You've Got To Taste This

There are plenty of excuses during the year to eat cheesy appetizers, consume large amounts of yeast-fueled libations, and gorge on piles and piles of the tiniest part of a chicken, but there's one particular excuse that always gets our party-planning instinct going at MyRecipes.  Perhaps it's because it comes so soon after New Year's, giving us a good reason to ditch all those silly resolutions and run open-armed toward a bowl of tortilla chips.  Whatever the reason, we love the Super Bowl and we certainly love Super Bowl parties.

Our friends at Holy Taco built what they rightfully claim is The Greatest Snack Food Stadium Ever Built. Boasting Twinkie stadium seating, bacon crowd control, and beef jerky goal posts, this culinary creation is a literal shrine to all things fatty, snacky, and delicious, covering (personally speaking) three of my favorite food groups. The total cost of this endeavor?  $86.47, not counting the 24,375 calories and 1,285 fat grams also included.

If you can't bring yourself to create your own guacamole playing field, then try a few of our favorite recipes that are guaranteed to please your crowd, regardless of team affiliation.  Dish up a smattering of dip recipes or try your hand at easy wing dishes. Get the scoop on store-bought salsa, or find new ways to bake with your favorite brewski. If all else fails, turn to our fool-proof Super Bowl party guide for step-by-step planning help.  Or ask your friends to pick up some Twinkies on the way...

When you order a bakery cake, taking the time to painstakingly orchestrate the perfect mixture of icing colors, cake flavors, and a general decorative theme, you expect to show up at said bakery and pick up exactly what you envisioned, only better.  But what about when you don't?  That, my friends, is when you snap a digital picture of the, er, masterpiece, and quickly submit it to Cake Wrecks, a blog that collects examples of "when professional cakes go horribly, hilariously wrong."

Whatever your stance on cakes in the classic homemade vs store-bought debate, you can easily get behind the hilarious commentary on camo wedding cakes (complete with mounted deer heads), cakes inspired by body parts, bachelorette party cakes (don't worry, they're tame... even if they do feature bear skin rugs), cakes disguised as other types of food (icing hamburger bun, anyone?), and even "wrecks" from LIFE magazine.

This morning's find is particularly timely, as it celebrates the anticipatory joy of Sunday's Super Bowl game.  All we can say is that these bakers had their hearts in the right places even if they did have their sports equipment a little confused.

Just so you know, Cake Wrecks does accept submissions (check out the rules here first), but only of cakes made by professional bakers.  So if you stumble into a gem at your local grocery store, snap a picture and send away.  However, if you're out to harpoon your great aunt Mabel's attempt at a to-scale Easter Bunny, then you're out of luck. One thing's for sure: Bakery mishaps never looked so good.

Today marks the beginning for the year of the Ox, my personal zodiac sign. For those of you preparing a wonderful Chinese New Year's Feast here are a few recipes that will bring you wealth, life longevity, and fidelity in the year of the Ox.

Pack your plate with noodles such as Longevity Noodles because they represent a long life.
Since money is a little tight these days you might want to double up on Spring Rolls and Chinese Potstickers because they symbolize wealth.
Finally, a delicious Peking Duck represents fidelity for the coming year.

Have a great Chinese New Year!

Hosting a Super Bowl party typically means breaking out the hot wings, ordering pizzas, and serving an over-the-top spread of dips, drinks, and desserts.  While we're all for a manly, low-maintenance atmosphere (Beer on the porch?  Fine by us!), sometimes it's good to dress up the party a little, and what better way that with a centerpiece or party favor that you can eat?

We love these festive cookie cutters from Ann Clark,"The Cookie Cutter People from Vermont."  Make her simple sugar cookie dough recipe and then use the sizable football-themed cutters (shaped like a football, a jersey, and a helmet) to make man-sized cookie portions.  The best part?  Each cutter has a handle on top, which makes creating a small legion of helmets during a commercial break completely possible. Frost with her simple five-ingredient icing recipe and decorate in your team's colors.

