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

It’s been a brutal cold and flu season so far this year! At this point folks would do just about anything to ward off germs. Are the most popular remedies backed by science or nothing but old wives tales?

Myth: Vitamin C prevents illness
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Hot Tips for Healthy Cooking From Food Network Kitchens’ Katherine Alford:

Don’t overlook tofu because you think it’s bland. If you marinate it before cooking, it will turn out super flavorful. Slice firm tofu and drizzle it with your favorite marinade (try the orange juice-onion mixture in Food Network Magazine‘s Tofu Cuban Sandwiches With Jicama Sticks); soak for at least 5 minutes, then sear or bake.

(Photograph by Christopher Testani)

In one of his most dramatic missions to date, Robert Irvine arrived in Kilgore, Texas, to help Nancy Dupre, then owner of Nanny Goat’s Cafe & Feed Bin, transform her failing restaurant. But on day one of renovations she stormed out, vowing to end her Restaurant: Impossible experience before it even started. She became frustrated and simply overwhelmed when it was revealed that her daughter, Jessica, then cook at Nanny Goat’s, was the root of her business’s problems. Despite Nancy’s refusal, her mother, Sissy, and Jessica agreed that Robert and his team should continue their project, and the next day, a calmer, more composed Nancy returned to the site more committed to this mission than ever.

Although Robert and his team helped launch Nanny Goat’s into a new season of success with a crowd-pleasing menu and clean yet comfortable decor, Nancy decided to sell the restaurant for a profit, and has since entered retirement. Jessica no longer works at Nanny Goat’s Cafe, but much of the eatery’s other staff remains.

We checked in with Sharon Henley and Glenda Reid, the new owners of Nanny Goat’s, who took control of the restaurant in the new year, and they’re proud to say that their restaurant is “full of customers every day.” They’re pleased with its fresh, welcoming look and admit that they “work together like a well-oiled machine” with their employees.

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Deglazing: you’ve surely heard the term mentioned by your favorite Food Network chefs and stars, but do you know what it means and how to do it? Chef Bobby Flay introduced the idea of deglazing to his team of recruits on last Sunday’s premiere of Worst Cooks in America as he taught them how to make a mushroom-wine sauce for steaks, but for some contestants, the lesson could have used a second explanation. If you’re in need of a refresher course as well, look no further, because we have the how-tos for tackling this can-do cooking technique, plus easy recipes to help you master the process.

To deglaze a pan is to use liquid — be it stock, wine or water — to unstick any bits of food leftover on the bottom of the pan after searing or sauteing. In the case of Chef Bobby’s recipe, he used bold red wine to deglaze the pan in which he cooked his beef tenderloin. Thanks to a quick sear, the meat had taken on a golden-brown crust full of flavor, and after flipping it, remnants of that flavor remained on the pan. With just a splash of wine and a bit of stirring, however, those crispy pieces added a new depth of taste to the sauce without much effort.

Practice deglazing at home

Mix up your snack routine with these fancy and fun low-snacks. Enjoy!

1. Roasted Sweet Potato with Salsa (92 calories)- Top half a medium baked skin-on sweet potato (51 calories) with 1/4 cup salsa (21 calories) and 2 teaspoons sour cream (20 calori...

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Leave the winter chill behind and take a trip down South to the South Beach Wine & Food Festival. We’ll be at the festival all weekend long chowing down on grub with Food Network stars Rachael Ray, Robert Irvine, Bobby Flay, Trisha Yearwood, Michael Symon, Giada De Laurentiis, Jeff Mauro, Paula Deen and more.

Want to join us? You can find our editors covering the following events throughout the 4-day festival.

If you can’t make it to the festival this year, tune into FN Dish for our coverage all weekend long, including exclusive videos.

The Q hosted by Paula Deen and Sons (Thurs., Feb. 21)
The First Family of Food Network will host this super-braised festival kickoff party. Join Paula Deen and her two sons, Jamie and Bobby Deen, as they host Moët Hennessy’s The Q. More than 40 of the top barbecue chefs from across the country will grill up chicken, ribs, brisket and pork butts from Omaha Steaks with smoky side dishes.

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Forget the cafeteria impression you have of meatloaf — it’s come a long way since its lunch-tray roots. Meatloaf is good nestled beside a mound of mashed potatoes, but it’s better when a little something extra hits the stage.

Go the handheld route with this series of meatloaf sandwiches. Giada De Laurentiis fixes her Pancetta and Turkey Meatloaf Sandwiches on plush Italian rolls with a handful of spicy arugula. Jeff Mauro’s All-American Down-Home Patriotic Meatloaf Sandwich comes with a homemade glaze and loads of crunchy toppings.

Food Network Magazine’s Tangy Meatloaf Burgers (pictured above) and Meatloaf Sliders bring the flavor-rich disposition of the dish into America’s favorite sandwich.

If sandwiches aren’t your thing, try Food Network Magazine’s Mini Skillet Meatloaves and then put the leftovers to use with Meatloaf Quesadillas With Cilantro Cream.

Get more meatloaf recipes from friends and family

Serving sizes are key when it comes to healthy snacking: How many times have you reached for a snack only to realize the serving size is far from filling? Curb between-meal cravings with an Earth Balance snack pack. Whether you’re a fan of che...

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Homemade pasta is great and everyone loves it, but most people don’t own a pasta machine because it’s a pricey piece of kitchen equipment.

Problem solved. Our resident kitchen-gadget hacker, Cliff, has come up with a brilliant solution. Click the play button above to watch Cliff demonstrate how to make a pasta machine out of a paper shredder. Fresh, homemade pasta has never been easier.

In many homes, chicken bears the brunt of being the dinnertime protein, thanks to its easy versatility and quick cooking time. But it no longer needs to be the go-to main dish. Instead of resorting to everyday chicken breasts, try cooking pork chops instead. Depending on their size, most pre-cut chops require less than 20 minutes of cooking time, and like chicken, they’re a blank canvas on which to showcase your favorite marinades, flavorful herbs and bold sauces. Try Food Network’s top-five pork chop recipes below, each an easy, can-do dinner that will impress kids and grownups alike, then browse our entire collection of pork chop recipes for more inspiration.

5. Potato-Crusted Pork Chops With Pesto Sauce — For a salty bite and crunchy texture, coat a pork loin with crushed potato chips and fresh herbs, then roast until juicy and serve with a creamy pesto-herb sauce.

4. Pork Chops With Golden Apple Sauce — In a tried-and-true pairing of apples and pork, Rachael tops caramelized pork chops with a sweetened applesauce made with fresh ginger and golden raisins.

Get the top three recipes