Now is the time to enjoy peaches, plums, and mangoes in all their delicious glory. Luscious, juicy, and ripe, stone fruit can become - with a little help from a few extra flavorings - a divine yet easy dessert. A fruit salad coated in a delicate ginger thyme syrup is light and surprisingly earthy. A meringue garnish brings this salad to the next level, making it an elegant finish to a late summer supper. Tantalize your guests with this tempting recipe, just read more

Yesterday afternoon, Yum and I were lucky enough to find ourselves in the company of a bottle of Peter Franus Cabernet Sauvignon. Sadly, we were a bit disappointed at first. With a tinge of harshness the medium bodied wine was good, but had Yum saying, "I'm not going to go run out and buy this bottle." However a mere 15 minutes later - as we moved onto a second glass - our thoughts began to change. The wine had some time to breathe and this glass was smoother, with a deep richness that allowed me to note and embrace the underlying earthy aromas. Paired with a perfectly cooked lamb chop, this wine would be absolutely luscious. Give it a try for yourself - this Cab Sav grows on you in all the right ways. It's on sale now over at this fabulous little website called Radcru. They sell hard to find wines, up-and-coming cult labels, and overall just fun bottles featuring a new one everyday. With a limited amount of each bottle, the wines are quickly snapped up by those in the know.

Although lemons are more of a winter fruit, I was really craving a tangy lemon tart. I found a recipe by Delia Smith and was intrigued by the fact that - unlike most lemon tarts - it was a deep dish tart. It's thicker than usual and is more filling than pastry (translation: more lemon goodness!). The crust was a little cumbersome, if you've got a great crust recipe I'd stick with it (this one did NOT want to cooperate - I ended up rolling it between two pieces of parchment paper), but definitely try this filling. For a unique twist on the standard lemon tart, read more

• Tomatoes are peaking here in San Francisco and that means the classic trio of tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil can finally be reunited. - San Francisco Chronicle
• Have you ever had a little too much to drink while dining? How about at a four-star restaurant? Here are some tales of fine dining gone wrong as in, drunk ladies in the dining room pool wrong. - New York Times



• Here's a great load of tips and recipes for making fun, creative birthday cakes. The classic doll cake never gets old. - Sacramento Bee
• I've said it once and I'll say it again, beer cocktails are really in right now. - The Oregonian
• If you preserve the summer fruit today you'll have more versatility in your winter meals. - Chicago Tribune
• Want to cook but don't know how? Here are a few simple recipes anybody can make. - Seattle Times
• In Houston, community-supported agriculture (aka subscription farming) is growing in popularity. - Houston Chronicle
• If you think ratatouille is too trendy, give crespéou - a layered omelet cake a try instead. - LA Times

At a poochie party, your dog is the guest of honor, so creating a bunch of pet friendly food is a great way to pamper your pup. Special appetizers that are vet approved are excellent options. At Molly's pug Oliver's first birthday party, I'll be serving up a picnic style meal for the people and scooby snacks for the doggies. Olive oil and bacon truffles and a dog friendly pate on toast, will fill the dogs up after a roaring round of fetch. No birthday party is complete without a cake and Oliver's will be made naturally sweet, colorful, and flavorful: a peanut butter carrot cake. Interested in making these dog food recipes? All you have to do is read more

Ratatouille, one of the summer's most entertaining movies (I checked with BuzzSugar), has been so successful in the theaters that Disney jumped at the chance to sell foodie related products. Among them, a California brand of Ratatouille wine with Remy, the cute little rat, on the label. However Disney's plans to introduce the wine at Costco have run into so many road blocks, that they have decided to drop the wine. According to spokesman Gary Foster,

We've decided to just not go through with it. We've been getting a trickle of inquiries and complaints.

Turns out the California Wine Institute was upset about having a California wine represent a movie that encourages and promotes all things French. Also the idea of having a wine based around a children's cartoon outraged the opponents of underage drinking.

I thought the idea of a wine based on the movie was clever and cute, but maybe that's because I always select wines based on their labels... what do you guys think? Are you glad Disney has put a stop to the plans?

Source: LA Times

August is a bittersweet month - it's definitely still summertime, but you know that Fall is just around the corner. To help you squeeze as much as you can out of your summer, we've come up with a list of things you must have in order to survive. Sure you don't actually need any of these, but you know you gotta have them!

• First up is this awesome European bistro inspired French Fry Holder from Williams-Sonoma. It's $16 and comes complete with a porcelain "paper" ramekin - talk about adorable!
• These colorful acrylic tumblers and bowls will jazz up all of your backyard shindigs. Imagine them full of ice cream and other delights! Prices start at $48 for a set of 6.
• These new all-natural Popchips are super flavorful and contain half the fat. Bathing suit weather is still here, so watch what you eat, but make sure it tastes good! I recommend the potato chips over the rice or corn. A case of 12 bags will cost you $29.88.
• Protect all of your cookbooks with a modern cookbook stand. This wood and acrylic one from Luciano Lorenzatti costs $27.50 and comes complete with a built-in measurement conversion table.
• Even though July was National Ice Cream month, there's still time to perfect your own frozen concoction. This Big Chill Ice Cream Maker will make hard ice cream in just 40 minutes and the lemon yellow color is perfect to chase away those "fall's approaching" blues. Available for $199.99.