Gourmets Gourmet

Martha Stewart's Cranberry Butter

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 21:40:00 EST

Martha Stewart says the recipe for Cranberry Butter is one of her favorites. You just combine butter and cranberry sauce in a food processor. You can see the recipe here. It sure looks pretty.

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Michael Psilakis Explains Greek Meatballs

Sat, 8 Nov 2008 15:00:00 EST

Bon Appetit magazine's Chef Of The Year Michael Psilakis - and his son Gabriel - taught Harry Smith at CBS how to make Greek meatballs on "National Men Cook Dinner Day." That date was November 6th but the Greek meatballs look delicious enough that it is still worth watching the video to learn how today.

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Pumpkin Bowl Recipe

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 17:00:00 EST

Rhodes Bread has an interesting recipe here for baking a Pumpkin bread bowl. The bowl would be great to serve at a Halloween party. You could even fill it with a creatively creepy soup and make it an edible pumpkin soup bowl. The recipe itself can be found here. Happy Halloween!

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How To Make Marshmallow And Popcorn Brain Balls

Sat, 25 Oct 2008 15:00:00 EST

Here's a recipe from VideoJug for a Halloween snack called Marshmallow and Popcorn Brain Balls Recipe. They look like an interesting twist on rice crispy treats. Mmm....brain balls.

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How to Make Spiderweb Cookies

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 13:00:00 EST

Epicurious Editor-in-Chief Tanya Wenman Steel teaches how to make creepy Halloween spiderweb cookies. She has a couple young assistants to help her. She says to use a #1 tip with thick white icing for the base and a #3 tip with thin blacking icing for the web. The final result is some cool looking cookies.

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Christmas Gift Idea: Authentic Guinness Home Pub

Tue, 7 Oct 2008 16:50:00 EST

One of the unique gifts in this year's Christmas Book from Neiman Marcus is a fully functional traditional Irish pub custom-built for their home. The Authentic Guinness Home Pub will be built by RiRa Pubs and will include authentic Guinness artifacts.

There are plenty of reasons to raise a pint to the Irish. Saint Patrick, the Blarney Stone. One of the greatest occurred in 1759 when young Arthur Guinness founded a brewery at St. James's Gate, crafted a hearty, distinctive stout, and won a place in our hearts forever. Celebrate the 250th anniversary of that first delicious keg with our exclusive, once-in-a-lifetime gift. The folks at RiRa Pubs will design a fully functional, traditional Irish pub and build it in your home in 2009. It will be crafted from historic Irish architectural elements and authentic Guinness artifacts. There's also a VIP trip for two to Dublin with first class airfare, luxury accommodations, and insider access to the magic still being made at the historic working St. James's Gate brewery. (All members of your party must be at least 21 years of age.) Plus fresh Guinness Stout for your pub. For an entire year.

The cost is a mere $250,000. The direct link to the product listing in the Neiman's catalog is here. (via here)

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Plenty of Pumpkins for Halloween

Thu, 2 Oct 2008 19:00:00 EST

The big question on everyone's mind is will there be pumpkins. It sounds like there is good news this year despite difficulties for pumpkin farmers in the MidWest. There will be plenty of pumpkins to go around this Halloween. The farmer in this clip bites into a small pumpkin at the end of the clip and says it tastes "wonderful."

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Gwneth Paltrow and Chef Mario Batali in New Shoe

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 16:43:00 EST

Gwyneth Paltrow joined celebrity Chef Mario Batali and actress Claudia Bassolos on a culinary journey though Spain. Their trip has been made into a show called Spain On The Road Again. Gwyneth said she has been friends with Chef Batali for a long time and she also has a passion for Spain. A trip through Spain with two beautiful women - Batali seems like the winner on this trip.

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Cool iPhone Cupcakes

Sat, 20 Sep 2008 21:00:00 EST

This impressive iPhone cupcake set was baked by Danielle and Nick Bilton for the Cupcake Decorating Championship at Ignite NYC. Each one of the twelve cupcakes was baked and decorated to resemble a specific iPhone app. Dvice has more photos of the geeky cupcake. See also the entry at Cupcakes Take the Cake.

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Martha Stewart and BBQ Ribs

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 18:00:00 EST

Martha Stewart has a couple guests who make sanctity bbq sauce. The explain how to make BBQ ribs. They like to cook the meat in the oven first before taking it out to the gril. Martha Stewart wouldn't let them use a throw-away pan. Martha also makes a macaroni salad to go with the bbq.

