I love brunch and even more so, I love brunch cocktails! This past weekend, my great uncle taught me how to make his effervescent, tangy, and delicious gin fizz.

There are many different types of gin fizzes. The simplest version combines gin, lemon juice, sugar, and carbonated water. The Ramos Gin Fizz, a New Orleans classic, dates back to 1888, and jazzes up the recipe by adding lime juice, cream, orange flower water, and egg white.

My great uncle has perfected his variation to include gin, sugar, cream, lime juice, orange juice, soda water, ice, and one whole egg. The egg made me a little nervous, but it adds a fabulous texture and frothiness to the blended drink. If you don't want to use raw eggs, substitute powdered egg white.

To add a little fizz to your weekend brunch, read more

Ever wonder what the staff at the world's most renowned restaurant eats? If you're certain that El Bulli's family meals are studies in foie gras and osetra caviar, think again.

According to Gourmet, molecular gastronomy master Ferran Adrià prefers to serve his staff classic dishes. These might include anything from chicken mole to Waldorf salad with chocolate ice cream for dessert.

This doesn't mean that the food futurist takes kitchen meals lightly. “I concern myself with what the staff eats first of all,” he says. In fact, one chef's sole responsibility is to cook the staff meals, and every staff menu through the restaurant's 2009 season has already been planned!

“I guarantee that El Bulli feeds its people like no other restaurant,” says Adrià. “How else would we convey to a young chef one of the most important principles of our métier: that he must look out for himself in order to look out for others?”

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The cost of Maine lobster, which accounts for 80 percent of lobsters in America, has plummeted. What may be a bargain for some has left others in a snag: Lobstermen and northeastern fishing communities, hit hard by the price drop, are struggling to survive.There are a couple of reasons for this price drop. The budget conscious are consuming less of the luxury seafood item. Also, Canadian processors, which buy more than half of Maine's lobster harvest, have been short on credit as many were tied to failing Icelandic banks. This has left Maine with a surplus of lobsters.

"This is as devastating to the state of Maine as Hurricane Katrina washing away all the boats and blowing down all the wharves," says Dana Rice, a lobster dealer who's been in the business for more than 30 years. Many villages are coming together to better the situation. One held a lobster bake on the town pier to get rid of its lobster surplus.

After hearing about the drop in Parmesan cheese prices, are you surprised to learn of the lobster crisis? If you've eaten lobster recently, have you noticed a dramatic price difference?

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We've all been in crazy situations, and I want to know how you handle entertaining fiascoes and bad restaurant behavior. I'll present a situation and you tell me what you would do. Here's today's scenario:

You're out at a popular luxury hotel's bar. You and some friends decide to get bottle service at a table. When the waitress delivers the juices, she accidentally dumps an entire carafe of cranberry juice all over you and your brand new (literally you cut the tags off of it that night!) white Prada sweater. What would you do?

To find out what I would do — this very thing happened to DearSugar — read more

Last week, a student in Taiwan died during a steamed-bun-eating contest. The 23-year-old was participating in his university's annual eating contest, an event that featured 60 students split into 30 teams of two. The student couldn't stop vomiting and fell unconscious during the competition. Although he was rushed to the hospital, it was too late. The cause of the death remains unclear, but some believe he choked to death.

At a time when American major league eating competitions are gaining popularity, I hope the news of this death will force people to wake up. Is a competition involving overeating — in a world where people starve to death — really necessary? What do you think of the news? Are you sick of hearing about eating contests?

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November 4th, 2008 is possibly the most important day of the year. Since it's such a significant night, no one should sit at home nervously waiting for the next president to be announced. I've joined forces with LibertySugar and together we're hosting a party at a neighborhood saloon called Elixir. Owner and master mixologist H. Joseph Ehrmann has assured me election coverage will be aired. This week I'm sharing my party plan, so you can steal my ideas and host your own political party! The big day is only a week away: invites need to be sent as soon as possible. To see how I made these email-able invites, read more

If you have sausage on hand, this warm salad is a great go-to recipe for a busy Monday night.

The sausage and egg are a hearty break from the typical salad, and the warm citrus dressing adds a brightness that cuts through the richness of the salad. To enjoy a different salad for dinner, read more

The immersion blender is one of my favorite kitchen gadgets. It quickly and easily purees soups and sauces without dirtying another bowl. It's especially useful in cooler months when soup making is a frequent activity. Although I have an immersion blender I love, DearSugar does not. She recently asked me to help her find one, so let's head off to market in search of immersion blenders. Look for blenders with strong blades that are practical and functional. Save the sticks in the Yum Market on TeamSugar with the keyword tag, Immersion Blender.

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Find out where I like to shop online for food and entertaining accessories when you read more