Our podcast is going on hiatus because Mark is facing the threat of pancreatic cancer. He is going to have a legendary surgery, a Whipple, to remove part of his upper GI track.

We hope this surgery is curative. But it is a long road to recovery. We hope Bruce is back in a few weeks to let you know where we are in this journey. But it is a long and hard recovery.

Check back soon to see where we are. We'll miss you. We hope you'll miss us. To follow us, find us on various social media platforms.

Are there foods from your childhood you can't make better, even with all you know about cooking? We've got a list, despite our current snobbery. We may have written for WINE SPECTATOR and FINE COOKING, but there are some things we crave, even though we know how to make them better.

We're Bruce Weinstein & Mark Scarbrough, authors of over three dozen cookbooks. If you'd like to see our latest, COLD CANNING, please check it out at this link right here.

Plus, we've got a one-minute cooking tip. And we'll tell you what's making us happy in food this week.

Here are the segments for this episode of COOKING WITH BRUCE & MARK:

[01:26] Our one-minute cooking tip: the best way to prep hard winter squash.

[03:55] The foods from our childhoods we could never change, despite our current food snobbery.

[17:15] What’s making us happy in food this week? Chili con queso and banoffee pie!

It's not too late in the year for grilling! Although we're starting to tip to autumnal colors and although Mark is busy taking down our gardens, we're still firing up both the charcoal and the gas grill for great dinners after the shorter and shorter days.

Mark, the writer, has a list of great things to match the season on the grill. Bruce, the writer, will add how he believes you can turn these things wonderful on the grill.

Plus, our one-minute cooking tip about apples. And we'll tell you what's making us happy in food this week.

Here are the segments for this episode of COOKING WITH BRUCE & MARK:

[00:47] Our one-minute cooking tip: Buy apples both for the fridge and for display.

[02:22] A list of things that are great to grill in the fall (or autumn, for you UK friends). Mark has a list of things he thinks are perfect for the grill. Bruce, the chef, will tell you how to grill them perfectly.

[17:00] What’s making us happy in food this week? Hen of the woods mushrooms and sour cherry margaritas.

Did you know there are simple additions to recipes that can take your favorite dishes over the top? We've got a list of single ingredients that up the game for all sorts of foods (or even take-out fare).

We're Bruce Weinstein & Mark Scarbrough, authors of thirty-seven cookbooks and over twenty thousand original recipes. We've made a career out of food and cooking. This podcast is about our passion.

We've also got a one-minute cooking tip about farm stands. And we'll tell you what's making us happy in food this week!

If you'd like to check out our latest cookbook, COLD CANNING, please click this link.

Here are the segments for this episode of COOKING WITH BRUCE & MARK:

[00:43] Our one-minute cooking tip: Beware of farm stands or farmers' markets with out-of-season produce.

[03:12] What's a single ingredients than can improve a recipe? We've got a list of ingredients you can add to individual recipes to make them much better.

[14:50] What’s making us happy in food this week? Farm-stand tomatoes and Claire's Cornercopia in New Haven, Connecticut.

We've been in the food business for over twenty-five years . . . and we're involved with food long before we started to writing about it. We've eaten a lot of weird things. So here are some of the strangest things we've dared to eat. (Beware: The list includes a lot of innards.)

We've also got a one-minute cooking tip about packaged poultry from the supermarket. And we'll tell you what's making us happy in food this week!

If you'd like to see our latest cookbook, COLD CANNING, check it out at this link here.

Here are the segments for this episode of COOKING WITH BRUCE & MARK:

[00:42] Our one-minute cooking tip: Watch for added salt in packaged poultry from the supermarket.

[02:31] What's the weirdest things we’ve eaten? We've been writing about food and cooking for over twenty-five years . . . and have been involved with food long before it became our career. So here are some of the strangest things we've eaten over the years!

[22:57] What’s making us happy in food this week? Chicken and root vegetable stew as well as Italian prune plums.

Ketchup. We all know what it is. But do we? It's not a thing. It's actually a category.

Where's the word come from? How was it originally used? When was the first ketchup recipe? How has it become the condiment we know today?

We're Bruce Weinstein & Mark Scarbrough, authors of over three dozen cookbooks. This podcast is about our major passion in life: food and cooking.

If you'd like to check out our latest cookbook, COLD CANNING, please click here.

[00:55] Our one-minute cooking tip: Click on "like" for any online content you in fact like.

[02:18] All about ketchup! Where'd it come from? Where's the word come from? It's not a thing. It's a category of things. How'd it get to be the stick, thick tomato sauce we know today?

[22:02] What’s making us happy in food this week: Sichuan fish stew and Chinese food demystified!

What are the top chain restaurants in the United States? Have we been to them? What do we think about them? You might be surprised by how many we have (or haven't!) been to.

We've also got a one-minute cooking tip about better batters for pancakes or cakes. And we're very happy about pork belly this week.

We're Bruce Weinstein & Mark Scarbrough, authors of over three dozen cookbooks. Our latest is COLD CANNING: small batch preserving and canning without the need of any canner at all. If you'd like to check it out, please find it at this link.

Here are the segments for this episode of COOKING WITH BRUCE & MARK:

[01:07] Our one-minute cooking tip: Never overmix a batter!

[03:25] The top fifteen chain restaurants in the United States . . . and what we think about them

[28:48] What’s making us happy in food this week? Pork belly two ways!

Chaos cooking. A new trend. Well, sort of new. About two years old at this point, but it's found it's way into restaurants across the country. What started as a "throw it from the pantry into a pot" technique has morphed into the new version of culinary fusion.

We're Bruce Weinstein & Mark Scarbrough, authors of more than three dozen cookbooks, including our latest: COLD CANNING, a guide to turning small batches of fresh produce into jams, chutneys, conserves, sauces, chili crisps, dessert toppings, and more, without a steam- or pressure-canner in sight.

We have lived through the ages of fusion cuisine and are really intrigued by this new take. It's sloppier and messier, but it's also sort of fun. Plus, we've got a one-minute cooking tip about how to cook faster. And we'll tell you what's making us happy in food this week.

Here are the segments for this episode of COOKING WITH BRUCE & MARK:

[01:12] Our one-minute cooking tip. Smaller things cook faster!

[04:41] Chaos cooking: what is it, how does it work, and how have you already had an example of it without necessarily knowing it?

[23:10] What’s making us happy in food this week: fresh New England corn on the cob!