Our pals at Epicurious's Epi-Log pointed us to this lusciously awkward Today Show cooking segment wherein Sam the Cooking Guy shuts Kathie Lee's cakehole not so much with cake, as with a heaping helping of STFU. It's no doubt soured his relationship with the show, but makes for some mighty sweet TV.
Is this the most deliciously cringe-inducing in the history of food television, or can you dredge up any others? Post your thoughts and video links below.
During the first couple of days of July, I nibbled my way through three floors of New York City's Javits Center while attending the Summer Fancy Food Show. Several other folks from AOL Food and Epicurious were also there, tasting chips, cheese, chocolates and dips. We discovered that there are quite a few people making artisanal chocolate, flavoring things with lavender and pear-ginger and doing amazing things with live foods among many other, tasty things.
We've all sorted through our samples, press kits and memories, trying to bring you what we think was the very best of the show in one fun, appealing slideshow that you can find over at AOL Food. Head on over, take and look and then come back over here and let us know what you think. Did we pick anything you love? Or did we happen to hit on a product you've tried and not liked? We want to hear what you think!
I'm not gonna pretend that this picture is pretty, or in the least bit appetizing, but I will note that the results are disturbingly delicious. The heart of the matter is that I went to a cookout a few weekends ago and was offered a grilled chicken heart by a friend who has yet to serve me anything that is less than madly tasty. Emboldened by this, I picked up a package of chicken hearts on a shopping jaunt this week, and started perusing my favorite recipe sites for marinades. It didn't take me long to find a 1956 James Beard recipe suggesting that these would make a dandy appetizer for a group of 25. Twenty-five of whom, I'm not entirely sure, 'cause even as staunchly carnivorous as my pals tend to be, few of 'em dig getting their offal on as much as I do, and I wouldn't subject them to it. There are exceptions, though.
Some friends came over this afternoon to serve as panel members for AOL Food's upcoming Hot Dog Taste Test. As I tended the grill between rounds, one of them began holding forth about how methods of barbecuing and grilling really were born of the necessity to bring greater flavor to cheap and previously discarded cuts of meat, and how folks were getting way too fancy-schmancy with the whole thing these days. I left my post at the flames, walked him to the fridge, pulled out the plastic container full of marinating hearts and started putting them on bamboo skewers.
He shut up and started eating.
James Beard's 1956 Grilled Chicken Hearts Recipe on Epicurious
(Note: In the above pic, I was out of sherry and subbed in brandy, which proved perfectly yummy.)
Pie is probably one of America's favorite desserts. The question is what is America's favorite kind of pie?
Michael Park over at Epicurious.com gives us some answers. He revealed a pie poll from the makers of Mrs. Smiths, Schwans Consumer Brands North America. The poll asked participants to name their three favorite pies. Which one came in first, you ask? Well, it was apple of course! Turns out it was the overwhelming favorite.
I was personally surprised that Key lime pie was at the bottom of the list. But I guess with so many kinds of pie out there, it's a measure of the popularity of key lime pie that it made the list at all. So how about it? What's your favorite kind of pie?
In case you didn't realize it, tomorrow is Valentine's Day! Hard to believe we're halfway through the month of February already. Guys, I hope you've bought something for your significant other.
Epicurious has a recipe for Meringue Kisses, which is a healthier version of the kisses you're probably used to eating. When I saw the ingredients - both of them, eggs and sugar - I thought it was a typo. That's all you need to make kisses?
For years now, Gourmet magazine has been hiding their web presence behind Epicurious.com. I love Epicurious (I find that the recipe reviews tend to be fairly reliable), but I'm pleased to see that Gourmet now has a gorgeous and sleek way to present their content independently. I'm especially happy that you can watch streaming video of their terrific show, Diary of a Foodie, straight from the website. If you haven't watched this show, you should definitely take a peek. It combines travel and food television in a way that is really appealing and compelling, a combination that seems hard to come by these days.
I have a confession to make. I didn't even taste cheesecake until I was around 30. I was one of those people that didn't associate cheese with desserts. It didn't sound right to me. But you can imagine my joy when I actually tried cheesecake all those years ago.
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.
The James Beard Foundation has just announced their
nominees for the 2006 James Beard Foundation Awards. The awards are the most prestigious in the industry and honor the
top culinary professionals in every category, from journalists to cookbooks to chefs. There are 62 awards in all this
year. Nominees include:
During the first couple of days of July, I nibbled my way through three floors of New York City's Javits Center while attending the Summer Fancy Food Show. Several other folks from AOL Food and Epicurious were also there, tasting chips, cheese, chocolates and dips. We discovered that there are quite a few people making artisanal chocolate, flavoring things with lavender and pear-ginger and doing amazing things with live foods among many other, tasty things. 
Pie is probably one of America's favorite desserts. The question is what is America's favorite kind of pie?
In case you didn't realize it, tomorrow is Valentine's Day! Hard to believe we're halfway through the month of February already. Guys, I hope you've bought something for your significant other.
I have a confession to make. I didn't even taste cheesecake until I was around 30. I was one of those people that didn't associate cheese with desserts. It didn't sound right to me. But you can imagine my joy when I actually tried cheesecake all those years ago.
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.
The 
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