In this tough world of ours, try a little tenderness. Try kale. It’s the leafy green everyone’s talking about but no one seems to eat. Often dismissed as fibrous and bitter, kale turns supple and sweet with a little hands-on participation.

A twist on the spelling and I found what you’ve been looking for. Kohlrouladen, with a “u,” is from northern Germany, according to Jeremy Nolen, a chef at the noted Philadelphia restaurant Brauhaus Scmitz who blogs at newgermancooking.com. Most of us are more acquainted with Eastern European cabbage rolls cooked in a sweet tomato sauce. Kohlrouladen features a savory beef broth for a quite different flavor.

The Riverside Hotel in Fort Lauderdale turned 75 this year, and as part of the celebration debuted Wild Sea Oyster Bar & Grill in an elegant space that retains Old Florida charm. All the seafood is wild caught except the oysters and Sunburst trout, and much of the produce is locally grown.

I was raised on tuna salad made with mayonnaise, sour cream and lemon juice. It was one of my mom’s go-to dishes, often served as a last-minute meal staple.

At heart, a quesadilla is pretty much a Mexican grilled cheese. Take a tortilla, stuff it with something savory, add some cheese, fold it in half and toast it. It’s also pretty delicious.

At dinner-party-like ‘atelier nights,’ Copperbox chef Gabriela Machado is wowing diners with her artful food

Gables High culinary students share recipes to make for Mother’s Day

Mom always said to eat your vegetables, so this Mother’s Day serve her breakfast in bed inspired by a walk through the garden.

I’m not of the pancakes-for-dinner set. There are advocates, of course (mostly among kids?), but my breakfast-for-dinner craving runs more toward huevos rancheros.

Pot pies are just plain appealing, but the crust and filling are loaded with fat and calories.

While there are many kinds of peppercorns, the familiar black pepper ended up on tables because it is mild and goes with a number of recipes, according to Marjorie Shaffer, author of the new book Pepper: A History of the World’s Most Influential Spice (St. Martin’s Press, $26.99).

Barbecue chicken is one of my favorite summertime dishes. I like every part of it – the sauce (the spicier the better), the crispy skin, even the bones.

Rhubarb is one of the great pleasures of spring, with its rosy color and earthy tang. It is found in most supermarkets this time of year, although it is available frozen anytime. Also known as “pieplant,” rhubarb is a perennial that is native to central and northern Asia, where it has been grown for thousands of years for medicinal purposes. It was brought to Europe by Marco Polo and has been eaten as a food since the 18th century.

“A thing of beauty is a joy forever.”

California’s 2011 chardonnay is in the market now, and — despite some weather challenges — it’s an excellent vintage.

America’s love affair with wine continues. We’re pulling further ahead of Europe in consumption, but are seeing increased competition from China.

If there’s an official wine of today’s 21-something generation, it’s the Italian bubbly prosecco. U.S. sippers buy a million cases a year, up 35 percent since 2011, according to a Wine Spectator magazine website.

A French winemaker once told me his dearly departed grandmother had lived under four different governments without ever moving from the house in which she was born. She was from Alsace, of course.

Rome is eternal. Tuscany is terrific. But there is a lot more to Italy, and every region has its trademark wines.

It’s one of my favorite wine sayings: Wine improves with age. The older I get, the better I like it.

Wine can be confusing, and three grape names in particular add to that perplexity: syrah, petite sirah and shiraz.

My wine philosophy has always been this: I would rather try a new wine that I end up not liking than the wine I had last week and the week before — even if it was great.

Ever wonder how wines get such quirky names — Mollydooker, Big House White, Frenzy, Gnarly Head, Mossback?

Make this quick Roasted Chicken Pasta Salad for Mom on her day and enjoy a family meal at home. It uses only one pot, won’t heat up your kitchen and takes only 20 minutes to make.

