"TrueBlood" news and stories

Steak salad. Photo: Jennifer Iserloh

OK, I'll admit, I'm a fan of the HBO series "True Blood," but not for the reason most fans like it -- the sexy drama, gorgeous vampires and loads of gore. Watching it is a real break from cooking -- the mental and physical side. After all, you can't cook for a vampire!

I was recently thinking back to an episode when Bill Compton had his first bite with Sookie, cautioning her to take an extra dose of B vitamins. Well, I think that's good advice for all of us, because B vitamins -- especially B-12 -- support the production of red blood cells and prevent anemia.

If you're vegetarian or happen to have type 2 diabetes, you're probably not getting enough, but there's good news: You can get it from yogurt and milk, about four servings a day to get good levels of B12. If you are carnivorous like our friend Bill Compton, then your best sources are calf's liver, snapper, venison, scallops and shrimp -- or even a piece of beef tenderloin, one of my favorite cuts of beef -- and it's even low in fat.

What do you do when you get a bottle of Tru Blood -- the real blood-orange soda inspired by the synthetic blood vampires like Bill Compton drink on HBO's "True Blood"?

If you're me, you head to a bar with a sinister name in an isolated part of town and see what a brilliant bartender can do.

Dutch Kills bartender Giuseppe Gonzalez happens to be a fan of the Southern Gothic tale and was downright delighted to play around with this new sweet soda, which has a faint, bitter caffeine aftertaste that goes well with bitters but can be problematic with other players on the liquor cabinet shelf.

Get the Dutch Blood recipe and more after the jump.

We were wondering what to serve for our weekly viewing party of that guilty little pleasure "True Blood." Chef Tom Colicchio has the answer.

Fresh from his Diet Coke ad, the Craft-y chef has done a campy viral video for the HBO vampire series, making a drink to satiate Colicchio's vampire pals while the "Top Chef" host dines out.

"I have a few friends that are vampires and I've had this issue," Colicchio tells the host of the fake show "The Perspective." We go out, and I'm sitting there through an appetizer, an entree and dessert, and they're just kind of nursing a Tru Blood [the blood substitute vampires drink on the show]. It's a little awkward."

Read on for the very non-Bon Temps recipe.