When the sun goes down on New York tonight, celebrity chef Mario Batali and Hollywood actor-director Stanley Tucci will light Manhattan's Empire State Building bright orange. Batali and Tucci, both board members of the Food Bank, are spreading the word about the orange which, aside from matching Batali's clogs, also happens to be the symbolic color for raising funds and awareness of hunger relief. The duo are helping to kick off a hunger relief campaign called Go Orange! for the Food Bank for New York City. For every $1 donated, the food bank donates five meals to the needy, and at least 1.3 million New Yorkers — most of them children or the elderly — risk going hungry.

Those of you living in or near New York: Will you be checking it out from your window? I'd love to hear what you think of it!

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While looking through Gorgeous Cakes over the weekend, I found the perfect Fall cake recipe that included one of my favorite root vegetables, beets. I love roasted beets in a salads, so why not experiment with them in baking?The uncooked batter has a stunning magenta color that's unfortunately lost once baked. However, it turns to a lovely, golden-colored cake with delicious red speckles throughout.

The combination of beets and roasted hazelnuts results in a hearty cake with a delightfully light and airy texture. For extra zip, I added ruby red grapefruit zest to the luscious cream cheese frosting. To see the spectacular color of the batter and start baking your own cupcakes with this vegetable, read more

Who knew the role of restaurant reviewer could be a dangerous one? Last Friday, Steve Barnes, the food critic for the Albany Times-Union, was leaving a local restaurant when he and a friend were violently attacked by two assailants. The attackers approached Barnes and his buddy, punching them both repeatedly in the face. The victims have bruises and swelling, but sustained no serious injuries.

Barnes doesn't believe the attack was connected to the restaurant he reviewed, but he thinks this act of violence was targeted rather than random. The restaurant reviewer wrote about his plans to go to a particular eatery on his blog, and the men who assaulted Barnes and his friend had been seen hanging around the restaurant's parking lot for hours before the attack.

While he has no further clues as to who his assailants were, Barnes does have a message for them. "Yo, attackers: If I’m supposed to be nicer to somebody in the future, drop me an e-mail. Otherwise you’re just a coward. Black eyes fade, but cowardice and thuggery are permanent character flaws."

What are your reactions to this news? Do you think the act of violence had to do with the fact that Barnes was a restaurant critic?

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As colossal coffee chain Starbucks struggles to keep up with past profit margins, its competitors continue to move in for the kill. Earlier this month, breakfast chain Dunkin' Donuts introduced its version of a recession deal. Now, in its latest ad campaign, the chain is claiming it beat Starbucks in a blind taste test.In the campaign, Dunkin' Donuts, which is currently in the middle of a national expansion effort, airs a new TV spot and launched a website, Dunkin' Beat Starbucks, that will highlight the results of the taste test.

The blind taste test, conducted by A&G Research, polled 476 adults in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and Seattle. According to a press release from the chain, 54.2 percent of participants surveyed preferred Dunkin' Donuts coffee to the 39.3 percent who preferred Starbucks coffee. Another 6.3 percent had no preference between the two.

I'm slightly surprised by the results: I recently had Dunkin' Donuts coffee, and found that I still prefer the coffee from Starbucks. What about you? Are you impressed by the study's results, or are you skeptical of the findings?

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Last Halloween I went all out and hosted a huge blowout bash complete with geometric pumpkins and a dangerously delicious punch. This year everyone is expecting me to host another big party, so I'm doing the unexpected and hosting an intimate Halloween-themed dinner for 12 lucky guests! Everything about the event from the invites to the food will be Halloween related. I'll share my ideas and tips here and you can translate them into your own Halloween fete. Let's start with homemade invitations. To see how I made these informal, fun invites, read more

Former Top Chef hostess and cookbook author Katie Lee Joel was crowned this year's queen of the Burger Bash. The event, which was hosted by Rachael Ray, was a part of the Food Network's NYC Wine and Food Festival. Joel was the only participating female among the 18 chefs who submitted burgers. Her burger was a cross between a hamburger and a grilled cheese.Dubbed the Logan County Hamburger, the burger is a creation of Joel's grandmother who made the burger with cheap ingredients during tough times. It's simple, yet delicious and intensely comforting. The combination of the beef, melted cheese, and crisp bread is perfectly satisfying. Look at Joel's recipe and read more

If you've got leftover shrimp in your fridge, it's the perfect start of a weeknight meal. The quick-cooking shellfish, when combined with couscous and field greens, is a healthy, delicious meal.

It takes a minimal amount of time to make, so you can even prepare extra shrimp and field greens to put in a salad for the next day's lunch.

To add this recipe to your repertoire, read more