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Pancakes In A Can

Tue, 2 Sep 2008 18:00:00 EST

Making pancakes is a lot of work. You can now get pancake batter in a can. The product is called Batter Blaster. Most of the kids in this AP video seem to prefer the pancakes made from scratch but still thought the Batter Blaster pancakes were good.

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Tim Stark Shares Tomato Tips

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 21:00:00 EST

Author and tomato farmer Tim Stark shows Harry Smith some of the season's best tomato picks. Tim Stark is a farmer, blogger for Gourmet and the author of a book named Heirloom. NPR has an article about Tim Stark.

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Moby Makes Vegan Berry Pancakes

Fri, 8 Aug 2008 22:00:00 EST

Moby's in the kitchen. Here he is preparing his favorite vegan pancakes with berries. Moby also makes some vegan sausages. The pancakes aren't quite as big and fluffy because they are vegan but they should be tasy especially with the help of the berries.

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Electronic Tongue Can Identify Wines

Thu, 7 Aug 2008 21:00:00 EST

Science Daily reports that European scientists have invented an electronic tongue that will tell you the grape variety and vintage of wine at the press of a button. The device is said to be cheap, fast and portable.

Designed for quality control in the field, the device is made up of six sensors which detect substances characteristic of a certain wine variety. Components such as acid, sugar and alcohol can be measured by this detection, and from these parameters it can determine the age and variety of the wine.

The tongue was invented by Cecilia Jimenez-Jorquera and colleagues from the Barcelona Institute of Microelectronics, Spain, and is reported in the Royal Society of Chemistry journal The Analyst.

Wine industry specialists told the researchers they lacked a fast way to assess quality of wines - it takes a long time to send samples to a central laboratory for processing.

This new tongue is not only swift, but also portable, cheap to manufacture, and can be trained to "taste" new varieties as required.

It might seem a small matter to some but this piece in the Guardian's wordofmouth section explains that the electronic wine taster could help the wine industry battle fraud.

There is one big reason why we need a machine with a more precise ability to identify wine than any human palate, and that is to detect wine fraud. If a grape other than the stated variety or vintage has been inserted in your glass or mine, it makes precisely bugger all difference - if we're enjoying the glass it's as relevant as the provenance of the oranges in our morning juice - but to those who've invested many hundreds of thousands of pounds in supposedly important bottles it's crucial.

There is likely a market for this device among those who collect expensive wines. The device could help them discover they have the real deal or that they have been tricked.

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Campbell Soup Acquires Wolfgang Puck's Soup Business

Sun, 3 Aug 2008 17:40:00 EST

Last month, the Campbell Soup Company announced recently that it acquired the Wolfgang Puck soup business from Country Gourmet Foods. Campbell has entered into a master licensing agreement with Wolfgang Puck with an option to extend the brand into other related categories and channels. Wolfgang Puck is one of the leading organic soup brands in the United States.

Campbell currently offers several organic products, including "Campbell's" tomato juice, "V8" vegetable juice, "Prego" pasta sauce, "Pace" salsa, and varieties of "Swanson" broth.

The move is a big signal that organic food is a growth area that major food brands want to quickly move into. You can read AP's take on the news here.

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Twenty of America's Saltiest Foods

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 15:00:00 EST

MSNBC has an interesting feature called "The 20 saltiest foods in America." They could not possibly have tested all the foods in America but they have certainly found twenty extremely salty foods. Here's a sample of the findings.

Saltiest Dish in America: Romano's Macaroni Grill Chicken Portobello - 7,300 mg sodium, 1,020 calories, 66 g fat

Saltiest Dessert: Atlanta Bread Company Raspberry Scone - 1,750 mg sodium, 360 calories

Saltiest Appetizer: Papa John's Cheesesticks with Buffalo Sauce - 6,700 mg sodium, 2,605 calories, 113 g fat, 296 g carbs

Saltiest TV Dinner: Swanson Hungry-Man XXL Roasted Carved Turkey - 4,480 mg sodium, 1,360 calories, 70 g fat

A lot of frozen foods have high salt counts in addition to Hungry-Man frozen dinner mentioned above. That's a grocery store aisle you may want to avoid if you are trying to cut salt.

