This colossal red king crab was being sold this week at a Welsh market for £75 ($113). The unusually large crustacean measured 3-x-1 feet and was caught by Norwegian fishermen. While its meat is being described as naturally sweet, the crab also looks strikingly like a spider. Could you stomach it?
In our Best of 2008 coverage, we asked you who your favorite cheftestant was this year. Between Top Chef, Next Food Network Star, and Hell's Kitchen, there was plenty of heat in the kitchen, but the results were clear: Stephanie Izard, the winner of Top Chef 4, won 29 percent of the vote! Yum is right with you: Stephanie was our favorite this year, too.
From the start, we loved Stephanie for being a great chef who kept it real. Despite her modesty, as the show progressed, she blew us away with her stunning dishes. We were thrilled when she became Top Chef's first ever female winner!
What are your reasons for loving her?
For those of you who never understood how your college boyfriend could eat delivery pizza every night, we may have found your answer.
A study of 8,900 Danish schoolchildren at the University of Copenhagen has found that girls are better at recognizing tastes than boys, particularly when it comes to sweet and sour. Since males and females have the same number of tastebuds, the difference lies in how they process taste impressions.
According to the study, boys need, on average, 10 percent more sourness and 20 percent more sweetness than girls to recognize the taste. In addition, because boys seemed less sensitive to recognizing tastes, it only makes sense that boys tended to prefer more extreme flavors than girls.
The study attempted to quantify the tasting ability of children, and its results had a clear message: Children are better tasters than the industry presumes them to be. "One could easily develop more varied food products and snacks for children and young people," said Bodil Allesen-Holm, the scientific head of the study. Could fish sticks and chicken nuggets make way for something more gourmet in the future?
For an Italian-style seafood dinner on Christmas Eve, plan on pouring Italian wines and an Italian cocktail called sgroppino. This icy concoction is made with vodka, Prosecco, and lemon sorbet. The recipe serves 2, but it's easily alterable to make a large batch.
Purchase extra Prosecco for those who prefer a glass of bubbly solo.
With the feast of seven fishes offer guests a Tuscan white like Vernaccia, and a light, fruity red like Sangiovese. To look at the cocktail recipe, read more
Cell Phone Camera Tip: Remember the Wine For Later This is a great use of your cell phone's camera for the holiday season, since many people go out to dinner, parties, and drink wine while out. There have been many times where I tasted a new bottle of wine, decided I loved it, and tried to remember what it was called so I could purchase it later.
No holiday meal is complete without Green Bean Casserole. This recipe using Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup is the perfect side dish that will win rave reviews!
INGREDIENTS
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (regular, 98 percent fat free, or 25 percent less sodium)
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon soy sauce
Dash ground black pepper
4 cups cooked cut green beans
1 1/3 cups French's® French Fried Onions
DIRECTIONS
Mix soup, milk, soy, black pepper, beans, and 2/3 cup onions in 1 1/2-qt. casserole.
Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes or until hot.
Stir. Sprinkle with remaining onions. Bake 5 minutes.
Tip: Use 1 bag (16 to 20 oz.) frozen green beans, 2 packages (9 oz. each) frozen green beans, 2 cans (about 16 oz. each) green beans, or about 1 1/2 lb. fresh green beans for this recipe.
For a change of pace, substitute 4 cups cooked broccoli flowerets for the green beans.
For a creative twist, stir in 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese with soup. Omit soy sauce. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup additional cheddar cheese when adding the remaining onions.
For a festive touch, stir in 1/4 cup chopped red pepper with soup.
For a heartier mushroom flavor, substitute Campbell's® Condensed Golden Mushroom Soup for Cream of Mushroom Soup. Omit soy sauce. Stir in 1/4 cup chopped red pepper with green beans.
Although I found last night's episode of Top Chef to be disappointing, I paid pretty close attention to the details. How well were you watching the Christmas-themed show? Find out now when you take my quiz.
Photo courtesy of Bravo
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While it might be too late for you to make Kahlua and gift it next week on Christmas — it takes three weeks for the coffee beans to infuse the vodka and rum mixture — I highly recommend you make this and give it to someone as a hostess gift in early January.
People are always surprised that liquors can be homemade, so it makes for an unexpected gift. What most don't realize is that the best bartenders are busy mixing up everything from homemade Baileys to fresh grenadine. The techniques they use to make these superior mixers are easily adaptable for the home.
A few weeks ago when I decided to make this, I spoke with friend and master mixologist Scott Baird of 15 Romolo in San Francisco. Although most recipes call for simply a clear spirit like vodka or light rum, Baird insists on a mixture of vodka and dark rum for a rich flavor and thick syrup-like liquid. To look at his recipe, read more
The economy continues to tumble, yet there's no end in sight when it comes to the pattern of reviving extinguished store-bought cookie brands. Following the rebirth of Mother's cookies by Kellogg's, snack company Lance is bailing out Archway, the sister company to Mother's that also collapsed this October. 
Before its demise, Archway was known nationwide for its soft-batch cookies in various flavors such as oatmeal and nougat. When Archway filed for Chapter 11, nearly 300 workers were left displaced and without jobs. Last week, Lance stunned former employees by giving many of them their old jobs back and presenting each full-time employee with a $1,500 gift card. The Charlotte, NC-based company resumed operations at Archway this week.
I'm glad to hear that these cookies are coming back, and even more thrilled to hear of people getting their jobs back. At a time when layoffs seem to be the only news making headlines, I'm relieved that at least some people are happily returning to their jobs. Are you excited for the return of Archway cookies?
On a recent episode of Top Chef, the remaining contestants were asked to take a dish and translate it into a soup. With this recipe for green bean soup, you can do the same thing in your own kitchen!
The classic, creamy green bean casserole is remade into a soup. It's made with vegetable broth, so it's vegetarian friendly. If you love green beans, give this recipe a try and read more
