What I most love about fish is the ease in which you can make a truly tasty dish. It doesn't take a lot of prep, and with very little time investment, you can make a brow-raising and tastebud-pleasing entree to plate and serve.

I thawed some mahi-mahi from a Whole Foods splurge a few months ago, and had no idea what to serve with it until my eyes landed on the piece of fresh ginger that I had just picked up. Quickly, the marinade came together. In an ultra-rare twist from the girl who rarely merges sugary sweet and savory, I made a ginger and maple syrup glaze amped up with shallots, garlic, and other spices to top my broiled mahi-mahi.

It's really simple: Quickly saute a shallot in some butter, then add finely chopped ginger and garlic. After it gets a chance to cook, season the mix with just a bit of cayenne and chili powder, pour in some maple syrup, and then squeeze in a small lemon. Just let it reduce down and you have a tasty topping for your fish.

I can't resist picking up jug apple cider whenever I stop by my local farmer's market. I've always loved the stuff, and I remember begging my mom to bring some home from the supermarket every fall when I was younger. Now that I can get it on my own and drink as much as I want (that's right, mom: sometimes I drink juice not milk), I love it even more. It's just so thick and delicious -- perfect in a cold, tall glass on an autumn afternoon, but also for cooking, mulling, and even baking! Here are some innovative ways to incorporate this fall treat into your daily diet...

Apple cider chicken -- One of my favorite fall recipes from Eating Well

Martha Stewart's spiced apple cider from Martha Stewart

Apple butter from 101 Cookbooks

Mulled apple cider sorbet from Epicurious

Warm autumn punch from All Recipes

Garden salad with apple cider vinaigrette from the Food Network

Apple walnut cake with apple cider glaze from Big Oven

Cider-glazed root vegetables from the Washington Post

By now, with all of our Christmas cookies recipes - Gingersnaps (two ways!), Cranberry, Orange & Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies and Chocolate Peppermint Drops - your cookie plate is going to look very appealing when you put it out with a nice variety for Santa on Christmas Eve. But Christmas just isn't quite right unless you get to spend some time decorating cookies. Not only is it a great creative outlet, but you get to eat the results.

Rather than opt for the traditional gingerbread men with royal icing, especially in light of the fact that I made gingery cookies last week, I opted to make some of my favorite Vanilla Cutout Cookies. These cookies are soft, but not cake-like, and are very easy to make. They use both butter and buttermilk in dough, both of which add a richness to the cookie, and vanilla extract with a touch of almond to keep the flavor bright. As always, I recommend using a very high quality vanilla extract or something even more vanilla-y, such as vanilla bean crush or vanilla paste to boost the vanilla flavor.

No, this isn't just a meat cake because it has a T-bone steak in the icing. This is actually three layers of meatloaf and ketchup glaze frosted with mashed potatoes. So far, it's the only thing posted at BlackWidowBakery.com. The meat cake's creator says it was made for the wedding of friend who wanted "A guy's cake. Like..made out of meat." The meatloaf recipe looks pretty standard, as does the glaze. The mashed potatoes came from flakes, however, to ensure a smooth frosting. The results were "delicious" according to the baker. I wonder what the groom thought.

If people would only look to the cookie all our problems would be solved." - Jerry Seinfeld, Seinfeld (The Dinner Party)

Black and White cookies are one of the best things to ever come out of New York City, where they are so popular that they could be the city’s food mascot, with thin crust pizza running a close second. At first glance, the cookie looks relatively simple, but achieving Black and White perfection isn’t, well, black and white.

A real Black and White cookie has a thick, cakelike base. It is softer than a cookie and lacks the chew that a sugar cookie – which many bakers unfortunately choose to use as their base – would have. It also is not nearly as sweet as a sugar cookie, an important element because the cookie has to stand up to the sweetness of the icing on top without overwhelming the taste buds. The icing on the top of the cookie is a key element in the Black and White, not just because it creates the color pairing that gives the cookie its name. The icing – not frosting – is a relatively thin layer of chocolate or vanilla that is poured smoothly onto the cake-like cookie. A thick glob of overly buttery or sugary frosting would upset the balance of flavors – not to mention that it just wouldn’t taste that great on a cookie.  

We love banana bread and we love pound cake, so it stands to reason that this Banana Pound Cake I found over at Sweetnicks will be a surefire hit around my house. Just look at it, in all its banana glory, dripping with a confectioners' sugar glaze. Of course, with ingredients like butter, sour cream and three CUPS of sugar (not counting the glaze) it's not exactly a low-cal treat, but hey, this is Food Porn, folks. Who cares what's good for you? We care about what looks and tastes sinfully good.