Photo: Rachel from
Cupcakes Take the Cake, Flickr.

• Cookie exchanges are so passé in southern Louisiana, where swap-minded cooks are now trading cupcakes, cheesecakes, pralines and single slices of pound cake.
• The potato is enjoying newfound popularity at tailgate parties, thanks to its terrific versatility and low cost. (But if you have cash to spare, the editors suggest pairing grilled potato kebabs with Zinfandel.)
• The director of Baton Rouge's International Cooking Competition & Tasting Fair reports the festival is "getting bigger and better."
• Corrine Cook extols the beauty of timeworn, taped-together recipe boxes and binders.
• A motivational speaker inadvertently inspires a recipe for shrimp and corn sauté.

Photo: Blue Square Thing, Flickr.

• An inside look at Volt, the restaurant of Bryan Voltaggio -- a remaining contestant and one-half of the brothers Voltaggio on 'Top Chef Vegas.'
• Inspired by a cupcake, a contemplation of eating with your hands: "There's an intimacy with your food ... that you don't get when you have the intermediary fork thingie."
• As many are picking the perfect bird for Thanksgiving, food journalist Rob Kasper acquaints himself with heritage turkeys at a Baltimore County farm during their final days.
• Aspiring to become a sommelier? Test your wine I.Q.
• Cooking with wine? What about cooking with beer? From beer-battered to basted, a look at menu items from Baltimore restaurants that put a little hop into the recipe.
• In light of the mass beef recall in early November, consumers are turning to small butcher shops, small cattle farms and gourmet grocers in search of a better burger.

Photo: VirtualErn, flickr

• What's more Southern than pecan pie? At Thanksgiving time, it's a blackberry jam cake with a dollop of Charlotte custard sauce.
• Festival goers at Mamma Mia, Daphne's annual edible celebration of the Alabama town's Italian heritage, will be able to weigh in on their favorites this year, selecting a People's Choice winner.
• Experts reveal a fail-safe recipe for deep-fried turkey: three minutes a pound at 340 degrees (and, for best results, don't bother with a newfangled electric turkey fryer).

Photo: lepiaf.geo, Flickr

• Seattle-area blueberry u-picks are overrun with "a bazillion berries."
• A look into David O'Reilly's Oregon wines, and love for his $9 Corvidae 2008 Mirth Chardonnay.
• The city's cocktail scene, plus a recipe for Sake Sangria.
• Adios Juan Valdez! The coffee man moved out of Seattle in July.
• Hmm ... is organic food really tastier than the alternative? A new study challenges the claim.
• Some travel to Europe for history, art and fine dining, while others backpack their way to vacations as farm hands.
• Restaurants: Capitol Hill's Barrio dishes decent food, while Ravenna's Pair boasts beautiful sliders.
• Recipes: Spicy Baby Back Ribs with Orange Glaze, Cool Summer Garlic-Lily Soup with Almond Pesto, White Gazpacho with Almonds and Grapes, Seafood Kebabs with Zucchini and Yellow Squash Rice, Garlic Shrimp with Unripe Mango Curry, Any Fruit Coffee Cake and Pollo Con Naranjas, Grilled Tomato Sandwiches with Blue Cheese Spread, and Mesclun Salad Pizette with Peaches and Pecans

• Wyatt McSpadden, author of the recently published "Texas BBQ," leads readers on a tour of the seedy under (pork) belly of Austin's barbecue joints.

• Viva cheap eats! Taco Journalism's Armando Rayo shows a reporter how to negotiate Austin's extensive taco truck demimonde, exploring the good, the bad and the incredibly delicious.

• Andrea Abel considers the many variations of the classic matzo ball soup, with tips on how to personalize a Passover favorite.
  

• Addie Broyles explores the history of Easter eggs and gives tips for natural dyeing.
  

• Charleston Chef Kevin Johnson talks about his favorite methods for going whole hog with snout-to-tail-to-trotter pig preparation.

Iron Chef, Times-style: Food section writers Kim Severson and Julia Moskin each make dinner for six for $50, and restaurant critic Frank Bruni judges.

Severson's menu, with recipes: Chili-spiced peanuts, carnitas tacos with cabbage-radish slaw and fresh tomatillo salsa, and dark molasses gingerbread with whipped cream.

Moskin's menu, with recipes: Cold tomato-cilantro soup, cheddar puffs, pasta with chicken, currants and pine nuts, tangerine-vanilla floats.

Will they ever allow wine sales in New York grocery stores, like they do in 35 other states? Eric Asimov discusses the upcoming vote.

Homemade sausages, no grinder or casings required. With several recipes.

The Minimalist's take on Asian-flavored noodle soup.

What's on the menu at the new Yankee Stadium? Noodle bowls, Cuban sandwiches and sushi. Oh yeah, and hot dogs.

Not to be outdone, Mets fans will get pulled-pork sandwiches on brioche buns, shrimp rolls and frozen custard with fresh blueberries at the new Citi Field.

• Have you ever found yourself in the grocery store, staring at all the bottles of olive oil, trying to determine which will give you the most flavor for your buck? The FoodDay staff sampled their way through 15 different varieties, in the hopes of finding the best of the lot.
• The Slow Food Movement is descending from its lofty perch to lobby in support of farm workers.
• For those of you lucky enough to live in the Rogue Valley, make sure to head to the Rogue Creamery this Saturday for the 5th annual Oregon Cheese Festival.
• Corn chowder made with Green Giant's 'Mexicorn,' shredded chicken and cumin is a quick, satisfying dinner.
• Confused by wine availability? Click here to learn more about wine's three-tiered distribution system.
• Tis the season for corned beef! Check your local grocery store for great deals and consider baking your beef instead of boiling it.
• Ivy Manning's three-cheese pizza with kale is a meatless meal that won't leave anyone hungry.

• Cube steak, that tenderized cut of meat that so many of us ate during childhood, has been making a comeback.
• Blog coverage of new restaurants, in some cases long prior to opening, is causing some concern that people will tire of the new spots, even before they can eat there.
• The organic label on foods has long made people feel like they were making the more virtuous choice, but does it actually mean that those foods are safer?
• Frank Bruni gives a sad, single star to L'Artusi, a new Italian restaurant, finding redemption only on the dessert menu.
• Want a more soulful breakfast? Check out this list of NYC morning spots that will fill your belly and leave you satisfied.
• California chardonnay has evolved since the early days and Eric Asimov rounds up some of the best from Santa Barbara.
• The Queens County Farm Museum has gone from a spot for agrotainment to a full-on working farm.
• Melissa Clark has found that there's nothing better than fish that has been gently poached in butter (or some other fat) for keeping it supple and delicious.
• Stop pairing beets with goat cheese and give this walnut-garlic puree a try instead, says Minimalist Mark Bittman.
• Elaine Loue introduces a new (albeit intentionally short-lived) column - The Temporary Vegetarian.