Looking for more cookie recipes?  Check out our collection of sugar cookies, or try my new personal favorite, Southern Living's All-Time Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie. This delicious cookie is a great basic chocolate chip recipe, but also offers six flavor variations including White Chocolate-Covered Pretzel Cookies and Almond-Toffee Cookies. Before you start, read Top 10 Cookie Secrets for no-fail tips on baking.

Whatever dough and icing combination you choose, make your cookies game-ready using the fun cutters.  Frost the cookies in competing colors and let your guests votes with their appetites.   

Lately I’ve been drifting off into daydreams about restaurants. Not just enjoying a delicious meal at a local eatery but owning one. I’m pretty sure this inspiration has come from my tight wallet and trying to incorporate some of my favorite bistro meals into home cooking. Whatever the reason I don’t realistically foresee myself being a restaurateur but it’s fun to entertain the thought.

I would have a cozy, artsy bistro with mellow lighting, a warm fireplace, and a front patio. I love the idea of a very extensive wine list and small personal hibachi grills (like fondue) at your table to cook meats and veggies. My menu would have Asian flare featuring items like Miso-Glazed Salmon and Sesame-Crusted Tuna with Wasbi-Ponzu Sauce.

I was curious and asked other blog contributors to share their restaurant style. I was pleasantly surprised, humored, and hungry when I finished reading. Keep in mind these choices would change depending on which day you ask.

Jason Burnett
“A week of cold weather has me leaning to soup today... I would want to own a little Vietnamese lunch spot. It would be all about the spring rolls, bahn mi, and big bowls of pho bo.”

Anne Cain
“I would like to own a charming little bookstore with oversized stuffed chintz chairs for reading and sipping on either coffee or wine. I would feature scones, muffins and biscotti along with the coffee, as well as a wine bar with assorted cheeses and nuts, and breads. Black Pepper-Goat Cheese Log is what I would recommend with a chilled glass of sauvignon blanc.”

Ashley Johnson had a difficult time deciding between a gourmet sandwich shop and bakery.
“I’d have bakery that served reeeally good cookies such as All-Time Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies and flavored iced teas. We might serve cupcakes, but only unfrosted ones. There would be a frosting bar in the corner where you could add your own.”

Jim Sheetz
“I would want to own a steak house similar to the original “Ye Olde Steak House” in Knoxville, TN. I would only serve Filet Mignon or Porterhouse Steaks, very salty and dry baked potatoes, and a starter salad. The only dessert option would be Red Velvet Cake!”

Jennifer Richards
“Today, I’d run a really good burger place where each burger was by type. Example: If you like greasy burgers, there’d be greasy ones. Lean ones, sliders, greek, etc. Also, there would be fantastically healthy sides to balance out the splurge on the burger. Mixed green salads with strawberries and pecans, roasted veggies.”

Holley Johnson
“I would open a lunchtime salad shop. Customers would have the option of local organic produce (way beyond the basic mushy cherry tomato) as well as a variety of cheeses, fruits, meats, nuts and homemade dressings. There would also be protein-based salads and grain salads. Main Dish salads would include Grilled Chicken and Nectarine Salad and Thai Beef Salad . Protein-based salads would be favorites like Chicken Salad and Fresh Tuna Salad. Curried Couscous Salad with Dried Cranberries and Barley, Roasted Vegetable and Feta Salad would be other options."

What would be your restaurant style? Do you have any favorite restaurant recipes?

Grab your cast iron skillet and start cooking up some warm, all-American cornbread. This spring you won't want to miss the 13th annual National Cornbread Festivalin South Pittsburg, TN, and if you have some creative cornbread recipes up your sleeve you could be $5,000 richer.

Lodge Cast Iron and Martha White are teaming up and taking recipe submissions from all over the nation. After the entries are gathered they’ll pick ten finalists to compete for a chance to win the cornbread Cook-Off championship.

Last year Lori Stephens from Henderson, Tennessee took home the grand prize with her delicious Ancho Shrimp on Smoked Gouda Corncakes.

