FN Dish – Food Network Blog: Go behind-the-scenes at Food Network featuring your favorite chefs, shows, recipes, events and more.

Want to know what Food Network fans were cooking in July? From Basil Pesto to BLT Pasta Salad and sweet Peach Cobbler, here are the top 10 recipes of the month:

10. Paula’s Italian Pasta Salad
9. Food Network Magazine’s BLT Pasta Salad
8. Banana Bread Recipe
7. Alton’s Good Eats Meatloaf
6. Basil Pesto

Read more »

Celebrate this cool holiday with an inventive ice cream sandwich from Food Network Magazine. Whether you like it slightly salty, super sweet or a mix of both, you’re sure to find a version that will satisfy your taste buds. Choose from salted caramels with dulce de leche and vanilla ice cream or put a sweet spin on your morning coffee and a doughnut. You can even embrace your inner-child with a PB&J made of graham crackers, peanut butter, raspberry jam, and a dollop of black raspberry ice cream.

Find more inspiration and recipes here: Super Cool Ice Cream Sandwiches

Ellie’s healthy take on this classic seafood favorite tops takes grilled flaky tilapia instead of fried fish and tops it with a yogurt-based cream sauce, corn kernels and shredded cabbage.

Get the recipe: Fish Tacos With Chipotle Cream

Browse more of Food Network’s seafood recipes.

It takes more than a monsoon to keep Guy Fieri from presiding over a selection of the best cheesesteaks Atlantic City could pack into the Dennis Courtyard at Bally’s Hotel & Casino last Friday night. Fans of the cheesy sub and the star of the new show Rachael vs. Guy started rolling in, despite muggy temps and sudden storms, and lined up nonstop to sample some classic and fresh takes on cheesesteaks.

Recent contestants on Food Network Star –Mary Beth, Chris, Alicia, Jeff, Susie and Whitney — were also in attendance and in full fan-mode, greeting and taking pictures with fans. Mary Beth had her eye on last year’s cheesesteak winner, Tony Boloney’s, who brought back their gooey American cheese-filled spicy sando and posed a steamy threat to the other eight competitors. With their signature “mustache army” of blue-shirted, beret-wearing staffers, complete with blue and red vuvuzelas (remember those from the World Cup?) and bullhorns, you’d be hard-pressed to not notice — and stand in line for their messy yet tasty sandwich.

The winner and more photos after the jump »

Alton Brown will speak at Iowa’s Cedar Rapids Public Library on Friday, September 9, as a part of their Inside Out series, a new event designed to introduce the community to remarkable authors. Tickets will go on sale August 9 through the Theatre Cedar Rapids box office and a limited number of tickets will be sold to a pre-show cocktail reception with Alton.

Find out what Marc Forgione, Bobby Flay and Michael Symon are up to »

This simple French recipe from Food Network Magazine puts some of the season’s best produce to great use. Diced eggplant, zucchini and bell peppers are sauteed with garlic, onions and Herbes de Provence to create an aromatic mixture. Combine everything with San Marzano tomatoes and you’ve got yourself a hearty meatless meal. Try serving this soup cold for a chunky spin on gazpacho.

Editor’s Note: Make sure you use vegetable broth instead of chicken.

Get the recipe: Ratatouille Soup

Related: Summer Produce Guide

Take a break from the BBQ sauce and marinate lean salmon fillets in a lemon, garlic, cumin and cayenne mixture. Make this a complete meal by tossing hearts of palm, mixed salad greens and ripe cherry tomatoes together for a cool and refreshing salad  — the entire meal will be ready in just 30 minutes.

Get the recipe: Cuban-Style Grilled Salmon

Browse more of Food Network’s grilled main dish recipes.

Sweltering, smelting furnace-like temperatures won’t prevent Americans from celebrating the bounty of land and sea this month. August kicks off with coastal fun and winds through berry patches, cabbage heads and myriad sweet selections for those who want to heat things up or cool off.

Main Lobster Festival, Rockland, Maine, Aug. 3-7: From the crowning of the Sea Goddess on the first of the five-day fete to the touring of naval vessels, this 63rd annual event attracts more than 20,000 visitors respectful of the ocean and its gifts, gifts that involves 20,000 pounds of lobster, cooking competitions, a parade and a lobster-crate race. The contest is a run over a floating string of traps. Not falling into the frigid Atlantic is a win. Landlubbers need not apply. They can safely crack up with the crustacean fun on dry land and enjoy a lobster roll. Or five.

Mossyrock Blueberry Festival, Mossyrock, Wash., Aug. 6: The unassuming berry conquers all for one day. Only in its third year, this food fair involves all the usual festival diversions: a parade, a car show, a quilt show, blueberry beer, even a raucous pie-eating contest. However, the folks in Mossyrock know it takes more than that to attract thousands of visitors. This early August celebration also offers twin giant blueberry piñatas stuffed with sweet treats. The Friends of Cowlitz hosts a fish tank where children will learn about river and wetlands restoration and everyone can try their hand at the dunking booth.

More August food festivals »

Just in case you need a reminder and haven’t had your calendars marked since this time last year, today is National Lasagna Day: a day when flat noodles, cheese and tomatoes meld into one heavenly stacked and saucy dish. The recipes below feature the best lasagna has to offer, with classic ingredients, new flavor combinations and, of course, the ease and simplicity of weeknight summertime cooking.

Just when you think you’ve already grilled everything you possibly can, Food Network Magazine introduces Grilled Lasagna (pictured above). No-cook noodles make for a completely stove-less dinner, as they become tender with just a drizzle of water inside a convenient foil pouch. Use this recipe as a starting point, and later fill your lasagna with whatever sauce, cheese and veggies you like.

More lasagna recipes after the jump »

Two of Food Network’s most popular personalities, Rachael Ray and Guy Fieri, are going head-to-head in a new series premiering this winter, Rachael vs. Guy Celebrity Cook-Off. Both Rachael and Guy will serve as coaches and mentors to eight multi-talented celebrities — from an Olympic gold medalist to Grammy-winning artists to a Golden Globe-nominated actor — contestants who are all passionate about food and cooking.

Divided into Team Rachael and Team Guy, the contestants will face intense weekly challenges that are sure to have them working, fighting and laughing as they race against the clock to prepare elaborate meals for up to 150 guests. The winning and losing teams will be chosen by the guest diners and after six episodes, the last celebrity standing will win a cash donation to his or her favorite charity.

Read about the all-star line-up »