People are always surprised when you hand them a jar with their lunch in it. There is no wasted paper or plastic; the canning jars are reusable, pretty hard to break and unlike a sandwich, you don ...

Brining chicken in pickle juice could not be easier. All you need is enough brine to cover the chicken. Dump everything in a container and let it sit for at least 30 minutes or as long as two hours.

For the croutons:; 4 1-inch slices day-old crusty bread, cubed or torn into 1-inch pieces; 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; Kosher salt; 1/2 teaspoon herbes de Provence (optional) ...

Try the chicken-fried steak. That is what everybody says whenever The Mason Jar comes up in conversation, and sometimes even when it doesn't. A woman leaned over to me at ...

For the dressing: In a blender, combine all the ingredients except the oil and blend on high speed until combined, about 30 seconds. With the blender still on, add the olive oil in a slow steady ...

My children's school recently asked that I create a picnic dinner for 200-plus people for the annual auction meal. When I thought about it, the mechanics of packing food in a basket just isn't ...