I may not be that much of a sports fan, but I do love any excuse to cook something special. This year I’ve been invited to a Super Bowl party at the home of my Indiana-raised friend Katie, who is beside herself with excitement that her beloved Colts have made it to the big game. Since I love to bake, I’m usually the person tasked with bringing a dessert to a gathering. But since another party attendee has already signed up to bring brownies, I had to think of another snack to contribute. Because our party hostess is a vegetarian, the Indiana-themed Fried Pork Potato Skins from Food Network Magazine are unfortunately out of the question. And she’s already making chili and corn bread and will have pretzels and chips and dip, so what could I bring that wouldn’t be redundant? Luckily I found some delicious inspiration on FoodNetwork.com’s “Big Game Menus” section. Browsing through there I found the perfect snack: Alton Brown’s recipe for Slacker Jacks, his version of the classic stadium treat with a name that happens to rhyme. It’s a little bit sweet, a little bit salty, and a lot crunchy. This should perfectly fill the void between potato chips and dessert.

—Emily

The Foodnetwork.com staff — and pals from our sister sites Food2, Recipezaar, Fine Living and Healthy Eats — kicked off the wicked weekend with a Halloween sweet swap.

The FN Dish’s own Secretary Confidential led the sugar charge with these ghastly goodies (above). She claims she’s no cooking pro, but these chocolate-y brownies, drizzled with icing in the shape of ghosts, tasted frightfully good. (Try making similar treats with Ina’s Outrageous Brownies.)

Our resident baking goddess, Alexis, built this clever graveyard cake from her mom’s chocolate cake recipe and homemade chocolate frosting. Then she used assorted candies, marshmallows and shortbread cookies to make spiders, ghosts and tombstones. (By the way, we were mesmerized by the new Blood Orange Dots candies she found at the market.)

See more of our tricky treats »

So I’m standing about 5 feet away from Mario Batali, both an Iron Chef and one of the most successful restaurateurs in New York City. I go up to him and say, “Excuse me, where did you get that hot dog?”

And do you know what he says? “Over there.” Mind you, this guy can cook dishes like fennel dusted sweetbreads with his eyes closed, and yet there he stood, eating a hot dog like we were at a Mets game.

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When you hear the word “compost”, do you think of crazy hippies or back-to-nature enthusiasts? Well believe it or not, composting has joined the mainstream. It’s easy and rewarding for anyone, and in fact our very own Food Network kitchens has a compost operation to handle the multitude of food scraps that they generate daily. As you can see from the photos, they have small compost bins at each of the kitchen workstations, and then these small pails get emptied into the larger bin at the end of the day. You can find a similar bin at the Food Network Store here. Shows like Ask Aida and Guy’s Big Bite have also started including a compost bucket in their show.

So what is composting, exactly?

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Credit: Oscar Einzig

When it comes to major conventions and trade shows, the music industry has South By Southwest, the publishing industry has Book Expo America, the comics industry has ComiCon, and then the housewares industry has the International Home and Housewares Show, held in Chicago every March. It’s the nexus for everything new and cool in the housewares industry, which includes everything from kitchen products to bedding to cleaners. For Food Network purposes, of course, I stuck to the kitchen side of the show.

Credit: Bonjour Gourmet

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Being a northern gal, I don’t have any family fried chicken recipes passed down to me, so I’ve never had the impetus to make it at home. But when I saw Sunny Anderson make her Cider-Brined Fried Chicken on Cooking For Real, I knew I had to try it. Naturally Sunny makes everything she cooks sound delectable, but I could tell this recipe was going to be special.

Coincidentally, I also happened to have the Emerilware by T-fal Deep Fryer in my kitchen, a sample that the vendor had sent about two years ago and one which, I’ll sheepishly admit, I hadn’t ever used. (I’ll also sheepishly admit that I’m somewhat afraid of deep frying things because of the high potential for disaster, even though I know the Emerilware fryer makes it virtually foolproof.) Sunny’s recipe has glowing reviews on our site, and Emeril’s fryer is one of the most popular products in the Food Network Store, so I decided that these two were a match made in heaven, and that it was time to kill two birds with one stone and inaugurate the fryer by testing out the fried chicken recipe.

Continue for Emily’s frying results.