2008 National Cornbread Cook-Off Winning Recipe
Corncakes
1 tablespoon butter
1/3 cup sliced green onions
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
3 tablespoons sour cream
1 1/3 cups Martha White® Yellow Self-Rising Corn Meal Mix
1 1/2 cup shredded smoked Gouda
1/2 cup Crisco® Canola Oil
Ancho Shrimp
4 tablespoons butter
2 large dried ancho peppers (split in half and seeds removed)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 lb fresh uncooked shrimp, shelled and deveined
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup canned petite diced tomatoes, undrained
Sliced green onions

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in 10-inch Lodge® cast iron skillet on medium. Add 1/3 cup green onions; cook 1 minute. Add corn; cook 2 minutes. In large mixing bowl, whisk egg. Add buttermilk, sour cream, and corn meal; whisk until smooth. Stir in cheese, corn and onions. Wipe out skillet with paper towel. Add oil 4 tablespoons oil; heat on medium high. Spoon batter into oil by 1/4 cupfuls. Cook until golden brown; turn and brown on other side. Cook in batches adding oil as needed. Drain on paper towels. Wipe out skillet.

Melt 4 tablespoons butter in skillet on medium high. Add ancho peppers; cook 3 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute. Add shrimp; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until shrimp turns pink, stirring occasionally. Stir in tomatoes; cook just until hot. Remove ancho peppers.

Place 2 corncakes slightly overlapping on serving plate. Top with shrimp and sauce; sprinkle with green onions. 6 servings

Good luck and I hope to see you there with a mouth full of home-style cornbread!

Here's a How-To video to get you started.

When I was in Destin, Florida last weekend with three of my college buddies, we went in search of the Mexican restaurant that had been written up in the January issue of Southern Living.   Not having the magazine with us (is that a sin?), we had to resort to guesswork.  We did end up at the right place, which was Cantina Laredo at the Grand Boulevard, SanDestin, and agreed that it was indeed worthy of the magazine mention.

This is a gourmet Mexican restaurant and they make fabulous guacamole right at your table. Since I am still in my post-holiday resolve to eat healthier, I opted for the ceviche instead of cheese-laden enchiladas and was thrlled with my choice. I ate ceviche a lot when I was in Costa Rica and always find it to be amazingly refreshing and flavorful. The lime juice sort of "cooks" the fish, so it's not exactly raw, and it usually has a zesty mix of chiles, onions, peppers, and cilantro added to the fish. I would only order this at a place where I felt confident that the fish was at its freshest, which was the case here.

I'm all inspired to make ceviche at home now because it really is so easy and also low in fat.  Of course, I need to learn not to eat a whole basket of tortilla chips along with it!  In honor of our cute waiter, Jose, who is from Peru, I'm going to start with Peruvian Ceviche, but there are lots of variations.  Let me know if you have any favorites.  And if you go to Cantina Laredo, tell Jose I said hello.   

For awhile there, my six-year-old son was on a Chicken Parmesan kick.  He knew nothing about it before having it the first time, other than the fact that one of his classmates had mentioned having it for dinner.  I love picturing the little six-year-olds talking about what they ate for dinner - too cute! 

Although Nick is over his Chicken Parm moment, that doesn't stop me from making it from time to time.  My usual go-to recipe is this one from Food Network chef Giada De Laurentiis, but last week we had a different version.  This guiltless version appears in the January 2009 issue of Better Homes & Gardens magazine, and instead of the traditional breadcrumbs, it uses pulverized whole-bran cereal shreds!  Taste-wise, nobody could tell the difference when we ate the finished product, and couple that with the fat-free egg product and reduced-fat cheese, and you have a tasty lighter version of the real thing.  Dig in!

See the recipe for Super Cheesy Chicken Parmesan here.

If you're a fan of Food Network, and more importantly their reality contest show The Next Food Network Star, then you're probably familiar with Aaron McCargo, Jr., an outgoing Camden, New Jersey dad of three who won top spot last season and came away with his very own Food Network show.  Aaron is outgoing, friendly and very relatable ... if you're not watching the show yet, you've got to.  His dishes are down-home, comfort food, and perfect to take the chill off of the cold Winter weather.  Big Daddy's House had a superb first season, and with the second season now underway, we recently got a chance to ask Aaron a few questions.