Chopped peanuts and flaked coconut form a savory-sweet crust for fresh scallops. Sauté the scallops and serve them on a bed of sautéed spinach flavored with coconut milk. Rice microwaved for a minute, tossed with shredded carrots and also flavored with coconut milk makes a quick side dish. The carrots get slightly cooked in the heat of the cooked rice.

Horseradish mixed with mayonnaise gives zip to boneless, skinless chicken thighs, while panko bread crumbs form a golden crust. Chicken thighs have great flavor and remain juicy when sautéed.

Lamb steaks drizzled with mint pesto sauce is a perfect dish for this holiday weekend or any weeknight dinner. Slices of lamb are cut from the leg to make a steak 3/4- to 1-inch thick with a round bone in the center. They are sometimes displayed in the meat case, or you can ask the butcher to cut them for you. They make juicy and tender steaks.

Salmon with olive tapenade served with fettuccini and asparagus is a great harbinger of spring. Pan-searing the salmon makes it crisp on the outside and tender and moist inside. The salmon takes only a few minutes to cook this way.

Poaching salmon in white wine produces a moist, flavorful result. Broccoli and carrots, poached with the salmon, add to the flavor and the resulting sauce. Sautéed grape tomatoes complete the dish.

Baked Shrimp and a Love Apple side dish is a 15-minute dinner that’s perfect for Valentine’s Day or any day. The cooking method leaves the shrimp juicy, firm and flavorful.

Known as Pasta e Fagioli, this soup may be one of Italy’s most famous soups. The combination of pasta and beans is heart-warming, and can be served for two or a crowd. It’s perfect to serve to friends during Super Bowl. Leave the pot on the stove for everyone to help themselves.

A tangy, Dijon mustard sauce flavors juicy, tender pork for this French-style dinner. Red peppers and tomatoes tossed with pasta complete this quick meal.

Fish fillets topped with melted Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese can be made in minutes using a microwave. Penne pasta tossed with fresh basil is a simple side dish. The secret to this recipe is using best quality Parmesan.

A perfect quick dinner for the holiday season is steak au poivre, French for steak with pepper sauce. I used a small piece of beef tenderloin, but any other quick-cooking steak — strip, rib-eye, skirt or flank — can be used.

A twist on the spelling and I found what you’ve been looking for. Kohlrouladen, with a “u,” is from northern Germany, according to Jeremy Nolen, a chef at the noted Philadelphia restaurant Brauhaus Scmitz who blogs at newgermancooking.com. Most of us are more acquainted with Eastern European cabbage rolls cooked in a sweet tomato sauce. Kohlrouladen features a savory beef broth for a quite different flavor.

Diane Friedberg of Miami Beach asked if anyone had the recipe for brownies called Fudgies that her mother used to make from a Woman’s Home Companion cookbook she received as a wedding present in 1941. She remembered they were made with evaporated milk and had powdered sugar on top.

The Riverside Hotel in Fort Lauderdale turned 75 this year, and as part of the celebration debuted Wild Sea Oyster Bar & Grill in an elegant space that retains Old Florida charm. All the seafood is wild caught except the oysters and Sunburst trout, and much of the produce is locally grown.

Temaris or ball sushi — warm mounds of rice with thin-sliced toppings drizzled in spicy sauces — was almost impossible to find in South Florida until Temaris opened on Brickell.

What you put on a hot dog reflects where you come from, and for Colombians, it is lots of sauces and potato chips.

The cuisine of Uzbekistan reflects the cultures that passed through Central Asia in caravans on the transcontinental Silk Road, and you can sample it at Chayhana Oasis in Sunny Isles Beach.

The logo at Cecci Italian Peruvian Kitchen is a fish eating a slice of pizza, symbolizing the union of sea and land here. There are pies, pastas and tiraditos, ceviches and saltados (stir-fries) plus creations like pizza a lo macho topped with seafood cream, octopus, shrimp and calamari, and fettuccine in ají amarillo-spiked huancaina cheese sauce served with steak.