If you find yourself with a wide stretch of free time on a cold Sunday afternoon, I can recommend no better activity than spending the day playing around in the kitchen. Winter cooking is a breed of its own, and dishes that are braised, slow-cooked, and roasted are just what the doctor ordered on frigid days. So when I found myself in this situation last weekend, I decided that I’d finally test out Anne Burrell’s Pasta Bolognese recipe that was featured in the premiere episode of Secrets of a Restaurant Chef. The recipe has been in my binder ever since I saw that episode, but because it lists its total cooking time at 4 ½ hours, it’s not exactly a weeknight dinner, so I was waiting for the right opportunity to tackle it.

Continue reading “Slow and Steady Wins the Taste”

Though known as kitchen adventurer, I even surprised my family when I announced a menu inspired by the Dickens’s classic, A Christmas Carol. Yes… the Cratchits enjoying a humble yet festive Christmas Eve dinner, with a goose at the center. I wanted a challenge.

With a roasted goose as the key, I immediately flocked to Emeril’s recipe for Roast Port Glazed Goose with Tawny Port Gravy because of the stellar reviews.

As I’m entrenched in the Food Network Store, the right equipment is a must, and I made sure I had sufficient roasting pan. With any type of poultry — chicken, turkey, duck, or goose- a rack is critical. The bird is elevated; allowing heat to circulate fully. Without it, your goose will be cooked — and not in a good way. Some of my faves are here.

Another vital tool is the bulb baster. Basting with pan drippings while it cooks will help to keep the meat moist. Once an internal temp of 180F is reached, your goose is good to go. Need a temperature check? These are solid choices.

I finished with a port glaze, followed by a brief broil to crisp up the skin. As the skin quite brown in areas, I worried about overcooking, but it was actually great, if I do say so myself. It was more delicate than duck and more richly flavored than turkey, which I find bland at times.

I accompanied with goose fat-roasted potatoes, tawny port gravy and a side of steamed green beans. For Dickensian desserts, I made mincemeat pie and hot wassail, and my mom made my great-grandmother’s Christmas pudding with traditional hard sauce.

Despite potential for disaster, it ended up as a great experience for my family to share a special meal. Goose sounds daunting, but recommend the experience for any great dinner. Though inspired by a holiday story, this special gathering with family and friends could be enjoyed all year long.

- Emily, Food Network Store guru and kitchen equipment geek

Seven days into ’09 feels like a good time for a check in…
ARE RESOLUTIONS BEING KEPT?

We took a quick poll around the office…

Alexis (runs FineLiving.com) — resolution:
Less take-out, more big-batch, healthy cooking on the weekends. Update: So far, so good. Alexis whipped up Giada De Laurentiis’ tasty lentil soup and has been enjoying all week.

Danielle (FN’s interactive marketing guru) — resolution:
Fewer processed frozen meals and more packed lunches. Update: Has fallen off the wagon twice this week with her frozen faves — but hey, there was a sale. To boost the healthy factor, Danielle makes her own side salads.

Mark (FN Dish contributor) — resolution:
Bank more green with bag lunches versus pricey pre-made sandwiches. Sense a theme here? Update: Three for three this week — two hand-rolled turkey wraps and one amazing pot of chili (inspired by some great tips and enhanced with his secret weapon — chocolate!).

Emily (FoodNetworkStore.com) — resolution:
Less coffee! Loves the taste, hates the jitters. Update: Tea and tea only for over a week! She attributes her mighty resolve to the Mighty Leaf variety pack.

Rachael (FN Dish producer) — resolution:
Joint plan with her boyfriend to give up beer FOR THE YEAR. Update: So far, so good! However, wine is still fair game and Rachael just enjoyed a great sparkling Bonarda from Italy.

How are YOU doing? Hanging tough? Need moral support?
We want to hear your secrets to success (or your downfall)…

And, if you do need encouragement, try the healthy eating tips and recipes on our new blog, Healthy Eats.

You may remember Food Network staffer, Emily, from this amazing lattice-work apple pie she baked in our Thanksgiving Throwdown. Emily manages the Food Network Store and was asked to do a holiday gift segment on New York’s local CW network — PIX 11. To heighten the stakes, it was LIVE — which was a first for her.

We all think she did a pretty bang-up job and wanted to share. Check out Emily’s segment here. Plus, according to Em, you still have about five more days to place orders with guaranteed Christmas delivery, if you didn’t feel like dealing with Black Friday.