I'm a huge fan of Francis Ford Coppola's Sofia Sparkling wine, so when I heard the famed director had released a new label, Encyclopedia ($15.00), I was eager to check it out. With its beaker-shaped bottle, Encyclopedia appeals to the younger wine drinker. According to Coppola the wine is "about learning and exploring. It's for people who want to know more about wine and how it is connected to geography, to history, to myth."

There are six varieties: Pinot Grigio, Tempranillo, Malbec, Riesling, Torrontés, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Each is made with grapes from the variety's native region. For example, the Pinot Grigio is made with grapes from delle Venezia, Italy and the Tempranillo comes from Yecla, Spain. The wines represent and respect the tradition and culture of each wine-making region.

I tried the Riesling and the Cab and found both delightful, well-balanced, and highly drinkable. I hope to try the rest soon. If you are new to wine, or enjoy sipping new wines, I highly recommend seeking out Encyclopedia. When the wine is gone, the bottle makes a pretty vase!

When planning a picnic always select an easy-to-eat, portable dessert. Cakes and pies are a show-stopping finish to a meal, but save those for the dinner party.

Pumpkin seed brittle is an appropriately sweet treat for a picnic at a pumpkin patch. The brittle can be made well in advance and it doesn't matter if it breaks while in transit.

This recipe is also fun to make at a pumpkin carving party: It uses up the pumpkin seeds and guests can take some home as a favor.

To check out the technique behind pumpkin seed brittle, read more

On my last adventure in expensive sandwiches, I declared that while I will (in rare cases) pay $10 for a sandwich, it'd better be divinely delicious, pretty hefty, and well assembled. I can especially be persuaded to part with serious dough if the sandwich features somewhat weird ingredients, and this white anchovy and soft-cooked egg sandwich from 'Wichcraft is a far cry from turkey and swiss.I've sampled several sammies at 'Wichcraft, the chain cofounded by Top Chef judge Tom Colicchio, and the results have been hit or miss. The slow-roasted pork with red cabbage and jalapeños is divine; the chicken salad is merely ordinary. Obviously, if you hate anchovies, you should probably skip this one, but for the more adventurous, this truly innovative and bold sandwich is worthy of its $8.95 price tag. To find out why, and get the recipe, read more

• A panel of wine experts puts $12 and under wine to the test. — Boston Globe
• Try one of these taste-tested cornbread mixes to go with your chili. — San Francisco Chronicle
• What kitchen essentials are worth investing in, and which ones you should pass up. — Los Angeles Times
• Time-strapped? Here are some tips for conjuring up homemade soup flavor. — Chicago Tribune
• Lots of doors open for producers who sell to the exclusive French Laundry. — Washington Post
• Famed rancher Bill Niman is back with a new venture: raising goats. — New York Times
• If you've got 15 minutes, then you've got time to throw together Jamaican chicken. — StarTribune

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Although I've always been a fan of eating soup year-round, now that the weather has cooled down a bit, soup is a regular part of my meal rotation. That was my logic behind acquiring Williams-Sonoma Soup ($16.95). To see my thoughts on the cookbook, read more

At Tyler Florence's demonstration at the NYC Wine and Food Festival, Florence taught the crowd how to make the ultimate birthday dinner. It was the exact dinner he made for his wife on her birthday! The boyishly handsome chef has had a busy year. Not only did his wife give birth to a baby girl, but he also released two new cookbooks, opened a kitchenware store in Northern California, and filmed an upcoming season of Tyler's Ultimate, all while making appearances and doing demonstrations.

His special dinner menu — which is ideal for the holiday season — consisted of beef tenderloin with Béarnaise sauce, Brussels sprout and fingerling potato hash, and carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. To see what Tyler had to say about this menu, read more

You've heard of the door-to-door Avon lady, and been to Tupperware parties. But have you ever been to a Dove Chocolate party?

Now you can. Two weeks ago, candy giant Mars launched its newest venture, a direct-selling company called Dove Chocolate Discoveries.

The company is targeting women and men who want to start an at-home business to become independent sales consultants. These "chocolatiers" then throw "tasting parties" where they teach friends how to make everything from chocolate martinis to chocolate truffles. The goal? To convince guests to buy chocolate rimmers, cupcake baking kits, and chocolate-covered graham crackers, among other things.

With Halloween around the corner, everyone has candy on the brain, so the prospects could be bright. Sales consultants make at least 25 percent of everything they sell, so it could also be lucrative. What do you think of the concept? Would you buy lots of Mars products at a chocolate party?

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Gnocchi is not your average midweek meal. Made from scratch, the potato pillows are quite a process. However, if you jazz up a good, store-bought brand with a scrumptious, homemade sauce, no one will know the difference! With three types of mushrooms (porcini, portobello, and shiitake), this rich sauce is delicious but not heavy. Cream and butter are absent; instead the gravy gets its flavor from red wine and tomato paste. To indulge in this dish tonight, read more