It's a happy day for anyone concerned about overweight kids. In more McDonald's news, Disney is ending its relationship with the fast food chain amid concerns about childhood obesity, according to the Los Angeles Times.  For the last decade, the studio marketed its movies by stuffing little Nemo and 101 Dalmatian figurines into Happy Meals. The deal, with netted Disney $100 million, will end this summer following the release of Pixar's "Cars" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest."

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Americans may be most familiar with blood sausage via shows like Fear Factor, but more and more New York restaurants are adding the tasty sausage to their menus notes an article in this week's TimeOut New York. The recipe for blood sausage can vary, but the main ingredient is usually pig blood, while chopped onions and otameal can be added. Blood sausage, or black pudding, as it's known in the U.K., may very well date back to the days of Homer, according to the BBC's comprehensive guide to the sausage.

But if you eat at an English restaurant, or travel to Italy, it's helpful to know all the different names for blood sausage, which TimeOut New York provides.

Continue reading All the names for blood sausage

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There's a pretty good debate going on today at  the blog Apartment Therapy: The Kitchen about the best brand of olive oil. One of my favorite olive oils is Primo Olio, which is produced by Montecastelli Farm, an olive oil farm in Tuscany. The oil is used in many New York restaurants, but I was lucky enough to sample a batch of the oil when I was visiting Italy two years ago. It had a grassy, peppery taste, which I now prefer to the taste of the more thick and buttery oils. For everyday cooking, I am happy with the Trader Joe's oil options that come from both Spain and Italy. Some, like at least one poster at The Kitchen, prefer olive oils from Greece.

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Sign me up, please! Cooking classes take place in exotic locales around the world, but I'm ready to head to Bali to try the cooking classes offered at the Four Seasons Resort at Jimbaran Bay. At the Bali hotel, participants learn how to make dishes like grilled red snapper wrapped in banana leaf, Balinese chicken satay, and Balinese pumpkin treat (if you can't make it to Bali, the Cincinnati Enquirer recently ran the recipe for the pumpkin dessert). Overall, the classes at the Four Seasons seem pretty casual and low-key, perfect for guests who want to pick up some cooking tips while on vacation.

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Last fall, news broke that a second Mr. Chow restaurant would open in New York at 121 Hudson.  And here's more tasty info: Slashfood hears that the forthcoming Tribeca outpost of this upscale Chinese restaurant chain will offer 30 new dishes. Sadly, none of the dishes can be revealed yet given that other restaurants will often replicate competitors' recipes. So we can only imagine...and count the days 'til the restaurant opens in early May. 

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Called the Grapefruit Cooler, this drink has a festive pink color that makes it perfect for the holidays. The recipe comes from Epicurious.com: Pour 1/2 cup of grapefruit juice (fresh juice is far preferable) into a glass with ice, add two tablespoons of Grand Marnier, a pinch of salt, and then add 1/3 cup of sparkling water. Top with lime or orange wedge. I'd serve with something salty like cheese and crackers or some kind of flatbread.

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This toaster seems like it could lead to problems. Sure, the first couple of days you may get a kick out of buttering toast that says:  "I Love You." But what about Day 18? What if you're not particularly happy with your lover and you have to make them a piece of toast? And what happens if you accidentally burn the toast? Perhaps your lover will get suspicious if he or she gets a piece of blackened toast that says "I Love You."  I wouldn't touch this toaster, but I'm sure someone is ordering it right now. It's about $53 via Gadgets.co.uk.

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A well-cut ham should be as symmetrical as an accordion, but carving up the Easter centerpiece isn't always the easiest. task. RecipeTips offers a detailed guide to carving ham, showing how to carve up different cuts of ham ranging from a whole ham to a butt ham, while Jones Dairy Farm also has a list of videos for cutting up the meat. More knife action is available on Cooking.com, which offers an instructional video on both preparing and cutting the meat. Tips recommended by these sites include using a very sharp thin knife and letting the ham cool 10 minutes before cutting so the juice is redistributed.

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A L.A.-based frozen yogurt shop is currently causing locals to wait in very long lines on these very chilly West Coast nights. Located in West Hollywood, Pinkberry serves frozen yogurt that's slightly sour, a little salty, and totally yummy because it's not too sweet. In short, it's frozen yogurt that actually tastes like yogurt (it tastes a lot like very cold, plain Dannon yogurt to me). The yogurt comes in plain or green tea; toppings include fresh fruit and granola. There's talk that Pinkberry will open up more outposts in L.A., but I really hope the chain goes national one day. Simply because Pinkberry needs to save the frozen yogurt/low fat ice cream genre from the evil Tasti-D-Lites of the world! Pinkberry: 868 Huntley Drive, West Hollywood, California, (310) 659-8285.

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U.K. publication Life Style Extra reports that today British department store Selfridges began selling what it purports to be the most expensive sandwich in London, if not the world. Costing £85 (about $150), the breaded concoction is stuffed with Wagyu beef, which comes from Japanese cows that are massaged and raised on beer. There's also foie gras and black truffle mayonnaise in the sandwich, which was invented by London chef Scott McDonald, who has dubbed his creation "The McDonald." About seven people pre-ordered the 21-ounce sandwich, which takes about 10 minutes to prepare.

