We’re down to three Star finalists remaining and just one episode to go until one of them has a new show on Food Network. You’ve been voting for your Fan Favorite all season, but now we’ve got another question. Of the 12 eliminated...

Read more »

Well, there’s only one episode left. Come Sunday night,  Vic “Vegas” Moea, Susie Jimenez or Jeff Mauro will officially be named the next Food Network Star. After 10 episodes of trying challenges, dramatic exchanges and emotional momen...

Read more »

Your Caption Here

No, this is not a recycled image from a previous episode. This sneak peek shot was taken on the set of Sunday’s episode of Star, during which the most recently eliminated contestants – Chris, Penny, Jyll and Whitney – return a...

Read more »

During this past Wednesday’s “Ask the Editor” feature on Food Network’s Facebook page, we received numerous questions about putting together a vegetarian menu for Father’s Day — ask and you shall receive.

Start the meal off with Spicy Thai-Style Pineapple Wraps: juicy pineapple is infused with classic Thai flavors like lime, chili paste, cilantro and peanuts. Next, knock the pescatarian dad off his feet with these Jumbo Shrimp stuffed with a flavorful mixture of garlic, jalapeno, scallions and cilantro, which adds vibrant color to this two-bite appetizer.

Bring the steakhouse home (vegetarian style) with these Grilled Portobello Burgers topped with a sweet onion jam flavored with thyme, honey and red wine. Anyone can serve a side of fries, so shake things up and try Giada’s Fried Zucchini sticks coated with Parmesan and panko breadcrumbs. For a foolproof side dish, Rachael Ray rubs this Mexican-Style Grilled Corn with a spicy jalapeno, lime, garlic and paprika butter.

Make dad this nostalgic dessert »

Celebrate the fresh, boiled, steamed and grilled flavors of a traditional lobster bake this summer. Our overflowing menu below boasts classic ingredients, favorite recipes and the ease and simplicity of at-home, on-the-stove cooking. No need to live near the beach or build a giant rock pit in the sand in order to try these East Coast tastes; all of the recipes can be made right in your kitchen. Don’t forget to stock up on hand wipes and lobster bibs!

No summer celebration can begin without a glass of sweet chilled lemonade. Michael Chiarello’s recipe for Muddled Lemonberryade from Cooking Channel combines tart lemon juice and sweet strawberries. By the way, there would be nothing wrong with adding a few splashes of vodka to make this an adults-only sipper. After all, you have a lot of lobster-baking ahead of you.

If you want to start with an appetizer before the main event, serve your guests a platter of Emeril’s Grilled Whole Shrimp With Lemon and Marjoram from Cooking Channel while you’re preparing everything else. The subtle citrus flavor complements the mild essence of marjoram, and the heat of the grill melds these tastes perfectly. Don’t have access to a gas or charcoal grill? A stove-top grill pan will do the job, too. If you’re planning to serve the shrimp along with the rest of your meal, add these to the grill at the last possible minute, as shrimp can quickly become chewy if overcooked.

More seafood recipes after the jump »

On Monday, May 9th, Tom Colicchio, Emeril Lagasse, Gail Simmons, Andrew Zimmern, Anne Burrell and many others in the food industry will don their best as they join the James Beard Foundation at its annual Restaurant and Chef Awards Dinner.

In honor of their Rising Star Chef of the Year Award, we’re chatting with the 2011 nominees in this category. Yesterday, we caught up with Gabriel Rucker of Le Pigeon in Portland, Ore. Today, we’ll get to know Aaron London, chef at Ubuntu in Napa, Calif. London says, “I keep hearing things like ‘this is the Oscars for chefs.’ It’s really hard for me to say until I have experienced it for myself.”

FN Dish: How does it feel to be a James Beard Foundation Award nominee for Rising Star Chef?
AL: It feels awesome and kind of unreal. What a huge honor! I’m just excited to have the chance to go to NYC and hang out with some of the great chefs who are responsible for cooking today in America

Find out which two ladies Aaron would like to cook for »

Can you resist? - Image Courtesy Food Network Magazine

Caffeine Addiction Linked to Genetics: Craving coffee? Science says your genes may be to blame, not the two hours of sleep you got last night. [usatoday.com]

Chicago Public School Bans Brown-Bag Lunches: With all the hullabaloo surrounding the poor quality of cafeteria food, it may come as a surprise that one school is actually banning lunches from home, too. What’s a kid to eat? [myfoxchicago.com via newyork.grubstreet.com]

Camera-Powered App Delivers Estimated Calorie Count: Impressive new iPhone app Meal Snap lets you take a picture of your plate then spits out how many calories it thinks you’re about to consume. The accuracy of the nutritional breakdown reportedly has some kinks, but it’s still fun to think of the service as Shazam for food. [reviews.cnet.com] [Food Network Mobile]

Proof That Candy Dishes are Irresistible: Is the office hampering your ability to eat healthfully? You’re not alone. “A four-week study of 40 secretaries found that when candy was visible in a clear, covered dish, participants ate 2.5 pieces of chocolate,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “Moving the dish closer, so the subjects could reach the candy while seated at their desks, added another 2.1 candies a day to their intake.” [wsj.com]

Here’s our round-up of food news, trends and happenings across the web. Check back for more, and tell us what else you’re loving in the comments.

