This three-in-one dessert integrates cake, fruit and custard into one triumphant trifle. Chocolate and cherry are a flawless couple whose flavors meld to make this both delicious and festive. This marvelous recipe combines ready-made ingredients (store bought chocolate pound cake and cherry jam) with homemade elements (chocolate custard and whipped cream) to create a luscious dessert that is genuinely yours and worth every gooey spoonful. To make this to die for dish read more

Ever hosted a Chinese themed dinner party and wished that you could personalize the messages in your fortune cookies? Well you can! Rachel from Indiana showed me this cool little website that customizes fortune cookies. Not only can you write your own fortune, but you can also choose from a rainbow of colored fortune cookies! Wouldn't it be cute to make a Chinese menu around the holidays and have red and green fortune cookies with messages that read Merry Christmas inside? The possibilities are endless!

If there are any boys (or bold girls) out there reading this who are in serious relationships, here's a suggestion: after a romantic evening at your favorite Chinese restaurant propose in the message of the fortune cookie! It would be so adorable she/he could hardly refuse you.

Today's drink is perfect for the holiday season. It's a bit dramatic, a bit silly and a whole lot of yummy.

It involves a tricky flamed orange zest technique, however you can skip out on that and it will still be pretty nice.

The Royal Gingersnap
From the Cocktail Times

- 1 1/2 oz. Crown Royal Whisky
- 1 bar spoon of orange marmalade
- 1 slice orange
- 1 maraschino cherry
- 2 dashes ginger syrup

Prepare a rocks glass by frosting the rim with a mixture of powdered cinnamon and sugar. Muddle the fruits together with the marmalade and the syrup in the bottom of a mixing glass, and then add Crown Royal and ice. Shake well and strain the drink into the prepared rocks glass over ice. Garnish with a flamed orange zest.

My office is getting ready for a fabulous holiday party and yours truly has been put in charge of the drinks! In order to make things tasty, but easy, I've decided that a delicious spiked punch would be the way to go.

I just found this beautiful Rudi pitcher from notNeutral ($22.40 on sale from $28!), but now I'll need to come up with a great spiked punch recipe, cups, garnishes, napkins, etc. So help me out and let's all go find some fantastic recipes and accessories! Be sure to come back and let us all know what you discover out there or just tag your recipes and Yum Market finds with "Office Party Punch."

Post your recipe ideas in our new recipe database.

To add things to the Yum Market (which is like Fab Finding), just add this link to your browser's favorites: Save to TeamSugar

For a more detailed explanation of bookmarks (thanks geeksugar!) click here.

Good olive oil, good butter, milk - they give food taste and depth and a richness that you can't reproduce with low-fat ingredients.

This gift guide is for the foodie who knows that a perfect meal is also about the perfect presentation.

Fashion Plate Set - These cute plates will be perfect for the foodie fashionista. Made from heavy-duty melamine and highly saturated color, they're sure to brighten up any meal. Set of four for $40.00.

Jessie Steele Apron - Who says cooking can't be glamorous? This year get your favorite foodie a cute apron from Jessie Steele. Choose from vintage inspired prints in full and hostess sizes. You can find them here for around $35-$40.

Three more, so read more

In the new Bond movie, Casino Royale (check out premiere pics over at PopSugar and a fantastic review at BuzzSugar), our favorite spy orders the original Bond martini. I say original because it's exactly what Ian Fleming wrote in the first Bond novel.

"Three measures of Gordon’s [gin], one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet, shake it over ice then add a thin slice of lemon peel."

The twist here lies in the french aperitif wine Lillet (the company has dropped Kina from their name since the book came out). Made from sauvignon blanc, it has a nice aroma and a mild bitter aftertaste and is typically served over ice (with or without soda water). It's not always easy to find, but your well stocked bartender should be able to hook you up. So go out and order a martini Bond style!

So if you've been following along with any of the food trends, you know that pomegranates are hot. As in, if it was a celebrity it would've been in that car with Britney, Paris and LL. It is hot hot hot and no matter what, people can't seem to get enough of it. And much like high maintenance celebrities, pomegranates can be difficult to deal with. When you cut or rip it open, the juice tends to splatter around and soon you're left with a stained shirt and a crime scene (seriously, this stuff will stain, clean it up asap).

However, all of that drama can be avoided. I've got a technique so simple, you'll wonder why you didn't think of it first.

Fill a large bowl with water. Submerge pomegranate. If you're tough, you can just rip it open (otherwise you'll need to make a small incision first). Start pulling away the white part and let the seeds drop to the bottom of the bowl. Discard everything but the seeds and then strain. Voila! You should have about 1/2 cup of pomegranate seeds and no bloody crime scene to clean.

I am addicted to trying new things. One of the reasons I enjoy cooking is because it serves as an outlet to try tons of new ingredients, tastes, flavors, and combinations. Recently I have been into using couscous. For a long time I stayed away from it because my husband "didn't like it." When I realized that he had yet to fully experience a delicious dish that incorporated couscous with other luscious components, I made this turkey couscous salad with pomegranates. He absolutely loved it. Tonight I suggest we open our minds and palates and make a dish with an unfamiliar ingredient like couscous (and pomegranates!). For the recipe, read more