Tastebud trickery - If you ever want to trick your tastebuds into thinking all foods are sweet, eat a red berry called “the miracle fruit.” For the next half hour, you’ll think everything is full of sugar…good? bad? I’m not sure how I feel about this.

Rose on the rise - Seriously, what did we tell you? ‘Tis the Season to Drink Pink!

Chicago hot dog gets a makeover - Five renowned Chicago chefs put their own spin on the Chicago hot dog. Will their changes catch on? Doubtful, you just can’t mess with sport peppers.

Coffee Tasting - Tasting notes aren’t just for wine. Coffee aficionados participate in similar discussions, highlighting the origins and floral undertones of their cup of joe.

Fruits and veggies fight skin cancer - If there’s no stopping your trips to the tanning salon, at least eat some fruits and vegetables beforehand!

Popularity: 5% [?]

We ran a spinach contest on Recipe4Living that ended today and wound up with tons of delicious recipes that incorporated the deliciously healthy spring ingredient.

One of my favorites was this Spinach Pasta Salad with Lemon Balsamic Dressing (that just happened to be the winner, go figure!) Made with whole wheat penne pasta, the recipe’s author was careful about making healthy choices for all the ingredients, not just the spinach! Not to mention, it just sounds delicious. Fresh spinach, whole wheat pasta, lemon balsamic dressing? Nicely done.

See the recipe after the jump!

Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 13% [?]

Oh man! This episode was probably the most exciting for me so far because it was filmed RIGHT down the street from my house at Tramonto’s Steak and Seafood! But unfortunately I’ve never been to the restaurant. Because even though it’s very close, it’s also very expensive :) Either way, it was still awesome to know exactly where they were.

The results of this episode, however, were a little less thrilling

Warning: spoilers after the jump!

Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 7% [?]

This time you’ve really outdone yourselves. Opera cake for your May challenge? Wow. Who knew SO many people could pull off an opera cake so well! All those elaborate layers topped with an even more elaborate musical decoration of some kind…it’s something I could never even fathom doing myself. It’s no wonder they call you “daring“.

(Sidenote for the readers: For those of you haven’t heard of Daring Bakers, they’re an ever-growing group of food bloggers who pull off a different baking feat each month. Every month, they’re all required to attempt to bake the same thing. There is a list of all of them here. And this post is essentially a tribute to them.)

I thought you guys blew me away with last month’s Cheesecake Pops, or even January’s Lemon Meringue Pie (because we all know I couldn’t make a lemon meringue pie quite as well). But now…these Opera Cakes have really “taken the cake,” if you will. I only wish I had your strength and your skills to bake things nearly as magical month after month.

Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 7% [?]

Recipe4Living’s product testing program is having a blast and has just reviewed another product! This time Perdue’s Perfect Portions Chicken was called in for questioning.

We asked our testers to tell us how they felt about the chicken. Did it taste good? Was it easy to cook with? Would you buy it again?

But perhaps the most important question of all was: Were the portions indeed perfect?

Click here to find out and read the Product Review on Recipe4Living!

Popularity: 10% [?]

Truffle trouble - The French black truffles are threatened by global warming’s effect on the climate in France.

Smoothies can be good for health, bad for teeth - Dentists worry about too much smoothie intake, especially now that they’re pitched as “healthful beverages” when made with the right ingredients.

Saying goodbye to a Wine Legend - Robert Mondavi, who reinvented the Napa Valley vineyard scene passed away at the age of 94 last Friday.

Too LITTLE salt? - Just like too much salt can be bad for you, not enough salt can also be harmful!

Grilling and chilling with Batali? - Italian chef Mario Batali introduces grilled Italian dishes into the industry.

Popularity: 5% [?]