Happy weekend, everyone, and welcome back to 3-Ingredient Happy Hour, the weekly drink column featuring super simple yet delicious libations. This week I’m making a “Western-themed” cocktail, because a man on Twitter asked me very nicely.

If I could only own one electric kitchen gadget, it would be an immersion blender. Mine sees near-constant use, making short work of everything from mayonnaise to lemon curd; it’s never met a lump it couldn’t smooth out. Still, I’d never have guessed that this trusty machine would solve my cacio e pepe woes for good.

A bagel with plain cream cheese has no shortcomings, but I have been known to enjoy a good flavoured spread from time to time. Spring onions are great, and veggies are great, but fermented veggies? That’ll perk your morning right up.

My grandfather was an eater of many meats - even possum — but he did not care for the texture of wild boar. His recipe for wild boar stew was simple: cook the boar with various vegetables, then “throw the meat in the garbage and keep the broth.” It is worth noting that he was not exactly the cook of the family, but the fact remains that feral pig can be quite tough if not cooked with care.

Biting into a crunchy taco, only to have the bottom crack and the fillings spill out, is definitely a tragedy, but it’s preventable: You just need to heat them up a bit.

Video: If you are well acquainted with someone by the name of “Two Buck Chuck”, you probably think any wine over $15 is a scam.

When it comes to food-focused boards, cheese and/or charcuterie are usually the star. I love both of these things, but they don't have to be the focal point of a snack board, especially when there are so many other types of snacks.

Video: As far as plant parts go, grapes are the closest thing you can get to lollies. But too-ripe fruit is significantly less fun and, once grapes start to mush out, I am much less inclined to eat them. Luckily, with just a little butter, and a little roasting, you can transform mushy, sad grapes into a jammy, sweet spread that is perfectly at home on a fancy cheese plate.

The kitchen is truly the heart of the home, and anyone who's lived with roommates has, shall we say, a more nuanced understanding of that old cliche. Kitchens feed resentment and bitterness just as easily as they produce joy and, unless you and your roommates communicate directly, you're in for a very bad time. Here are some guidelines to help you get off on the right foot.

Happy weekend everyone, and welcome back to 3-Ingredient Happy Hour, the weekly drink column featuring super simple yet delicious libations. Today we’re making a ménage à trois of assertive, flavorful booze to help us forget the woes of the workweek.

As with anything, learning to make excellent cocktails takes some practice, and even professionals screw up every once in a while. To prevent wasting costly booze, bartender and all-around ethanol expert Jim Meehan builds his drinks starting with the cheapest ingredients.

My aesthetic — both as it pertains to food and in general — can best be described as “horny raccoon”. Though I have been known to mess with a tasting menu, I am fully sincere in my love for processed delights such as burger cheese and devon, and will continue to champion chefs and food personalities with similar dispositions.

Chicken nuggets are just plain fun to consume, but some people (mostly vegetarians) miss out on this dippable delicacy because of all the pesky animal protein. These chickenless nuggets — which are made with texturized vegetable protein and chickpeas — are savoury and tasty while being completely vegan.

Video: There is only one correct way to “dispose” of bacon grease, and that is by consuming it. While it is a fantastic frying oil — especially for eggs and bread — it also makes a superb mayonnaise, a rich and salty compound butter, and a truly transcendent salad dressing.

As a person who keeps at least 1kg of butter on hand at all times, I’m constantly cycling blocks of the stuff between my freezer, fridge and butter dish. Recently, though, I found myself in an unthinkable predicament: I was out of butter. I dug around in the back of my freezer, and behind a half-empty bag of frozen dumplings and some chicken stock, I found one last box.

Due to the popularity of a certain sock puppet in the '80s, lamb chops seem to be the cut of young sheep that gets the most play. Lamb steaks, however, are definitely worth your time and, when cooked sous vide, pretty much impossible to mess up.

My love of fried eggs, my love of fried cheese, and my love of eggs and cheese have all been well documented, but somehow — until this fateful morning — I had never fried an egg in fried cheese. Honestly, what a dumbarse.

Setting the table for your dinner party may seem like the job you give to eager guests who insist on helping, but it should be done with care and precision. Sure, you could drop a cup full of plastic forks on the table, but is that really living?

The ability to pay attention to the little things is a quality all truly skilled hosts possess. A little bowl for olive pits, a scented candle in the bathroom, and a chilled cocktail glass all show that you care about your guests' comfort and their overall party experience.