Quick, what do Stephen Colbert and my favorite Food Network star, Alton Brown, have in common? Okay there's the whole from the south thing, but that's not what I'm looking for. The answer I'm looking for is the fact that they both have a Peabody Award! Colbert received his back when he was on The Daily Show, but Alton just received his honor. The 2007 Peabody Award winners, for excellence in radio and television broadcasting, were announced today and Alton Brown's Good Eats is the first Food Network show to receive the honor.

Awards went to "Good Eats," a deliriously inventive series for Food Network in which Alton Brown educates viewers about food, science, history and culture.

I think this is awesome. I've been a big fan of Alton ever since I first saw Good Eats back in 2000. He's geeky and funny, and I love his goofy props. It's like high school science, only more fantastic and all about food and therefore 100x more awesome.

Congrats to AB and his Good Eats team! The awards, which will be MC'd by Bob Costas, will be presented June 4 at a luncheon at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City.

Source: Food TV and Me and PR Newswire
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Do you know anyone who is a food snob? You know who I'm talking about, that friend of yours who refuses to eat American cheese and salad from a bag. Her definition of dinner is a seven course meal with wine pairings to match each course. How on earth can you possibly invite her to your next dinner party when you know she'll turn her nose up at your lack of foie gras and sumac? Here's my solution, don't invite her for dinner, invite her for dessert. I have a can't-go-wrong, guaranteed-to-knock-your-socks-off (even if you're a food snob) dessert called panna cotta. Just the sound of it conjures up fantasies of an exquisite dessert. To impress your food snob friends and make panna cotta, read more

• Don't let them F with our chocolate folks. The FDA wants to change the definition of chocolate to include products that do not include cocoa butter. This means that consumers can purchase things labeled as chocolate, but are really "mocklate" chocolate coating. Sneaky ploy for new marketing if you ask me... - Candyblog
• Just in time for Easter, check out these little rabbit shaped steamed buns. I think I might try to make these this weekend! - Just Hungry
• To promote the new Mr. Bean movie, the Observer Food Monthly has compiled Mr. Bean's Idiots Guide to French Cuisine. - Serious Eats
• We've talked about Peeps before, and how to make your own, but these Peeps are saffron flavored. - Slashfood
• Ever wonder how nonalcoholic beer and wine is made? - Chow
• DearSugar wants to know, which celeb would you like to cook with? - DearSugar
• Pizza, dear pizza, how do I love thee... be sure to check out this gorgeous jamon and ricotta pizza with rocket salad. I think I will have to try this out sooner than later. - Seven Spoons via Tastespotting
• And finally, he may not have won Top Chef, but Sam Talbot is going forward with his restaurant in NYC's Lower East Side, currently called Spitzer's Corner. - Eater via They Cook. We Dish

The most important tool for the home mixologist is the cocktail shaker. If you buy only one accessory for your bar, buy this essential utensil. Cocktail shakers serve to effectively combine the elements of a drink and quickly chill the mixture before it is poured into a glass. There are two types of cocktail shakers the cobbler and the Boston. The cobbler, like the sleek shaker at left ($10.00), is the classic 3 part shaker that consists of a metal tumbler, a snug fitting lid, and a small cap that fits over the lid and covers the strainer that is built into the lid. This is most commonly used when entertaining at home. The Boston shaker, commonly found behind professional bars, has two parts: a larger metal mixing tumbler and a smaller glass tumbler that fits together to form a sealed container. A few more shakers so read more

Although I wasn't lucky enough to attend this Seder dinner that one of GeekSugar's friend's hosted on Monday night to celebrate Passover, I was ecstatic when she sent me the beautiful pictures. Isn't the table setting absolutely gorgeous?? I love the alluring gold plates and the Moroccan inspired glasses. Do you have elegant table scape or cool centerpiece photos from your last party? Share them with me in my Super Special Occasions group on TeamSugar. I regularly post my party pics and would love to see what amazing looks you are putting together at your own events.

To check out the rest of the images from the Seder dinner join the Super Special Occasions group or read more

Thanks to everyone who joined us in the YumSugar chat room. Today we discussed the joy of deep dish vs. thin crust pizza, wedding plans, bbq and a few other things. Hope you can make the live chat next time!

When I saw that a bunch of you were really into Cadbury Creme Eggs, I knew I had to share this pimped out Cadbury Creme Egg with you. The folks over at Pimp That Snack take everyday snacks and "pimp" them out. They've made giant Snickers bar, Kit Kats, Oreos and more.

The giant-sized creme egg used 1.5 kg (3.3 pounds) of chocolate and 3 pounds of sugar. If you want to try making your own, you're in luck, there are step by step instructions to help you out. Crack it open and dig in! And since regular Easter candy already has enough calories, I don't even want to know what this one contains...

I have a confession to make: I used to be afraid of cooking beans. I was incredibly nervous about the soaking overnight thing and always wanted to make a bean recipe in a specific moment for a certain need, usually when I did not have the time or patience to soak anything overnight. I got over all of this quite quickly when I realized that lentils (which happen to be one of my favorite beans) don't have to be soaked for the requisite 24 hours. I immediately started to experiment with lentils in the kitchen and found that they are a hearty dish to make for vegetarians, great for enhancing salads and awesome at thickening soups. Tonight's version has Indian flavorings and when served over rice - which cooks in the same amount of time as the lentils - will make a delicious and healthy dinner. Get the recipe, read more

Yesterday I mentioned how Food & Wine magazine announced their Best New Chefs of 2007, well turns out that when you announce this kind of a list, you throw a big party to celebrate it too. Last night in Manhattan at 7 World Trade Center, past Best New Chefs, along with Top Chef winners Harold Dieterle and Ilan Hall (and I'm guessing Sam Talbot too, based on the fact that he looks like he's ready for the kitchen in this photo), prepared dishes for the new winners. The 2007 Best New Chefs will be featured in the July issue of Food & Wine.

To check out more pictures of the new best chefs, your favorite former Top Chef contestants (including Miguel, Dave "I'm not Your Bitch Bitch" and Andrea), the party atmosphere and the Food & Wine Staff (yep, Gail is there too), read more