On Your Table: Summer is a great time for pot luck dinners

And how to get your guests to do most of the work By Cathy Branciaroli, Food Correspondent, The Times For a potluck, individual servings can often do better than large casseroles. There’s no better time of the year to gather small groups of friends or relatives for dinner on warm summer evenings. The best approach is to enlist anyone who can work the grill, and beg everyone to make his or her...

On Your Table: Summer produce in its glory

Fresh, local corn, tomatoes, peppers and more are a delight ByCathy Branciaroli, Food Correspondent, The Times It’s all fresh, local and delicious! This is the peak season for locally grown produce. We’ve been enjoying the summer produce season for weeks already, but it’s right now – when July has melted its way into August that the summer harvest is at its peak. Corn is...

On Your Table: Zucchini is fresh, local and tasty

By Cathy Branciaroli, Food Correspondent, The Times Zucchini come in all shapes and sizes. Try stuffing one of these globe varieties with rice and vegetables for a new take on summer taste. There’s no shortage of locally-grown zucchini this time of year, whether from home gardens or farmers markets, and while zucchini is available at the grocery year-round, it tastes best in season. Guess...

Parents’ guide to summer dental health

By Dr. Stephanie McGann, DMD FAGD, Columnist, The Times Summer is here and if your kids are like mine, they would rather sleep, eat, stare at their video screens and repeat.  Without regular prodding things that are more normal in their routine seem to fall by the wayside. Keep oral hygiene a priority; I know as a mom I get a much-needed break from the early AM roller coaster of getting kids out...

Longwood Gardens lights up the summer night

Summer Spectacular is on view now through September 5. Photo by Hank Davis. EAST MARLBOROUGH — Summer at Longwood Gardens is extraordinary by day and night. From the Waterlily Display featuring more than 100 types of colorful day- and night-blooming waterlilies, to the expansive Meadow Garden, to the shady groves of Peirce’s Woods, to performances under the stars, there is something for everyone...

On Your Table: It’s Grilling Season

Summer is here, so is delicious flavor By Cathy Branciaroli, Food Correspondent, The Times Grilled fruits combined with vegetables add smokiness and sweetness to summer salsas. In late June it’s already high summer, so get ready to get cooking with fire – grilling that is. Grilling brings out the best in the usual roster of meats, fish and vegetables. After a stint on the grill they emerge...

A fun summer reading list

A sampling of fun beach reads for you to check out By Kelly Hockenberry, Columnist, The Times One of the major downsides of being in graduate school is “reading fatigue.” I am forced to absorb so much information into my tiny, little brain that reading for pleasure gets put on the backburner. Therefore, whatever leisure book I do pick up must be great from the get­go. There is nothing better...

Springtime puts stress on women

While men just let it all hang out, women want perfect summer bodies By Kelly Hockenberry, Columnist, The Times Spring is here! FINALLY. I know this not because of the weather forecast or by sticking my head out the front door…I know this because every female in my life is on a diet. LITERALLY.

If loving makeup is wrong, I don’t want to be right

A week at the shore without makeup was nice…but not for everyday By Kelly Hockenberry, Columnist, The Times My family and I just got back from a week at the beach. It was glorious. The sun was hot, the breeze was cool and the ocean was like bathwater. We spent as much time as possible soaking it all in before school starts. In order to relax, one of our down the shore rules is to park the...

A checklist to complete before Summer’s end

With the summer more than half over, a few things not to miss By Kelly Hockenberry, Columnist, The Times On Friday, the kids will have exactly one month left of summer vacation. I can’t believe it. Where did the time go? Actually, truth be told, I am waiting for my summer to BEGIN since I have been taking a full course load of grad classes since the end of May. I have a whopping two weeks...