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Grilled Skirt Steak Sandwich with California Avocado and Blue Cheese

Sun, 27 Jul 2008 15:00:00 EST

Chefs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger created the recipe below for the California Avacado Commission. The two chefs are the owners/operators of the critically-acclaimed Border Grill restaurants in Santa Monica, Pasadena, Las Vegas, and Green Valley, Nevada, as well as Ciudad in downtown Los Angeles. Now through September marks the peak of California avocado season so it's a great time to give this recipe from Chefs Milliken and Feniger a try.

Grilled Skirt Steak Sandwich with California Avocado and Blue Cheese

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

California Avocado Blue Cheese Spread

Ingredients

2 ripe, fresh California avocados, halved, seeded and peeled
4 oz. Roquefort or similar blue cheese, room temperature
2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 dashes hot sauce
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Salt, to taste

Instructions

In a large bowl, combine avocados with blue cheese, lemon juice, hot sauce and pepper. Mash with a fork until mixture is thoroughly combined. Taste and season lightly with salt, as the blue cheese can be salty.
Use with the Grilled Skirt Steak Sandwich recipe below, or on crackers, crusty bread or other sandwiches.

Per Serving: 222 calories; 19 grams fat (6.5 sat, 9.3 mono, 1.4 poly); 21 mg cholesterol; 529 mg sodium; 2.5 grams fiber

Grilled Skirt Steak Sandwich with California Avocado and Blue Cheese

Ingredients

2 (8 to 10 oz.) skirt steaks
1 medium, sweet yellow onion, cut in 1/4-inch slices
2 small tomatoes, cut in 1/4-inch slices
2 Tbsp. canola oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme leaves
4 (6-inch) pieces of baguette, sliced in half lengthwise and lightly toasted
California Avocado Blue Cheese Spread (see make-ahead recipe above)
½ ripe, fresh California avocado, thinly sliced, for garnish
4 fresh thyme sprigs, for garnish
Cracked black pepper, for garnish

Instructions

About 30 minutes before cooking, remove skirt steaks from refrigerator. Trim any outer pieces of fat or silver skin, but marbling within beef should remain.
Preheat grill or saute pan to very hot. Pat skirt steaks dry. Brush steaks and onion and tomato slices with canola oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Grill or saute steaks, 2 minutes per side for rare. Allow steaks to rest several minutes on a cutting board.
Meanwhile, on the grill or in the same saute pan, char the onion slices until just tender, separating into rings. Grill or saute the tomato slices briefly, until lightly charred and warmed through.
In a small bowl, combine olive oil, vinegar and thyme. Add grilled onion and tomato slices to vinaigrette mixture and toss gently.
Spread toasted top halves of baguettes with California Avocado Blue Cheese Spread. Place on the upper level of the grill with the top closed, or under a broiler, until warmed, about 1 to 2 minutes.
Arrange the charred onion and tomato slices on the bottom halves of the baguettes. Slice the steak thinly, at an angle across the grain, and place over the vegetables. Drizzle steak with any leftover balsamic vinaigrette.
Serve sandwiches open-faced, side-by-side on a plate, with thin slices of avocado, thyme sprigs and cracked black pepper for garnish.

Per Serving: 566 calories; 26 grams fat (4.8 sat, 14 mono, 3.3 poly); 88 mg cholesterol; 586 mg sodium; 6.3 grams fiber

*Large avocados are recommended for this recipe. A large avocado averages about 8 ounces. If using smaller or larger size avocados, adjust the quantity accordingly.

Vist the website to see more recipes created by chefs for the California Avocado Commission.

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Martha Stewart: Peppers and Creamy Corn

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 18:00:00 EST

Emma Feigenbaum of Everyday Food joins Martha Stewart in the kitchen to prepare crispy pork chops with peppers and creamy corn. Emma also shows you how to cut the red pepper so that you avoid the seeds.

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How to Make Cheese at Home

Mon, 7 Jul 2008 21:00:00 EST

Chef John from Food Wishes teaches you how to make your own cheese at home in the video below. Food Wishes says that making your own Fromage Blanc - or Farmer's Cheese - at home won't really be any cheaper than at the store and it certainly won't be easier than buying cheese at the store. But hey you don't want to die without having ever made your own cheese, right? Right! You can find the exact ingredient amounts here on the Food Wishes blog. Here's the video.

