In Greek mythology, ambrosia is considered the food of the gods. In modern society, ambrosia is a fruity dessert that I vaguely remember from my childhood Christmases. For some reason I've been thinking about ambrosia lately and wondered why, like the fruitcake, did it get exiled as a dessert? Like fashion, there are trends in food, and I say it's time to bring back the fruit salad-like ambrosia. The 1980s version was full of marshmallows, pineapple, whipping cream, and coconut and I say we make it a little more 2007 (translation: healthier) by letting the flavor of the fresh fruit dominate the dessert. Take a peak at the recipe and read more

Calling all wine lovers (actually, I should say wine enthusiasts)! Wine Enthusiast magazine is hosting an evening of music, wine (well I should hope so) and eating. Dubbed as "Toast of the Town," the tasting will feature premium wines and spirits from over 70 international producers, as well as signature dishes from over 30 Bay Area restaurants. The event is not exactly cheap (VIP $185, Tasting $95), however the benefit is for America's Second Harvest: The Nation's Food Bank Network and will also feature a silent auction of fine wine and accessories (plus think of all the wine and food you can taste).

Tickets for Toast of the Town are available online or at the door. The event takes place this Thursday (March 29) at the War Memorial Opera House.

I plan on being there, so if you're planning on attending, drop us a line and we'll see you there!

And for those of you not in the area, there are two other events going on soon. One in New York on April 23 and one in Chicago on May 3.

Me and my big mouth.
I've been talking about how nice the weather has been, so naturally this weekend was icky, gloomy and rainy. However, instead of being sad by having to stay indoors, I decided to take the rain as inspiration and went in search of a good "rain" drink. I found this one by Bar Chef Daymon Smith of the swanky Roosevelt Hotel in LA. The drink, called Lemon Rain, brings out the best part of a rainy spring day, the crisp cool feel. To check out the recipe, read more

*Drool* You know you're drooling too. How could you not be drooling at this three layer chocolate raspberry mousse cake with white chocolate ganache, raspberries and chocolate shavings on top. This photo was posted by our very own geeksugar in the Savory Sights Group. And today, as part of my Better Know a Group series, I thought I'd take a minute to introduce you to the Savory Sights Group.

You might be asking yourself, how is this different from the other food groups? Well, this one is just for photos (think of it as look book for your food). Go out to dinner? Take a picture and post it for us to share! Have a fantastic meal at a friend's house? Take a picture and post it! See a fancy new product? Well, you get the idea.

Post your hard kitchen work and recipes in another group (such as kitchen goddess or Let's Have a Drink), and post your inspiration here! Join now and get your pictures posted, because we're planning on giving away stuff to our favorite image each month!! To learn how to post to the Savory Sights Group, read more

My friend Vikki is an amazing, up and coming artist. She works at a museum where she sometimes teaches little kids art and how to paint. She is hosting an open house to showcase the kiddies' work and has invited both the children and their parents to the museum. Naturally, she will need an assortment of refreshments and being the artist that she is, she wants both kid friendly snacks and food that is beautiful and graphic like these Puff Pastry Pinwheels With Candied Fruit. She asked me if I had any ideas on what to serve, and now I am asking you, what should Vikki serve at her art party for kids? The snacks should be and look tasty and be both savory and sweet. Please add your best recipes to the recipe database on TeamSugar and give them the keyword, Art Snacks. I love it when you share your recipes with me and I know your ideas will totally impress me, so save those recipes!

Don't know how to add your recipes to the database? It's a cinch - to learn how, read geeksugar's how-to.

Yesterday I gave you guys the recipe for some simple oven-crisp black bean and corn flautas. I also told you to hang on to some of the filling - although I'm betting it was pretty impossible, those flautas are pretty darn tasty. However if you did manage to hang on to the filling, then you're in for a treat. For Monday's leftovers I thought it would be a great idea to turn the filing into black bean veggie burgers. Of course you could add ground beef to the mixture, and make them non-veggie, but the black beans already create a dense patty that you can really sink your teeth into. To check out the recipe, and if you didn't save any of the filling, don't worry, I included a full recipe too, read more

Ah, the wedding registry. Some people hate it, while others love it. But one thing's for sure, nearly every couple has one. Personally I think they're fantastic. Creating a registry is probably the only socially acceptable thing you can do where you tell people exactly what you want and have them purchase it for you. And besides, the majority of newlyweds rely on them to get their home stocked with essentials.

Purchasing things off of someone's registry is usually pretty simple, however setting up your own registry can be quite daunting. So to help you maneuver you way through registry dos and don'ts, we'll spotlight each of the five traditional kitchen/dining categories (dinnerware, flatware, glassware, appliances and kitchenware) and provide a bunch of extra tips too. So be sure to check it out each day this week.

To start things off, we'll look into the world of dinnerware. To see what you should add to your list, read more

Calling all brides-to-be! Wedding season has begun on the Sugar Network and I am here to help you plan every aspect of the big day. Wow, there I go again getting super excited and jumping ahead. What happens after you've just gotten engaged? You throw an engagement party! Ok, traditionally someone else will throw the engagement party for you, but it's 2007 and if you want to host it (or are hosting one for someone you know who was recently engaged) you've come to the right place because all week I'll be planning an engagement party. I'm helping lucky reader julieulie plan her big day. She got engaged a few months ago, and plans on getting married in May of 2008. Now is a wonderful time to announce her engagement, with plenty of time to spare before sending out her save the date cards. Your engagement party should be a small intimate affair for the families to get to know each other - if they don't already. Select your guests wisely because all those who attend your engagement party will expect to (and should) be invited to your wedding. To see the easy engagement party invitations I've designed for Julie, read more

I don't know if you've noticed, but there seems to be a real trend in wonderfully cutesy molded cakes. And leading the way in the molded cake parade is Williams-Sonoma. For the last few seasons, they've come up with some great pans (train set, football stadium, ice cream cones) and now they've got one for an adorable classic Easter bunny. Just bake the two cake halves and join them together with frosting. You can then use colorful frosting and candies to give your bunny a full look, or just dust with powdered sugar. I don't know about you guys, but I'm wishing my kitchen had room for all these charming cake pans. This Bunny Cake Pan seems too cute to pass up. Made by Nordic Ware in cast aluminum (for even baking) with a nonstick surface - $36.95.