I am sad to say that I will not be consuming this during Superbowl weekend, but if anybody does and sends me a picture, I will gladly help you develop a post-game eating plan. [via]

Shirley Fan, Nutritionist

Anticipa-a-ation. How does the song go? That’s what I’m feeling today as I’m about to meet Sunny Anderson. Interesting, huh?

I’m nervous to meet the Comfort Food Queen. Particularly after I just watched her Burger and Cakes viewing parties.

Yippee. Yikes. What to wear? Should I bring a gift — her Grammy’s red velvet cake, perhaps? Oy vey. My attempt might prove to be offensive. I don’t want to pry, but of course I want the dish!

I’ve heard she has led a CRAZY life so far, which I can’t wait to share with you. To tide you over, check out Sunny’s cool personal site and blog for a quick taste.

Wish me luck on bringing out my inner Barbara Walters.

Truly,
Secretary Confidential

Dave Letterman recently surprised Guy Fieri with a 3lb burger.
You should see the fries that go with that one.

Watch Guy’s technique to tackle this bite — “The Hunch”.

If you don’t have a burger to test your “Hunch” on, try one of these Food Network burger classics…

Or head down to Hillbilly Hot Dogs in West VA for the real deal.
You can get the location of Hillbilly and all of Guy’s stops here.

Mory and I met the guys from Templeton Rye at a whiskey thing last year — they dared us to drink their moonshine-style corn whiskey straight, and we did so happily — and this just arrived in their newsletter:

(click to enlarge/explain; via)

Awesome.

Rupa Bhattacharya, Culinary Writer

I’m not sure if anyone saw this in the news yesterday, but the Obamas have hired Chicago chef Sam Kass to cook for them in the White House. Sam Kass is known to be an advocate for healthy and local eating and has taken up some public health issues like school lunches and obesity. It’s not a victory garden on the White House grounds, but hopefully it’ll keep Alice Waters happy.

Shirley Fan, Nutritionist

I’m back! How did the foray into Food & Finance work out for you?
(and a big “shout-out” to reader Robin Koury — nothing like the goal of a warm and sunny vacation (particularly in late-January) to keep you focused and motivated!)

Last time, we were discussing how to shop – budget, make a list, clip coupons, use cash. This post focuses on where to shop, and here’s the surprise…
Get Roni’s surprise money-saving tips.

Basil Katz reports on the international challenges faced by Bocuse d’Or competitors and commentators:

The Bocuse d’Or as a place for indigenous flavors and all-out culinary identity politics is still a long ways away. When the Brazilian team’s flaming meat platter was presented accompanied by a jabuticaba sauce, the commentators were stuck, confused, distraught (for the record, jabuticaba are grape-shaped berries from Brazil). The English speaking American commentator, who struggled to narrate the dishes as they emerged in a fugue of precisely timed, 10-minute intervals from each kitchen, mouthed JAH-BOOTY-cava several times in the microphone, concluding that her pronunciation must be off because it “really sounds too much like booty.”

Well, yes. Though the proprietors of this Latin bakery in our neighborhood may beg to differ.

Rupa Bhattacharya, Culinary Writer

The Food Network staff Guac Off ’09 stretched across two states and in the end, two were left standing. Without further fanfare, we want to announce our two winners and share some photos.
Get the results here.

Via our sister site FN Dish:

That’s a pie.

Rupa Bhattacharya, Culinary Writer

Last week, a generous farmer from Ohio who was a judge on Iron Chef America delivered an abundance of vegetables.  The table outside of our programming offices was piled high with fresh root veggies, potatoes, salad greens, micro greens, and herbs.  Being invited to take a bag, I snatched up a colorful array of beets, carrots, turnips, and parsnips. 
Check out what this Iron Chef did with them.