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Lucy Whip: Pear Cobbler and Turkey Chopsticks

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 18:00:00 EST

Lucy Whip recently showed viewers on her BlogTV show how to make pear cobbler and turkey chopsticks. The video below is part two that shows the turkey chopsticks being made. You can see part one here. The turkey chopsticks could be altered with different meats. It is an interesting concept using the chopsticks, the meat and grilling it up on a George Foreman grill.

turkey chopsticks&pear - Broadcast your self LIVE

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Warren Brown Teaches You Strawberry Shortcake

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 21:00:00 EST

Warren Brown, owner of the bakery Cake Love, shows Today's Natalie Morales how to bake up some delicious cakes. Warren Brown left a law career to start his cake restaurant. In this video he shows you how to make a great strawberry shortcake. It looks delicious. Brown likes to use butter cream instead of whipped cream on his shortcakes.

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Expensive New York Gourmet Burgers

Tue, 27 May 2008 18:00:00 EST

Fred Katayama from Reuters reports that a New York burger joint named Wall Street Burger Shoppe is selling a gold-flecked Kobe beef burger fried in foie gras for a meager $175. Reuters says $175 but the online menu (PDF) lists the Richard Nouveau Burger at $150. Here's the listing from the restaurant's menu. It could be that this is the burger minus the gold flecks.

Katayama notes in his video report that downstairs you can get a regular burger for just $4.

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20-minute Paillard Recipe

Wed, 14 May 2008 08:00:00 EST

Chef Charlie Palmer offers a quick 20-minute recipe for paillard. You can use different meat such as pork or chicken but Palmer is using beef tenderloin in this video. He then grills it for two minutes on each side. Once the meat is done Chef Palmer places it on top of a plate containing soba noodle salad. Other salads can also be used such as a tomato, cucumber and mozzarella salad. You can see the recipes here and the video is below.

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World Record Barbecue Was A Mile Long

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 18:00:00 EST

Reuters reports on Uruguay's record-breaking barbecue. The new Guiness World Record barbecue held 6 tons of charcoal and 12 tons of beef in a massive one mile long grill.

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The $1 Million Cookie Recipe

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 18:00:00 EST

Carolyn Gurtz of Gaithersburg, MD won the $1 million prize in the 43rd Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest. That's a fabulously hefty prize for a cookie recipe. Gurtz's recipe for Double-Delight Peanut Butter Cookies beat the 99 other competitors.

Everything's bigger in Texas, and for Carolyn Gurtz of Gaithersburg, MD, one thing's for sure - her bank account just got $1 million bigger! Today, Gurtz captured the $1 million grand prize at the 43rd Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest for her Double-Delight Peanut Butter Cookies. Bake-Off awards show host, Sandra Lee, handed over the dough and a complete set of GE Profile kitchen appliances valued at $10,000.

Inspired by her love of baking and the great flavor of peanut butter, Carolyn Gurtz's recipe combines Pillsbury Create 'n Bake Refrigerated peanut butter cookies with JIF Creamy Peanut Butter and Fisher Dry Roasted Peanuts to create as one judge stated, "A new twist on an old classic." Taking the cake - or cookie - in the Sweet Treats category, contest judges agreed that Gurtz's recipe surpassed the 99 other competitors as the grand prize winner for its simplicity and approachability, allowing the home cook to take a convenience product and turn it into an unexpected cookie that bursts with layers of peanut butter flavor. Contest judges described Gurtz's Double-Delight Peanut Butter Cookies as a delightful taste that combines two classic cookies- a snickerdoodle and a peanut butter cookie.

A homemaker with a passion for baking inspired by her parents, Gurtz still has the mixer her mother bought her more than twenty years ago. Now 59, she fondly recalls the day her parents first introduced her to cooking at age seven. Fulfilling a lifelong dream to reach the Bake-Off Contest, she literally cried from joy upon learning she'd been selected as one of the 100 finalists. "This is like winning the gold medal," said Gurtz, who has been entering recipes in the Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest for the past 15 years. This Sunday School teacher and mother of two knew she was on to something when her son smelled them cooking and declared them a "winner" after just one bite.

You can see all the recipes from the contest - including the recipe for Double-Delight Peanut Butter Cookies - here.

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1200 Pound Cheese Block Carved into the Statue of Liberty

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 21:00:00 EST

Champion cheese carver Troy Landwehr carves a 1200 pound block of cheddar cheese into the Statue of Liberty. This was an impressive feat that took several days of careful carving. The music in the video clip from CBS is "Bedridden" by The Sweet Nothings.

