Burgers and potato salad are traditional fare at Memorial Day picnics, but it's also fun to shake things up every now and again with an unexpected new flavor. And if the recipe for said dish is as easy as it is lip-smacking? So much the better for the cook, who would much rather be relaxing in the sunshine with guests than fretting over complicated details.

When the weather turns warm, I find myself craving the smell and taste of a great homemade burger off the grill.

Not so long ago, there was a certain image associated with being vegetarian. It usually involved Birkenstocks, lentil loaf and an agenda.

Wednesday, May 1 is Customer Appreciation Day at Joe’s Real BBQ in Gilbert. Anyone who shows up between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. and then from 4 p.m. through the rest of the evening — until they run out of food — will get a free BBQ sandwich made from pecan-smoked meats like chicken breast, pulled pork and beef brisket and pit ham; a free side, like sweet cut corn, potato salad, mac and cheese or BBQ pit beans; and a free drink.

On Sunday, the popular PBS restaurant review show, “Check, Please! Arizona,” hosts its first food festival at CityScape in Phoenix. While attendees enjoy a plethora of food and wine samples and live demonstrations from award-winning chefs like Robert McGrath and Chris Bianco, one humble festival booth — Pittsburgh Willy’s Gourmet Hot Dogs — takes the next step in its Cinderella story.

Arizona shoppers are getting a bit of a financial reprieve as prices for meat took an unexpected -- and potentially unexplained -- drop during the first quarter of the year.

Food trucks have been popular for some time now in the Valley, but on April 13 a new class of diner will get to partake of the trend.

This weekend downtown Chandler will be piled high with more than 20,000 pounds of BBQ at the Great American Barbeque and Beer Festival. The roster of restaurants dishing up ribs, brisket, pulled pork and chicken includes old favorites Famous Dave’s, Honey Bear’s BBQ, Joe’s Real BBQ and Tom’s BBQ, along with some newcomers including Porkopolis.

Feeling like you should do something for St. Patrick’s Day but missed Saturday’s downtown parade or don’t fancy a drive all the way to Fountain Hills for a spray of green water?

Even though St. Patrick’s Day falls during spring break for Arizona State University students, Irish bars expect to do the usual big business that day.

Now that the Chicago Cubs have secured a spring-training home in Mesa well into the future, the East Valley will soon welcome to the area the first of possibly many in a long line of Windy City favorites: Portillo’s Hot Dogs.

Here’s an idea we like for St. Patrick’s Day: Taking the kids to see the Phoenix area’s most famous fountain turn emerald green.

On a normal day, thirsty revelers easily drain two kegs of Guinness at Boston's Black Rose tavern. Come St. Patrick's Day — an official holiday in Bean Town — and they'll plow thorough 55 kegs.

Last week, food safety officials in United Kingdom, France, and Sweden found traces of horse meat in ground beef sold across Europe. Massive recalls and lawsuits are ensuing.

Our dogs are often as fat as we are, according to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention. Family cats can look like furry ottomans. At Tufts University, they've set up an obesity clinic at the vet school.

State senators voted Wednesday to make gold and silver legal tender in Arizona -- but not copper, cattle, cotton, citrus or climate.

Sure, you know to wear green on St. Patrick’s Day, but how well-versed are you in the history and culture of Ireland?

“The Mesa Public Library requires photo identification to renew a library cards but no ID is required to vote.”

Coffee has become my new favorite ingredient when roasting meat.

When Bill Keller landed a store manager’s job with Dillard’s department store in the Valley 34 years ago, his wife, Dianne, said she wasn’t excited about moving to Arizona, much less Mesa — from Minneapolis.

Safety at Mesa schools could be improved by adding fencing, replacing chainlink fences with wrought iron fences and relocating offices to the exteriors of campus, the district’s security director told the governing board Tuesday night.

Right up front, it’s important to know that I’m not a contestant for the title of Mr. Totally Financially Prepared.

When El Palacio Restaurant & Cantina owner Anthony Serrano saw some of his customers eat ten to 15 tacos a piece during his regular $1 Taco Tuesday nights, he started wondering how many tacos a person could inhale in just one sitting.