If you are more concerned about spending time on your patio this summer than spending time in the kitchen, this super-simple recipe I came across for Lime Sorbet Margaritas might be exactly what you are looking for since no blender is required. Even better - you can tailor this drink to your own preferences by changing the flavor of the sorbet, or replacing the tequila with rum, vodka, or your favorite liqueur.

Lime Sorbet Margaritas

(recipe adapted from Real Simple Magazine)

1 lime, cut into 8 wedges
1/4 cup sugar
2 pints lime sorbet (though any flavor can be used)
1/2 cup tequila

Rub the lime wedges around the rims of 8 stemmed glasses. Place the sugar on a small plate. Turn each glass upside down and dip the rims in the sugar to coat.

Place 2 scoops of sorbet in each glass and pour 1 tablespoon of tequila over the top of each. Serve with a spoon.

Note: They also recommend having soda or seltzer available to replace the tequila so kids have have their own version of this drink as well.

Real Simple: Celebrations is a collection from the publishers of Real Simple magazine that covers all the details of major events and occasions that come up during the year, presenting ideas to make them as simple and easy as possible. It's probably a bit late now to take them up on their Thanksgiving ideas, but they also cover birthdays, graduations and just about all major holidays - at least, all the ones that are usually associated with food and large gatherings. All of the events are arranged in chapters by holiday, so while you can mix-n-match ideas from all over the book or use one of the several multipurpose plans, you can also easily just stick to their outline for a particular party.

As far as the planning goes, some people find Real Simple to be like "Martha Stewart-lite", since every detail from invitations to decor and cooking to cleanup is covered. The "lite" part comes in because the recipes and instructions always seem very do-able, rather than daunting. Since it never hurts to have a little peek inside a new book before you give in and make the purchase, you can download a few pages (pdf) from the Real Simple website and take a look for yourself.

Vanilla is the best selling ice cream flavor in the US. Not only is it popular as a stand-alone flavor, but it goes perfectly with so many other foods: brownies for brownie sundaes, apple pie for apple pie a la mode, root beer for root beer floats, etc. In this month's issue, Real Simple magazine did a taste test of vanillas and picked out their favorites in six categories, thoughtfully including some options for those who don't eat regular, full-fat ice cream:

• Best old-fashioned: Ben & Jerry's Vanilla
• Best organic: Stonyfield Organic Gotta Have Vanilla Ice Cream
• Best gelato: Ciao Bella Vanilla Gelato
• Best low-fat: Breyers Double Churned Light Creamy Vanilla
• Best low-sugar: Breyers Double Churned No Sugar Added Vanilla
• Best nondairy: Whole Soy $ Co. Organic Vanilla Bean

Unfortunately, they didn't list all the brands of ice cream that they taste-tested. It would have been interesting to see what the runners up in each category were, but the list can still be used to stock the fridge with everyone's favorites.

We looked at some of the best and worst frozen pizzas a while back, but as tastes change and new products become available all the time, so it never hurts to add new items to the list. Real Simple put out their top three frozen pizzas and only one of them was on our first list. The pizza that we both liked was from Amy's Organics, which was a runner-up in the tasting, but American Flatbread was their top pick. It had an "artisanal crust" and "amazing" taste, according to their panel. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be available in all stores, since a quick poll of frozen pizza fans revealed that some had never heard of this brand. It is definitely one to keep your eyes out for.

The other runner-up was Chef Antonio Pizza, which is sold at Whole Foods and some other natural foods stores. Its defining characteristic is that the pizza is square, not round, though that doesn't seem to impact the crispy crust or well-matched toppings in any substantial way.

You don't have to be a nutrition expert to know that whole grains are an important part of the diet. After all, labels promoting them are appearing on nearly every product in the supermarket, from breakfast cereals to cookies. One of the most difficult foods to get whole grains in is bread. While this may seem like an obvious choice, many people still can't resist buying a loaf of their favorite white or buttermilk loaf when they're shopping. Too many consumers have a negative perception of whole grain breads as being dry, hard and with an overwhelming wheat taste that seems too overtly "good for you."

Part of Real Simple magazine's online content this month is a taste test of whole grain breads, trying to identify the tastiest and most nutritious ones on the market. They only looked at the national brands, so while the bread from your favorite local bakery might be better, you won't go wrong by picking up a loaf of any of these choices when you a traveling or simply want to make a sandwich.

• Rubschlager 100% Whole Wheat or European Style Whole Grain
• Arnold Whole Grain Classics 100% Whole Wheat or Healthy Multigrain (available east of the Mississippi)
• Oroweat Honey Fiber Whole Grain Bread (available west of the Mississippi)
• Thomas Squares Bagelbread 100% Whole Wheat
• Pepperidge Farm 100% Whole Wheat Natural Whole Grain Bread
• Earth Grains Extra Fiber 100% Whole Wheat

One final option is to buy bread made with "white whole wheat" flour, such as some of the buns and loaves made by Sara Lee. They mimic the taste and texture of regular white bread, but offer diners an extra dose of whole grain goodness.

 

Sarah recently posted about the fact that sales of spaghetti are down at the leading supermarket chain in England because "younger British diners lack the same culinary skills their parents have." That doesn't hold true in the US, where long, thin spaghetti is still the best selling pasta shape. Since most people buy their spaghetti premade and dried (even restaurants, according to Waiter), Real Simple magazine took the opportunity to taste test fifteen common store brands and pick out their favorites. They judged the pasta on flavor and texture, looking for a slight nuttiness and noodles that didn't get mushy after cooking. Dressed in simply olive oil and salt, the spaghetti went to a tasting panel and they picked out their top three: (1) De Cecco 12, (2) Barilla,  (3) Colavita. De Cecco is twice as expensive ($2/pound vs. $1/pound) as the other brands, but tasters thought it was clearly the best choice, with great flavor and texture.

Maybe if they switched to one of these brands, the spaghetti-challenged diners wouldn't mind a chance to practice their fork-twirling skills.

 This recipe from Real Simple turned out cookies that had only a minimal resemblance to the ones in their photograph. I wanted to make them because "Raspberry Puffs" sounded as though the cookies would be soft and fluffy, rather like angel food cake. They turned out to be quite crisp and much more similar to a wafer type of cookie than to any sort of cake. I was pleased to find, however, that the cookies still tasted delicious, especially once I had replaced the sour cream filling called for in the original recipe with ice cream. The result of this substitution was a finger food that tasted like a little ice cream sundae with raspberry topping.

Frankly, it would be easier to simply buy a package of vanilla wafers to make these, which is what I'll do next time. If you pick up jam, ice cream and a package of cookies, you can easily put together these last-minute munchies for your Valentine today.

[Photo by Nicole Weston]

In the newest issue of Real Simple, the magazine's taste-testers turned their taste buds to hot chocolate mixes. They compared over 40 varieties of hot cocoas and hot chocolates. Hot chocolates typically have real pieces of chocolate in addition to cocoa powder in them, while hot cocoas are sweetened cocoa. They broke the competitors down into categories by price and picked their winners.

In the under $5 category, the milk chocolaty Land o'Lakes Classics Supreme was the top choice, followed by Swiss Miss Chocolate Sensation, both of which you should be able to find at your local supermarket. In the $10-15 dollar range, Godiva's Dark Chocolate Truffle ranked supreme, followed by the dark and intense Schokinag Extreme Dark. For the bigger spenders, Jacques Torres Wicked, a spicy mixture with chocolate, ancho and chipotle peppers, ranked highest in the over $15 category, followed by Mariebelle Aztec.

Now, if only they'd have a marshmallow testing.