(ARA) – Worried about your grocery tab? Rising food prices are a significant cause of concern for 73 percent of consumers, according to a recent USA Today/Gallup poll. For almost half of them, those prices have caused a hardship.
Tightening the food budget needn’t mean sacrificing flavor or health, however. In fact, by stocking up on nutritious staples and an array of seasonings, it’s possible to become more frugal while enhancing your family’s meals. Some suggestions:
* Season those staples.
Not only are basic, natural foods — like whole grains and beans — …

As recession takes hold, look for comfort foods, less complicated cooking and a few sprightly innovations
So what are some foods, flavors and culinary trends we’ll see in 2009? Here are several, gleaned from a variety of trend reports:
• Breakfast: If you like eggs at any hour, you’re in luck. Look for more restaurants with all-day breakfast items. Fried or poached eggs on top of dishes (the classic French frisée salad, for example) also will be more popular.
• Asian noodles and soups: With raw-fish prices increasing, noodle bars are becoming the …

If the economic crunch is biting hard this year and this Christmas won’t see you winding down and welcoming in the New Year under a Caribbean sun, how about bringing a bit of alternative rum, spice and sunshine to your Christmas lunch courtesy of Hotel Mockingbird Hill, the Caribbean’s No.1 eco-friendly boutique hotel in Port Antonio Jamaica.
Anthony Reid, the hotel’s Jamaican Head Chef whose cooking style is fusion and who believes that you can’t beat ‘organic’ for taste has bought together the traditional flavours of a Jamaican Christmas: pimento, sorrel, …