Food

My search for a tender, juicy and flavorful breaded chicken sandwich took me to the place where so much great thinking begins the beer aisle.

After playing with various ways and ingredients for imparting flavor and moisture to this most ubiquitous of bird meats, I discovered that a beer bath had the biggest payoff in terms of big flavor with almost no effort.

Dump beer in bowl. Add chicken. Refrigerate. Drink more beer while waiting.

Cold peanut noodles already are among the healthier choices when it comes to Asian takeout, yet there still is plenty of room for improvement.

While nuts are an excellent protein and can be part of a healthful diet, peanut butter is relatively high in fat and calories. Plus, if you're counting carbs, the noodles won't do you any favors.

But turning this decadent noodle dish into a meal rich in nutrients, complex carbohydrates and healthier fats is easy when you make it from scratch.

Creamed vegetable dishes are delicious, comforting classics. But it can be a bit troubling to take nature's healthiest foods and essentially nestle them in a pool of fat.

Many recipes for creamed corn or spinach call for using a traditional white sauce made from whole milk thickened with a butter and flour roux. Others are primarily reduced heavy cream and sour cream, which don't have a stellar nutritional profile, either.

Yet creamy lower-fat vegetable dishes can be every bit as tasty and satisfying as their full-fat cousins.

Unless you're reading this in Alaska, you know that our area suffered through a brutal heat wave this month. It's important to stay hydrated during the heat but buying bottled water and fancy drinks can get expensive. Read on for tips to keep cool and save money on beverages this summer.

Water

Don't pay for bottled water. Period.