Food and Friends

• Lowcountry Soup Challenge serving up something new for 20th year on Sunday
  The soup will be familiar, but the atmosphere will be a bit different.

• Alfred Gadsden remembered through fish fry
  Years ago, my husband came home and told me we were invited to a party at Little Harlem, a club on Lady's Island.

• Get your appetites and phones ready for Restaurant Week on Hilton Head Island and in Bluffton
  Restaurant Week once again gives area foodies a chance to dine on the cheap Jan. 21 through Jan. 28 in the Hilton Head Island and Bluffton area. Now, they'll also be able to proclaim their love for their favorite spot.

• PERFECT COMPLEMENT: 2009 Concannon Crimson and Clover Conservancy Red Blend
  WINE

• Use sauces to make your dessert even more delicious
  Now that the holiday baking season is over, let's look at some interesting sauces you can use to dress up regular desserts.

• The Perfect Complement: 2010 Robert Mondavi Privite Selection Pinot Noir
  WINE

• Fresh catch: Alaskan fisherman brings wares to Habersham market
  Think things slow to a creep during a Lowcountry winter? Try an Alaskan winter.

• Treats from the kitchen warm hearts at Christmas
  Santa Claus is not the only one who makes a list and checks it twice. For me, there is a list for gift giving, most of which will come out of my kitchen.

• Dine out, help those who go hungry
  The United Way of the Lowcountry and several Bluffton restaurants are asking consumers to dine out in December to fill a meal gap, stock a food pantry and reduce hunger in Beaufort and Jasper counties.

• Cheese balls perfect for parties, gifting
  The holiday calendar can get full as you plan for drop-ins and parties. The very mention of the word "Christmas" makes many people head for the kitchen -- to mix, fix, knead and sometimes even nibble a variety of tasty goodies to give as presents.

• The Perfect Complement: 2010 Carmel Road Liberated Chardonnay
  WINE

• Firefighters cooking up Boston butts for a cause
  The Bluffton firefighters are cooking Boston butts for a good cause again, this time to help two local elementary schoolers.

• Fresh-baked bread can warm your heart and home
  There is nothing better than having the house scented for the holidays.

• The Perfect Complement: 2009 Murphy-Goode Cabernet Sauvignon
  WINE

• Edible art: Local chefs, artists team up for school fundraiser
  A little cake is going to help elementary school students learn how to cook.

• Mix something old, something new this Thanksgiving
  With family gathering for Thanksgiving, many hostesses will want to offer the traditional foods as well as something new.

• The Perfect Complement: Thanksgiving recommendations
  One of the biggest challenges when preparing for Thanksgiving is choosing wine that will satisfy everyone's differing tastes. I recently reviewed tasting notes for the past year, reopened some of the wines and tried some new ones to see what would be crowd-pleasing and an excellent food wine for Thanksgiving.

• Culinary Keepsakes: The spice of life
  Rolf Zenker doesn't travel like he used to. He figures he's visited 40 countries, and he has the passports to prove it. His work as an engineer put him on the road or in the air almost constantly at some points in his life. He doesn't mind staying grounded in retirement. It's the food he misses.

• Preparing a holiday feast? It's best to have a system
  American Book Award-winning novelist Robb Forman Dew first began collecting her Thanksgiving recipes at the request of a cousin who hadn't cooked before. In her 1992 book, "A Southern Thanksgiving," she gathers these step-by-step recipes to create a lovely Thanksgiving cookbook. It's practical and literary, with a delectable menu for an easy-to-prepare, sumptuous Southern feast.

• The Perfect Complement: 2009 Swanson Pinot Grigio
  WINE