“Mirepoix” (pronounced meer-pwah), or its Spanish sibling “sofrito” or Italian “soffritto,” are what chefs call “aromatics,” the heady mix of vegetables and seasonings at the base of many warm temperature dishes (certainly most wet dishes such as soups or braises) all over the world.

Hints on cooking and serving foods, with three recipes, that are easy to swallow (especially for those who have difficulty swallowing after surgery, say, or due to trauma to the mouth or throat.)

Google “how to boil water” and you’ll get 461,000 results. Seriously. OK, so it turns out more complicated than we might assume. But that’s especially the case when we’re cooking pasta. Good pasta is more than boiling water, plus the pasta.

You can make dinner from what’s on hand, as meager as that may be. Above all, reframe what a “meal” means.

There are as many possible sandwich combos as there are foods that you can stick between two pieces of bread.

Baked Cassoulet Beans with Summer Squash and Corn