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

Pop quiz time!

How do you make “petit four” plural?

When making pesto, do you add “pine nuts” or “pinenuts”?

And which is correct: bok choy, bok choi, pak choi or pak choy?

These are the questions I tend to spend too much time geeking out over. But then, as food editor for the world’s largest news organization, that’s part of the job. Especially recently, as we geared up for the release of the 2011 edition of “The Associated Press Stylebook.”

Unless you’ve done time in the news trenches, you may not be too familiar with the book. It’s basically an all-purpose spelling, grammar and formatting guide for journalists. We’ve been producing regularly updated editions of the book since 1953.

But the cool part is that this year we created our first standalone section of the book dedicated to food writing. In it, we cover the basics of recipe writing, as well as the proper spelling, capitalization and use of more than 400 common (and sometimes complicated) food terms.

Read more »

The Monterey Bay Aquarium will host a Cooking for Solutions celebration May 20-22, featuring great chefs, gourmet cuisine and fine wines. On Saturday May 21, the event will feature presentations from Alton Brown and Robert Irvine, highlighting the use of sustainable seafood while saving the oceans and helping home cooks discover new and delicious ways to serve seafood dishes. Visit Montereybayaquarium.org for details and ticket prices.

On May 22, Montage Laguna Beach will host Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation event. Share Our Strength is a charity that hopes to eliminate childhood hunger in our country and 100% of ticket sales go to the cause. Scott Conant of 24 Hour Restaurant Battle is one of the participating chefs this year and a VIP ticket offers a chance to meet him, along with other chefs while enjoying food, wine and specialty cocktails. Visit Taste.strength.org for information on this and other events across the country.

Paula Deen launches a line of home accessories »

Meet your new go-to staple for hearty family and entertaining dinners that come together in under 40 minutes. Bow-tie pasta is tossed with tomatoes, basil, escarole and zucchini, than baked until a combination of fontina and Parmesan cheeses have melted.

Get the recipe: Baked Farfalle With Escarole and Zucchini

Browse more of Food Network’s pasta recipes.

Food Network has something to celebrate — actually, it has 11 things to celebrate. The 38th Annual Daytime Entertainment Emmy Award Nominations have been announced and include several Food Network shows and hosts:

• Sandra’s Money-Saving Meals received one nomination for Directing.

• Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee earned three nods for Directing, Hairstyling and Makeup.

• Giada at Home is also nominated for three: Directing, Camera Editing and Technical Direction.
  

• Paula’s Best Dishes received two nods, one for Outstanding Culinary Program and another for Paula Deen as host.

• Secrets of a Restaurant Chef also claimed two nominations for Outstanding Culinary Program and Anne Burrell as host.

The awards will be broadcast on CBS from Las Vegas on June 19.

The Food Network Fans are constantly looking for info and sharing links on where we can find favorite stars, discuss favorite shows, visit a book signing, or see an appearance in other venues. We invite you to stop by and visit at FoodNetworkFans.com

Tired of plain ol’ mustard and ketchup? Take your hot dog beyond sauerkraut and relish with Food Network Magazine’s 30 days of hot dogs.  Whisk your family away with a Chicago-inspired hot dog topped with dill pickles, cucumber spears, sliced tomatoes, sweet pickle relish, pickled peppers, diced onion and yellow mustard. Or get rid of the bun altogether and swap it for flour tortillas: Top with shredded cheddar, lettuce, salsa and sour cream for a taco-inspired dinner.

Get the recipes: 30 Hot Dog Topping Ideas

Visit Grilling Central for more hot dog ideas, tips and recipes.

First it was Eva Longoria, now Marcela kicks up her Saturday morning show, Mexican Made Easy, with Spike Mendelsohn, chef and owner of Good Stuff Eatery in DC, as well as a contestant on the upcoming season of The Next Iron Chef.

With help and inspiration from Spike, the dynamic duo joins forces to cook up several “American Classics a la Mexicana.” They’ll start with one of his specialties — a burger — but with a Mexican twist that will make your mouth water. Later, they’ll indulge in Mexican Coffee Milkshakes, Cilantro French Fries and finally, end with a Dulce de Leche Banana Cream Pie. Watch Eater’s exclusive clip for a sneak peek of tomorrow’s show.

Tune in: Saturday at 9:30 a.m. Eastern/8:30 a.m. Central

You’ve seen Guy’s Weird Spaghetti and Giada’s Baked Macaroni and Cheese Cupcakes. Let us now introduce you to a few more unexpected oddities, this time, those on a stick. From salad and tortellini to French toast and mozzarella, the possibilities of food on a skewer are simply endless. Check out our fun and easy recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner that can be stuck on and bit off with ease.

Who says you have to eat salad with a fork? Food Network’s unique recipe for Salad on a Stick (pictured above) is the ultimate way to have fun with your food. Iceberg lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumber and carrot slices are layered high and drizzled with a creamy blue cheese dressing.

Serve your kids cool French Toast Kebobs from Food.com and they’ll actually want to eat breakfast before school. Cubes of baked bread are stacked high on a stick in between layers of fresh berries and bananas. Dunked in warm maple syrup, these kebobs are a sweet morning treat.

Read more »

This weekend, grab your rolling pin and make this seasonal pie filled with sweet strawberries and tart rhubarb — it’ll transport you back to your grandmother’s kitchen.

Get the recipe: Grandma’s Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

Browse more of Food Network’s springtime recipes.

The second season of 24 Hour Restaurant Battle is in full swing, delivering an all-new set of contestants aspiring to open their own restaurant –- all in just one day.

We asked three of the judges to talk about the new season, the drama we can expect and advice they can share. Recently, Gabriella Gershenson gave us her advice from an editor’s standpoint. Today, we’re talking with Geoffrey Zakarian, chef of The Lambs Club at The Chatwal Hotel and The National in New York City.

Tune in tonight for a new episode of 24 Hour Restaurant Battle at 10pm/9c.

FN Dish: It’s a new season. What are some changes we can expect?

GZ: Because the show has become so popular, the level of competitors has risen, as well. More people want to compete and therefore the end products are much better.

FN Dish: Judging a team is never easy. What are some of the takeaway lessons you learned from last season?

GZ: It is important to see how they work together: the respect they show for each other, the competitors, the customers. I like to see how one emerges as the visionary or the leader. It doesn’t work when there is no symbiosis — you can see it clearly in the end result of the restaurant they create.

Find out if Geoffrey thinks he could open a restaurant in 24 hours »

Maybe it’s time to look beyond claims of virginity in the oil aisle.

Because, you see, our 20-year love affair with olive oil has had fallout. We’ve forgotten that there’s a whole world of oils that don’t come from the olive tree.

And they can do a heck of a lot more than just sauté and make a fine dressing.

OK, maybe we didn’t forget. It’s not as though prior to the EVOO revolution we were all swilling avocado and grape seed oils.

But olive oil has done a fine job of elbowing out other up-and-comers.

Sesame, for instance. You may have never purchased it, but chances are you’ve had it. It’s what gives many Asian dishes a nutty, savory, richly aromatic flavor.

Find out what to do with sesame oil »