Every Sunday, we head to my in-law's for family dinner. But this isn't an order-a-pizza kind of family, even a casual dinner at the Cardoza house is a five-course affair. We start with appetizers and bubbly wine clustered around the kitchen counter. Eventually, we gravitate to the dining room table for the main course, salad course, cheese course and dessert. Not to mention, lots more awesome wine. While my father-in-law takes care of preparing dinner—everything from cheese s

The other day at Trader Joe's, I spotted a bright yellow jar of preserved Tunisian lemon slices. I turned the jar over in my hands, trying to imagine what preserved Tunisian lemon might taste like and how you might use it. Salads? Stews? Cocktails? Regardless, I knew it had to come home with me. When I showed the jar to Alex, he gave me the why-the-hell-would-you-buy-that-when-you-could-easily-make-it-yourself face. But I was undeterred. I opened the jar and pulled a slimy sl