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Emeril Lagasse and Martha Stewart

Sat, 5 Apr 2008 18:00:00 EST

On a recent episode of The Martha Stewart Show, Chef Emeril Lagasse joined Martha to celebrate MSLO's acquisition of his media and merchandising business with a 'Bam!' During the show, Martha presented Emeril with a commemorative MSLO stock certificate signifying their new relationship which brings together two of the biggest brands in the food and lifestyle arena. Emeril and Martha also recently shared dinner party tips on David Letterman.

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It's Asparagus Season

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 21:00:00 EST

We recently posted an asparagus recipe from Chef Bill Telepan. Now we see that Noodles & Company has a clever ad campaign going that features an asparagus. The ad says there are only two kinds of vegetables - asparagus and those who wish they were.

"I applaud the chef for choosing me as his muse for this fresh new recipe," said Asparagus. "I'm a totally fabulous vegetable, and he gets that about me." Noodles & Company's new Linguine with Fresh Asparagus features tender asparagus spears, roma tomatoes and linguine tossed in a light sauce of olive oil, butter, lemon, balsamic vinegar and fresh herbs topped with parmesan.

Critics are calling this her best dish yet. "After eating it, I had a spearitual restaurant experience," said M.F.K. Fennel, author of The Art of Delicious Vegetable Eating. "Asparagus is fresh, saucy and confident in this recipe," said Alice Watercress from Chez Bon Appetit You May Eat Vegetables magazine. "She delivers a firm, flavorful and memorable performance," said Ima Foody from Eat Delicious Vegetables Daily Blog.

"That's fresh," said Asparagus. "I've known for practically ever that I'm delicious and talented and quite nutritious so I'm not surprised they feel this way. Look, I'm obviously fat-free, cholesterol-free and only a few calories per stalk. I'm high in folic acid and a good source of potassium, fiber, vitamins B6, A and C, as well as thiamin and rutin, which are very important anti-oxidants." Even the Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board calls her one of nature's most perfect foods.

Some interesting Asparagus facts below provided by the Michigan Asparagus Board.

Asparagus is a member of the Lily family.
Asparagus spears grow from a crown that is planted about a foot deep in sandy soils.
Under ideal conditions, an asparagus spear can grow 10" in a 24-hour period.
Each crown will send spears up for about 6-7 weeks during the spring and early summer.
The outdoor temperature determines how much time will be between each picking...early in the season, there may be 4-5 days between pickings and as the days and nights get warmer, a particular field may have to be picked every 24 hours.
After harvesting is done the spears grow into ferns, which produce red berries and the food and nutrients necessary for a healthy and productive crop the next season.
An asparagus planting is usually not harvested for the first 3 years after the crowns are planted allowing the crown to develop a strong fibrous root system.
A well cared for asparagus planting will generally produce for about 15 years without being replanted.
The larger the diameter, the better the quality!
Asparagus is a nutrient-dense food which in high in Folic Acid and is a good source of potassium, fiber, vitamin B6, vitamins A and C, and thiamin.
Asparagus has No Fat, contains No Cholesterol and is low in Sodium.

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Spring Means Asparagus

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 18:00:00 EST

Chef Bill Telepan has a great asparagus recipe that captures the flavor of spring. Telepan's asparagus goes on top of a black and gold rice and garlic custard combination. You can view the recipe here.

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Cheeseburger in a Can

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 21:00:00 EST

Gizmag reports that the canned food geniuses at Trekking-Mahlzeiten have created a canned cheesburger. The cheeseburger in a can is sold here. It is designed for outdoor enthusiasts who need only to toss the can in boiling water for a few minutes and then open the can and eat the cheesburger goodness found within.

The canned cheeseburger is sold under one of Katadyn's best known brands, Trekking-Mahlzeiten, a subsidiary company that develops specialist ready-meals for the outdoor, expedition and extreme athlete markets.

The high tech hamburger has been developed for trekkers and the non-traditional metal wrapping reflects the Trekking-Mahlzeiten company ethos that its speciality meals should be easy to prepare and require only water to do so - simply throw the can into a water container over a fire, give it a minute or two, fish it out, open the lid, and eat. With a shelf life of twelve months without requiring refrigeration, the lightweight snack is the ideal fast food treat for the wilderness.

