations throughout Massachusetts.

The menu at Pagu in Cambridge throws a net around Spain, Japan, Taiwan, and of-the-moment American food culture and pulls it comfortably snug.

“From Our Kitchens: Recipes and Stories from the Boston Jewish Community” features recipes old and new alike.

Nine years after its start in New York City, and expansion to culinary hot spots like Los Angeles, Chicago, and Austin, the restaurant recommendation site recently added Boston to its club of 12 home cities.

The first Milk Bar in Manhattan drew a following with crack pie — a gooey, oat-crusted, butter-and-brown-sugar rush — and cereal milk soft-serve.

Roasting cauliflower, caramelizing onions, and burnishing tomato paste with a little sugar to intensify it all give this dish a glorious taste.

He will become executive chef at The Emory, a neighborhood bar and kitchen slated to open in April in the Scollay Square space.

The fluffy, brioche-style rounds at PVDounts are on the larger side, and adorned with elaborate toppings. Some of the more extreme doughnuts resemble plated desserts.

These sweet treats are worth a road trip.

This is the third volume for authors Michael Solomonov and Steven Cook, co-owners of several Philadelphia establishments, including Zahav, Rooster Soup Co., and the Goldie restaurants.

Canned chickpeas is the secret to this smooth, creamy, fast hummus.

The vegan spread is created using the water from cooked chickpeas, which can actually froth and whip-up like egg whites.

Quick breads are richly flavored, lightly sweetened, easy cakes. This one, made with applesauce (your own, if you like), walnuts, raisins, and part whole-wheat flour, is low in fat.

The recipe requires a hefty investment of time (2½-plus hours), but much of it is simply waiting for it to cook.

The way author Amy Zavatto sees it, prosecco is a drink that belongs on your bar cart right there next to your bourbon, vodka, and the other commonly reached-for bottles. To prove it, she wrote “Prosecco Made Me Do It,” a book of cocktail recipes where the bubbly plays a big role.

Elle Simone Scott’s star is on the rise, and she’s opening doors for other women of color.

Mario Bailote’s friends told him Humboldt Avenue was the wrong place for his pizza shop. He didn’t listen.

Luxurious nut oils, readily available in supermarkets, enrich side dishes and salads.

A weekly calendar of literary events

Brenda Nguyen, 27, started @wanderingbostoneater three years ago, after graduating from college in Boston and starting work at a nearby pharmaceutical company.

Do you long for a holiday cocktail more creative than a mere candy-cane martini?

Go to Balani for small plates, snacks, dumplings, pizzas, and jazzy entrees in a cavernous space made more intimate with floor-to-ceiling curtains to cordon off seating areas for large groups.

Restaurant news you can use.

Boston has become a serious noodle town. Start slurping here.