Giada's Ricotta and Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Cones

In honor of Ben & Jerry’s Free Cone Day, we’ve rounded up 10 of our favorite recipes, ranging from the most decadent chocolate ice cream to easy-to-make ice cream cookies and cake. While it may not be a scoop of Chunky Monkey or the famed Cherry Garcia, several of these desserts can be prepared in under 30 minutes and you can even go back for seconds!

Ice Cream Recipes:
Chocolate Ice Cream
Espresso Ice Cream
Banana Ice Cream
Ricotta and Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Cones
Burned Peach Ice Cream

Desserts Featuring Ice Cream:
Wine Poached Peaches with Ice Cream
Frozen Banana Ice Cream Sandwiches
Apple Crumble with Vanilla Ice Cream
Peanut Butter and Jelly Ice Cream Sandwiches
“Cake” Ice Cream Cones

Tea-Smoked Chicken Cups - Image Courtesy foodnetwork.com

Looking to update your appetizer agenda? Look no further, because we have a list of bite-sized party starters that will wow your guests.

Mario Batali’s recipe for Deep-Fried Ricotta Balls from cookingchanneltv.com is every bit as indulgent as it sounds. Fresh ricotta is combined with parmesan cheese and walnuts before getting breaded and fried. Serve these bites alongside a bowl of your favorite tomato sauce.

Foodnetwork.com’s Tea Smoked Chicken is chopped small, mixed with scallions and topped with a soy-ginger sauce. Easy to prepare and fun to eat, these Asian-inspired apps will go quickly, so be sure to make an extra batch.

For an Italian-style dip that is fresh and healthy, try food.com’s Kalamata and Fig Tapenade. Dunk crisp endive spears or toasted ciabatta bread in this savory mixture of salty kalamata olives and capers, mission figs and fresh herbs.

Stuffed Mushrooms from food2.com will leave your vegetarian guests (and carnivores alike) totally satisfied. Filled with breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, fresh herbs and shallots, mushroom caps are baked until soft then topped with delectable pan juices.

Best New Chefs Awards (photo by Arthur Bovino)

Our friends at Food & Wine Magazine just revealed their annual list of the country’s Best New Chefs. We’re always on the lookout for impressive up-and-comers in the food world, so we attended the announcement celebration and talked to several of the honorees. Should we expect to see some of them as future competitors on Iron Chef? It certainly seems possible.

We asked each of the winners we interviewed to choose a favorite ingredient and one chef who has been a major career influence.

Chef Bryce Gilmore
Barley Swine, Austin

Most influential ingredient: eggs from a local farmer
How he uses it: smoked trout pasta with scrambled eggs and Granny Smith apples
Most influential chef: Dan Barber

Chef Jamie Bissonnette, People’s Choice winner
Restaurant Coppa, Boston

Most influential ingredient: ramps
How he uses it: ramp paella with snails and rabbit, chard and ramp chimichurri, ramp pasta
Most influential chef: Jacques Pépin

Chef Jason Franey
Canlis, Seattle

Most influential ingredient: lettuce
How he uses it: a salad of mixed greens and up to 40 ingredients, including asparagus and salted, fried pea skins
Most influential chef: Daniel Humm

Chef Ricardo Zarate
Mo-Chica, Los Angeles

Most influential ingredient: ají amarillo (a South American yellow chili)
How he uses it: ají de gallina, a spicy chicken dish recommended by Giada De Laurentiis on The Best Thing I Ever Ate
Most influential chef: Mark Gregory

Chefs Viet Pham and Bowman Brown
Forage, Salt Lake City

Pham
Most influential ingredient: seafood of all kinds
How he uses it: “There are just a million ways to cook it.”
Most influential chef: Laurent Gras

Brown
Most influential ingredient: wild herbs and greens, watercress
How he uses it: a visually striking seasonal salad called “Vegetable Garden”
Most influential chef: René Redzepi

Congratulations to all of the 2011 Best New Chefs. To discover more trendsetters, visit our Chefs of Tomorrow feature. To find restaurants featured on Food Network in your area or around the country, check out the new FN Local.