Chow doesn't believe the cheeseburger in the photograph is really the one that came out of the can. It probably isn't - it looks impossibly larger than the can. But the delicious food you see in commercials often isn't the actual food either. Kudos to Co-ed Magazine for the clever headline, "I Can Has Canned Cheezburger?" Gridskipper has a video of someone in Germany taste-testing the canned cheesburger.

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Food Costs Continue to Climb

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 21:00:00 EST

MSNBC reports that food costs are continuing to rise. Rising gas prices are the main reason - they make it more expensive for food products to be delivered. Even pizza and beer prices are rising. Eventually restauranters have no choice but to pass these costs on to consumers. Small restaurants have a harder time than fast food chains because they can't spread the rising costs around as easily.

Pizza makers have seen their cheese costs soar this year from $1.30 a pound to $1.76 a pound. Even worse, the flour used to make the dough has gone from $3-$7 dollars a bushel to $25 a bushel in less than a year.
Beer makers have been forced to raise their prices because of the skyrocketing price of hops - one of the principle ingredients. The price of hops has gone from about $4 a pound in September to $40 a pound. The price of barley, beer?s other main ingredient, has nearly doubled.
Bagel shops have struggled to hold the line on prices and keep their customers. The exploding wheat prices have made the $1 bagel a fact of life in big cities such as New York. Donuts are averaging $1.50. And many shop owners fear a wheat shortage will drive prices even higher.
Even the lowly hot dog is getting more expensive. Gray's Papaya, a New York hot dog institution, will be jacking up the price for its $3.50 "Recession Special" - two hot dogs and a 14-ounce drink. Nicholas Gray, owner of the frankfurter chain, has yet to set the price increase, but he indicated it is coming soon.

Those gas prices are expected to soar this summer. So we can probably expend additional food price increases later this year.

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Food Network Chef Robert Irvine Ousted Over Resume

Thu, 6 Mar 2008 18:00:00 EST

Everything Dinner Impossible star Robert Irvine did on the Food Network was real and everyone says he is a great chef. Unfortunately, his resume was not so good. It was padded and included falsehoods reports Fox News.

The star of "Dinner: Impossible" has acknowledged fabricating some of the more fantastic parts of his resume, including having cooked for Britain's Royal Family and various U.S. presidents.

Following the revelations, the network announced it would not renew Irvine's contract, though it would air the remaining episodes of the current season, the series' fourth.

"I was wrong to exaggerate in statements related to my experiences in the White House and the Royal Family," Irvine said in a written statement. "I am truly sorry for misleading people and misstating the facts."

The Food Network said it might revisit its decision at the end of this season, but for now would begin searching for a new host for the series, which challenged Irvine to cook under arduous conditions.

On the Food Network Irvine performed some amazing challenges where he would prepare hundreds of meals in just a few hours with little equipment. The Food Network must be sad to have learned that of his lies because he was an entertaining performer. The St. Petersburg Times was the newspaper that broke the Irvine resume story. You can read their artilce here.

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Robotic Ketchup Dispenser

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 21:00:00 EST

Martha Stewart chats with Barry Kudrowitz and Bill Fienup about their remote controlled award-winning ketchup robot. It zooms over to your plate and automatically dispenses ketchup. The robot is called the ketchup crapper. Martha Stewart liked the automato better. So do we.

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Sweet, Sweet Valentine's Cupcakes

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 12:30:00 EST

Ford Models Yara and Alejandra return to the kitchen with a mission to make Valentine's Day cupcakes. They are using a recipe from the More From Magnolia cookbook - a cookbook from the Magnolia Bakery.

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Divine Recipe Contest Winner: Chocolate Velvet Cheesecake

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 22:00:00 EST

Doesn't that look delicious? It's the winner of Divine's "Hungry To Change The World" recipe contest. Chocolate Velvet Cheesecake takes 45 minutes of prep time and 1 hour and 5 minutes to cook. You can see the Chocolate Velvet Cheesecake recipe here. Recipes for the other finalists can be found here.

Divine Chocolate is the world's first farmer owned Fair Trade chocolate brand. Their stated mission is to improve the livelihood of small scale cocoa farmers in Ghana and increase the benefits farmers receive from the multi-billion dollar chocolate industry.

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Marco Canora: How to Make the Perfect Bolognese Sauce

Fri, 8 Feb 2008 18:00:00 EST

Chef Marco Canora describes how to make his perfect bolognese sauce. He says the beginning for the sauce is the vegetables - carrots, celery and onions. There is also olive oil and melted down butter. You can see the recipe here on MSBNC.com.