Your family joins you a lot on the show – will we be seeing more of them this season? 
You will definitely see a lot of Justin, a lot of Donovan [his brother]. This is how big daddy lives. I always have my brother over. Really bringing family into the kitchen and having fun cooking.

Have your kids gotten used to you being on Food Network?
Yes, they still give me “Hey Daddy, that’s you in the commercials.”   It’s always good and exciting. I have a two year old daughter and now she is following Justin in saying “Daddy, that’s you,” when it’s on television.

At home, do your kids like to help you in the kitchen? Any budding chefs in the making?
They help me a lot. Say if I am making guacamole, Justin will be the one to scoop it out and cube it up.  Josh, he’s started practicing writing recipes on his own.  As Justin gets older, now he’s moving on to the peeler. He’s my official peeler.  No one gets to touch Big Daddy’s knife yet though.

What is their most frequent request when Daddy’s cooking at home?
Soup – My wife and the kids, they have been requesting soup a lot. It’s been a holiday request from my friends.  Crab Florentine Soup was requested by friends for a gameday party recently.

Getting kids to eat a proper, well-balanced meal is universal struggle. What tips can you pass on to our moms to help them in their battle?
The one thing that’s been working for me and you will get to see it in the episodes of Big Daddy’s [is] I create a dipping sauce that works. Give them something to dip their vegetables with and they will eat more vegetables. Blue cheese, ranch, it seems to work for me. For fruit: Roll it in peanut butter and pretzels or coconut.

With juggling kids’ after-school activities, work and more, it’s an ongoing challenge to get a good, healthy meal on the table that everyone will eat. What tips can you give our moms for keeping everyone happy, well fed and sane?
What I normally try to do, since my wife is not one who loves to be in the kitchen [but we work together to prepare meals ahead of time on one weekend day], is on Sunday morning, I lay out meals, prep [and cook] and portion them, then freeze them. We’re literally (and I am doing this every day) – precooking. I build everything up in the refrigerator. Just take a day out and it doesn’t have to be anything extravagant. I’m making meatloaf ... But we’re making them, we’re chilling them out and we are portioning them ahead of time.

To hear more from Aaron McCargo, Jr., and learn more about his hearty, down-home recipes, tune in to Big Daddy's House on Food Network, Sundays at 1:30 PM (EST).

* Additional reporting by Sarah Caron.  Photo courtesy of Food Network.

Ever since I got engaged in August, when meeting with vendors, the recurrent mantra has been "think like a bride" (when envisioning the floral arrangements), "stand like a bride" (when trying on dresses), and "act like a bride" (when my blood sugar drops mid-meeting).  But no vendor, friend, or even five-pound bridal magazine has told me how to eat like a bride.

Sure, there are tips for your wedding day (ie, Eat something so as not to faint on your betrothed), but not much leading up to the big day beyond the general rules of moderation, limited carbs, and easing up on the sweets.

While those rules are all well and good, and we'd all like to think these changes are lifestyle adjustments, the reality is that, when engaged, there's a goal in sight.  If I'm going to stand up in front of friends and family, all with a fabulous view of my, um, rear quadrants, in a white dress, I'm definitely going to kick up the H2O and workout regimens.

I've never been much of a dieter, so I'm not about to swing into full deprivation, but rather am focusing on increasing the fruit and veggies on my plate at each meal.  And once I get the sweets out of my house, I'm sure I'll cut back on them. It might help if I decided to dispose of them in the trash, rather than my tummy, but I say pick your battles.

The number one rule I've heard from my friends is not to deprive yourself.  Swearing off starches and sweets will only up their craving power.  Instead, make smart choices, like noshing on dark chocolate rather than milk.

Whether you're the bride, attending a big event, gearing up for swimsuit season, or simply getting ready for a reunion with friends, most people have a regimen they follow to prepare.  What's yours?