I know I'm guilty of posting far too many delicious, drool worthy desserts that are full of fat, butter, cream, chocolate, and everything else bad for us. To make up for all of the fattening recipes, and to please my dear friend FitSugar, I recommend that we make a creamy dessert that is low in saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium! The smooth mousse takes its full balanced flavor from real ripe bananas and makes a nice finish to a heavy grilled meal, a crisp filling salad, or a cheesy sandwich. Go ahead, have dessert without the guilt. Get the recipe, just read more

Guess which food icon was seen leaving his midtown Manhattan hotel in a powder blue blazer and shirt? To find out, read more

If you're like me, you've got too many kitchen knick-knacks, placemats and serving dishes than you know what to do with. However, there's always room for more right? Or maybe it's just time to replace the ones you have? Either way I just discovered that Crate & Barrel, Sur La Table and Pottery Barn are holding summer sales right now. Some of the discounts are great (this Pottery Barn Magnum decanter is $19.99 down from $39), but I've noticed that the items are going fast. Scroll through for a few of my fave deals:

Know of any great summer sale deals? Let us know in the comments!

With the weather heating up, my thoughts keep turning to ice cream and other frozen treats. So when it came time to bake something, I didn't know where to begin. Luckily in his new book, The Perfect Scoop, the amazing David Lebovitz included a recipe for homemade ice cream cones. He recommends purchasing specialty cone molds, but said it was completely do-able without them. If I can make something without having to buy special equipment, then I'm all for it. They turned out a little rough around the edges, however they were relatively simple and had a nice delicate vanilla flavor - and bonus you can tell your friends you made them yourself! If you fancy giving your own ice cream cones a try (and I suggest you do), then get the recipe now, read more

This morning YumSugar and I were discussing the very exciting topic of candy thermometers. We both have candy thermometers that we use, but are totally disappointed with. I've purchased several of the same one (cheap, from Target, pictured at right) and it breaks every time I use it. YumSugar's thermometer isn't specifically for candy and lacks a fixture to clamp it to the side of the pot - causing her and Jimmy to "ghetto rig it." We want you to head off to market in search of the most efficient candy thermometers. Price is not a problem, although it is worth taking into consideration. What we are looking for is a reliable gadget that actually works. Save your candy thermometers in the Yum Market on TeamSugar with the keyword tag, Candy Thermometer.

To learn more about TeamSugar's fabulous bookmark capability refer to geeksugar's how to.

• Napa Valley is all abuzz over a new Mondavi family tell-all book. Plus, Forget the bread basket, the latest trend is freshly made breadsticks. I think I know what I'm baking next! - San Francisco Chronicle
• Pastry chefs are refusing to be sweet, with some even opening their own savory restaurants. Also, if the processing rules change, will camembert still be camembert? - New York Times
• At your next dinner party, let lively cool wines revive heat-flagged palates. - Chicago Tribune



• A push to sell humanely raised veal is winning fans. Plus, be sure to check out the behind the scenes scoop from the "pie wranglers" from the film Waitress. - The Boston Globe
• The husband-and-wife dynamic (aka chefs marrying chefs) is changing the LA restaurant scene. - Los Angeles Times
• This year's Oregon razor clam harvest is expected to be a good one. If you're interested learn how to quick fry or slow simmer them. - The Oregonian
• The key to a perfect spinach soufflé is in the eggs. - Star Tribune (Minneapolis/St. Paul)
• Fresh legumes, like cowpeas, are in season now. They're showing up in soups, salads, dips and more. - Houston Chronicle

Picnics are one of my favorite types of parties to plan. The majority of the food is prepared in advance, allowing the hostess maximum time to chat with her guests, enjoy the sunset, or fly a kite. Cooling salads are always welcome and I'm assembling two to pair with steamed clams and fried chicken. A cucumber, red onion, and basil salad is a a fresh flavor combination that can easily be made for a private picnic or a crowd of twenty. Carrots, one of the world's most underrated and overlooked vegetables, make for a colorful and crisp salad when mixed with peanuts and mint.

And when the moon is high over the ocean I'll break out a portable fork free dessert: mini cherry pies with the perfect balance of flaky pastry and sweet, fruity filling. You know you want to make at least one of these delightful dishes so get the recipe and read more

Summer has to be my favorite season in terms of produce. Strawberries, cherries, tomatoes, corn... the list of delicious, ripe fruits and vegetables that can be attained locally at farmer's markets is virtually endless. I've just started to notice the first ears of fresh, crisp corn at the grocers. Corn is a type of grass that dates back over 5000 years. The average ear of corn is 12 to 14 inches in length and contains about 400 kernels arranged in 16 rows. Most of the United State's corn crop comes from corn that is planted in March-July in Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, and Minnesota. The most common type is sweet corn that comes in yellow or white varieties. The kernel color has no affect on the sweetness of the corn.
When purchasing corn look for ears that have fresh, tight, bright green husks. Stay away from those that are yellowed and dried. If you can, peel back the husk a little to check out the ears which should be plump, bright, milky, and well rounded. The silk should not be brittle or brown but soft and moist with a light golden color. Eat your corn as soon as possible to enjoy maximum flavor, as it tastes best right after harvest (when the sugars are still retained). Keep in the fridge with the husks on until ready to consume.

A little while back, I confessed to never having eaten at a single one of the 50 best restaurants in the world. Well, last week I finally fixed that by dining at Thomas Keller's number 4 ranked (number 1 in the US) The French Laundry of Yountville, CA (Napa wine country). The menu there consists of two options: the chef's tasting menu or the taste of vegetables menu, so unfortunately there's no popping in and ordering a la carte. In fact, there's no popping in of any sort - we had our reservations booked two months in advance, and even those were hard to come by. The meal itself is rather pricey, but I felt worth it for the food, atmosphere service and experience. It's not something I could see myself doing often, mostly for financial reasons. When I told everyone that I went, the first question was, "was it worth it?" followed shortly by, "what did you eat?" To find out the answers and see a parade of delectable pictures, read more