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Cooking for Dads: Super Bowl Snacks

Sat, 2 Feb 2008 13:26:00 EST

Cooking for Dads guides you through some easy snacks for Sunday's Super Bowl game. Learn how to make great onion rings, dip and to reheat wings for an awesome snack buffet. Part two of the Super Bowl snack show is here.

Direct video link

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How to Juice a Lemon

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 18:00:00 EST

What are some of the best ways to get juice out of a lemon? This video for beginners says to get the juices flowing microwave the lemon for 15 seconds or roll the lemon under your plam on the counter top. You'll want to strain the lemon to remove those pesky seeds.

Direct video link

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Curry Leaf Rice

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 13:00:00 EST

Sanjey from VahRehVah.com teaches you how to make curry leaf rice, which is rice flavored with curryleaf.

Direct video link

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The Original Matini

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 18:00:00 EST

WSJ.com columnist Eric Felten shows the recipe for the original martini, which was originally a sweet drink made with sweet vermouth and gin. Felten also talks about the recipe has evolved over time.

Direct video link

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Weak Dollar Making Gourmet Items More Costly

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 14:50:00 EST

The Seattle Times reports that a combination of a weak dollar and higher shipping costs is making gourmet and specialty items more costly. Basic grocery food items are also on the rise.

A weak U.S. dollar and higher shipping costs mean less buying power in many parts of the world, especially Europe, where it costs about $1.44 to buy one euro, up from $1.30 this time last year.

Combine those factors with rising wheat and rice prices and poor harvests of products like saffron and figs, and Seattle area importers, distributors and gourmet shops say to expect higher prices on a host of items, from olive oil and vinegar to cheese, pastas, wine and English sea salts.

"I would expect the grocery bill to spike fairly significantly at specialty or gourmet stores, particularly those importing their products," said Darren Brewster, an international trade specialist with Tacoma's World Trade Center.

Some items may become so expensive that you won't be able to find them anymore says the Seattle Times article.

At EvZe World Gourmet in Seattle's Eastlake neighborhood, that missing product will be Fideo, a Spanish pasta with squid ink. Owner Tony Aikens likes to cook it with canned octopus, smoked paprika and olive oil, but he doubts customers will buy a bag of pasta for $8, no matter how flavorful. Now he's absorbing price increases on a favorite brand of Italian lentils, hoping they don't suffer the same fate.

In the market for cataplanas? Once the domed copper clam cookers from Portugal sell out, The Spanish Table won't restock.

If you are using a lot of imported gourmet food items you should probably expect your monthly food bill to rise.

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Mexican Pizza Recipe

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 22:00:00 EST

Chef Brian Johnson and Sous Chef Amanda teach you how make some tasty looking mexican pizzas. This is a spicy pizza with a thin crust and taco style toppings.

Direct video link

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Dennis Austin: Southwestern Chicken Salad

Fri, 4 Jan 2008 18:00:00 EST

A lot of people are trying to start healthy diets and lifestyle this time of year. Fitness expert and health-guru Denise Austin offers the following suggestions for getting your year off to a good healhty start. She's also teamed with Tyson foods as you can see in the tips and in the video clip.

Moderation is key: Balanced food choices will put you on the path to success. Including Tyson recipe-ready chicken or steak in one or two meals a week will help cut down on fast food eating, and giving your family new and healthy meals to try. Try eating well 80 percent of the time and treating yourself the other 20 percent.
Mix it up: Don't get stuck in the rut of eating high-calorie foods for convenience sake. Tyson recipe-ready chicken or steak allows you to prepare a fast meal that is both tasty and good for you. Chicken or steak strips on a salad, in pasta, or even inside a wrap make a great, high-protein lunch, dinner or snack.
Curb snacking: Try putting an 8 p.m. curfew on your kitchen or brush your teeth after dinner to help keep temptation at bay and put a mental cutoff on eating plans for the evening.
Make it convenient: Even if you don't hit the gym every day, make exercise interesting by making walking dates with friends, or even just finding reasons to get up from your desk at work and move around.
Get in a routine: Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time each day, giving yourself eight hours of sleep for maximum energy. And make sure to start your day with a healthy breakfast; studies reveal that skipping meals can actually lead to overeating and weight gain.

Going to bed and waking up at the same time each day is easier said this done but it does make a routine easier if you can pull it off. Here's Denise Austin teaching you how to make Southwestern chicken salad.

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