On Saturday night I had an amazing dinner with my family for my aunt's 50th birthday. The party was a traveling one: we started with drinks at one house, dinner at a restaurant, and finished with dessert at another house. By far the best part of the night was the final chapter, the dessert. I'm not saying this because I have a huge sweet tooth and a weakness for desserts, I'm saying it because it was a dessert I had never heard of before, something that I didn't even know existed, something so fabulously wonderful I had to share it with all of you, something called a princess cake. With a name like that, naturally a overly delicious dessert comes to mind. Princess cakes are a traditional Norwegian dessert, a sponge cake with raspberry jam, pastry cream, whipped cream, and marzipan dome frosting. I can't wait to try out this recipe at home and make my very own princess cake! For a cake so good you feel like a princess when you eat it, read more

So all of your friends will be gathered around your TV for the big Colbert vs O'Reilly face off. You can't possibly be thinking about serving them just plain beer, now can you? I mean come on, this is a BIG EVENT. This would be like inviting your friends over for a fancy dinner party and serving them "crumb-believable" Kraft Crumbles as an appetizer.

So to get ready for the big night, I set out to create two specialty drinks. Now, I think I've come up with a couple of winners, which I've dubbed "Papa Bear" and "Nailed It!" - but I'm no mixologist, so give them a try and let me know! To check out my creations, and get a few other party tips (music, invites, food) for the big night, read more

Tomorrow I am taking my girlfriend Katie to lunch to celebrate her birthday. Since learning to cook is her new hobby, I want to give her a cookbook as a present. She has a stunning state of the art kitchen that sits lonely and sadly unused... until now! With the help of her new cookbook she should be able to work her way around the kitchen comfortably. You searched the web for the best beginner cookbook and saved the books in the Yum Market with the tag of Beginner Cookbook. There was a great list of interesting and informative cookbooks. However I can only choose one: How To Cook Everything by Mark Bittman. LizaToad found this book, which is also a favorite of YumSugar's, and it is really basic, encouraging, and positive. Thanks to all of those who participated! I totally appreciate your help and I know my friend will be super stoked when she sees the gift. To learn how to add your yummy stuff to the Yum Market, read geeksugar's explanation.

Hey everyone! Come join us for a Live Chat today at 11am Pacific / 2pm Eastern!

Today we'll be talking about kitchen disasters, favorite foods and anything else you might want to talk about.

To join us, just click here. We'll see you at 11!

Don't forget to submit your favorite recipe featuring thyme! Recipes are due to the Secret Ingredient group by Thursday. I'll pick my favorite one and share it with everyone on Friday. So happy cooking and let us know what you come up with!

Dungeness crab is the pride of the Pacific coast, and can be found all the way from Alaska to Mexico. It is a large crab that can range from 1 to almost 4 pounds. Its pink flesh is succulent and sweet. The season for the tasty crustaceans starts in mid November and lasts until about May or June, although the best time is in December and January when supplies are plentiful --meaning prices fall -- and the meat is sweetest. Dungeness usually runs from $5.90 per pound to almost $8 per pound, although it has been known to be as low as $4 per pound in recent years.

The common name of Dungeness crab comes from the town of the same name on Washington's Olympic Peninsula. It was in turn was named after a point on the English coast near the strait of Dover.

This year promises to be one of the best crabbing seasons. It's hard to beat Dungeness crab in its plainest form, just plucked from the shell and eaten with good bread and white wine.
But there are plenty of other ways to use the delicious meat, such as in my appetizer for Crab Salad on Tiny Toasts.

January 25 is National Dinner Party day and I am hosting a winter dinner party this upcoming Saturday, January 20, to celebrate. Dinner parties are my favorite type of party (ok to be honest I LOVE all types of parties!). I like them because they are normally for a smaller crowd and are therefore, more intimate. I also enjoy dinners because they allow me to go all out making a delicious and decadent meal with courses. At my dinners I usually keep it fairly simple with four courses. Start with cocktails and appetizers, followed by a light salad or soup course. Next comes the main dish and after that dessert. At a dinner party, the most important part of the party, in terms of the planning process, is the menu. The dinner is the star here, and the menu should be thought out with as much care and detail as the invitations. If you are interested in hosting a dinner party to celebrate National Dinner Party day, follow my plans for this party and read more

It's easy to transport oneself to a foreign place with a savory, scrumptious dinner. Besides, making a meal with new taste flavors adds excitement to the boring workweek. Tonight take a trip to Morocco with these fragrant stuffed pork chops. Filled with bursting dried fruit, toasted pine nuts, and sweet cornbread, these chops are divinely delicious. Sautéed spinach rounds out the meal by adding a splash of green. For the recipe, read more