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Just in time for Easter, New York magazine offers a breakdown of all the varieties of lamb, providing details on the difference between Colorado and Australian lamb, for example. The article also offers up a recipe for Rack of Lamb with a Shallot Puree Chili Crumbs Crust. If you want more lamb recipes, check out the comprehensive list at web site Recipe Hound.

Guide to Differences in Lamb

• Colorado: Fed a mixture of grass and grain; lambs are larger; richer, more fatty meat.
• Australia: Grass-fed; leaner flesh; sweet mild flavor.
• Appalachia (Jamison Farm): Grass-fed; sweet and succulent.
• Milk-fed: Raised on milk and grain; slaughtered very young; tender and sweet meat.
• New Zealand: Grass-fed; lean and pale-colored meat; stronger flavor than Australian lamb.

Continue reading Guide to Buying Lamb

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If you didn't get the press release, April is Grilled Cheese Month. I am thinking Teflon, quite possibly in a conspiracy with Kraft, cooked up this foolish although amusing April-is-Grilled-Cheese-month idea, but really, who cares? Grilled cheese sandwiches are fabulous (as Slashfood has pointed out), and they can inspire greatness, seen on this web site where scientific tests were done to determine if it was possible to cook a decent grilled cheese with an iron. Very detailed and impressive reports follow.

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Food & Wine magazine has announced its list of Best New Chefs of 2006. The 10 chefs come from across the country--and surprise-- there's even a chef from New Hampshire, the first time a chef from the Granite State has appeared on the list. The chef is Mary Dumont from the Dunaway Restaurant at Strawbery Banke. Past chefs chosen in the Best New Chef category include Thomas Keller, Daniel Boulud and Nobu Matsuhisa. Eater has the full release.

• Cathal Armstrong Restaurant Eve, Alexandria, VA
• Christopher Lee Striped Bass, Philadelphia, PA
• David Chang Momofuku, New York, NY
• Douglas Keane Cyrus, Healdsburg, CA
• Jason Wilson Crush, Seattle, WA
• Jonathan Benno Per Se, New York, NY
• Mary Dumont The Dunaway Restaurant at Strawbery Banke, Portsmouth, NH
• Michael Carlson Schwa, Chicago, IL
• Pino Maffeo Restaurant L, Boston, MA
• Stewart Woodman Five, Minneapolis, MN

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This week, the Florida Senate passed a bill making Key Lime Pie the official state pie; the measure now goes to the House. Earlier this year, there had been some discussion that pecan pie should be the state pie, given the large number of pecan farms in the state. This isn't the first time legislators have tried to pass a measure giving the key lime pie, either. In 1988, similar legislation was introduced, but it failed. As for other state pies, apple pie is the state pie of Vermont and here's a list of official state foods.

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Sure, Slashood has been heavy on sushi, but can you blame us? It's sushi. But here's more: the wonderful and wacky web site Strange New Products highlights colored sushi wraps from California-based specialty food producer Frieda's. With ingredients like egg whites and soy protein, the wraps are completely edible. Will adults go for rainbow-colored sushi? Perhaps the wraps are best for kids, especially those who wouldn't normally try sushi rolls.

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Who serves the best sushi in Los Angeles? Coming from New York--I moved here two weeks ago--I am determined to find out where to go for great sushi. Everyone I ask has a different opinion, but the majority of people agree that the small sushi joints, the ones tucked away in the strip malls, are the best. Earlier this week, I ate at Ike, located in Hollywood. It came strongly recommended from in-the-know LA foodies. They knew what they were talking about. The fish was amazingly fresh; the giant clam was shockingly good, and tasted just like the sea. Sit at the bar when you go.

Sushi Ike
6051 Hollywood Blvd #105
Los Angeles, CA 90028
(323) 856-9972

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Pity Robert Wood. The Scot has a problem: he cooks in his sleep. According to an article in the Sydney Morning Herald, Wood routinely sleepwalks, but the real problem comes when he gets into the kitchen and starts whipping up dishes - and he's not just heating up soup. His wife, Eleanor, has caught him making omelettes and spaghetti bolognese in his sleep. As expected, the couple is a bit worried that Rob is gonna burn down the house. "Every night, I have to think, 'Is Rob going to cook?'" says Eleanor. And no - no mention of Ambien in the piece.

[Image Coles.com.au]

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The Washington Post runs a ho-hum article about the Caesar Salad, but manages to catch my eye with an interesting bit about the history of the salad's origins. It was invented in 1924 by Caesar Cardini, an Italian immigrant and restaurant owner in Mexico. While a quick Google search backs up that claim, web site What's Cooking America provides a bit more information about the Caesar's trek to Europe (the site references a book that claims Mrs. Wallis Simpson brought the leafy dish across the Atlantic), and provides the histories of other well-known salads.

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I'm probably mistaken, but I feel like tea sommeliers must be some of the nicest people around. The Chicago Sun-Times profiles Bou Chu, the tea sommelier at the NoMI restaurant in the Park Hyatt Hotel. The best part of the story is the sidebar: Chou's recommendations for pairing teas with certain foods like hot dogs and lobster.

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