There is no sign for Sacha’s Café, but financial district fans are finding it for morning coffee and quick lunches.

A French ice skater and an Israeli developer joined forces to open Montefiore Café & Restaurant in a former Miami Beach bakery. There are still cakes and croissants, but the place is now a kosher-dairy restaurant offering breakfast, lunch, and dinner for locals. The menu includes omelets, salads, panini, fish, pastas, pizza with a chewy crust and crisp bottom and both savory and sweet crepes set in a cozy space with sidewalk dining under an awning.

Spice Galore is new boutique spice shop that carries everything from black truffle sea salt to wasabi powder in a homey space with a counter built from recycled wood. Whole and ground spices, house blends, sea salts, infused sugars and teas are sold by the ounce in glass jars organized on wood shelves. Each big jar has a small one next to it for tasting or sniffing.

Indonesian and Thai cuisines are served at Pembroke Pines’ Indo Quest. They use many of the same ingredients, but Indonesian is less hot with sweet, spicy and salty flavors infused with coconut. The restaurant’s rice table is a great way to sample broadly on the Indonesian side of the menu.

Three Italian buddies opened Gelato-Go on South Beach last month, making their own base daily with fresh ingredients and selling it in cones, cups and takeout tubs. Their dairy flavors use low-fat milk with cream and nut butters, while their sorbetto is made with seasonal fruit.

In this tough world of ours, try a little tenderness. Try kale. It’s the leafy green everyone’s talking about but no one seems to eat. Often dismissed as fibrous and bitter, kale turns supple and sweet with a little hands-on participation.

It’s a sweet time to be vegan in Miami, with not one but two online vegan bakeries offering cookies and cupcakes that give dairy-rich bakery treats a run for their money.

A basic way to give yourself the care you need is by making healthier food choices — for you and the planet

Temaris or ball sushi — warm mounds of rice with thin-sliced toppings drizzled in spicy sauces — was almost impossible to find in South Florida until Temaris opened on Brickell.

You may have been advised to dine out less often if you want to weigh less. That’s like telling people to leave their cars in the garage if they want to avoid getting into an automobile accident.

A gunshot to the head is the state’s recommended method for disposing of invasive Burmese pythons, whose swelling population threatens the Everglades. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission offers no guidance, however, on how to cook the slithery creatures.

What you put on a hot dog reflects where you come from, and for Colombians, it is lots of sauces and potato chips.

When Frances Alfonso was a little girl in Miami’s Little Havana she loved going with her parents to eat a Cuban’s version of the American hamburger, known as a frita.

The cuisine of Uzbekistan reflects the cultures that passed through Central Asia in caravans on the transcontinental Silk Road, and you can sample it at Chayhana Oasis in Sunny Isles Beach.

Sushi master Nobu Matsuhisa operates 31 restaurants on five continents — in Beijing, Budapest, Cape Town, London, Melbourne, Moscow and more. He has published five cookbooks and acted in movies such as 1995’s Casino, 2002’s Austin Powers in Goldmember and 2005’s Memoirs of a Geisha.

When you pry a piece of corn silk out of your teeth, you’re yanking out a fallopian tube. Good sake should never, ever be served hot. And though you might shudder to hear it, some brewers in Brussels are quite happy when bugs fall into open vats of yeast, because they churn it up, thus becoming “unwitting accomplices in the dance between sugar and yeast.”

The logo at Cecci Italian Peruvian Kitchen is a fish eating a slice of pizza, symbolizing the union of sea and land here. There are pies, pastas and tiraditos, ceviches and saltados (stir-fries) plus creations like pizza a lo macho topped with seafood cream, octopus, shrimp and calamari, and fettuccine in ají amarillo-spiked huancaina cheese sauce served with steak.

A competition by Krups has five Miami coffee spots in contention for top prize

There is no sign for Sacha’s Café, but financial district fans are finding it for morning coffee and quick lunches.

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