Recently, I was treated to a box of Bouchon Bakery goodies with a gigantic Nutter Butter cookie in the box. Everyone knows the famous peanut-stamped cookie with peanut-butter-cream filling from their childhood, and this homemade version was delightfully gourmet. While I remember that Nutter Butters were delicious, these cookies, made by culinary legend Thomas Keller, were absolutely heavenly!
After a quick search, I came across the exact recipe and decided to experiment with my own Nutter Butter cookies. The recipe is easy, but requires time and patience. However, anything with this much butter is worth the wait! To learn how to bake these creamy, crunchy, and peanut buttery cookies, read more

I know a lot of you are beer drinkers, and I am also a proud partaker in the occasional brew. So I was tickled to come across Beer 4 Chicks, which takes offense at beer advertisers' seeming assumption that only dudes drink beer. The site, written by beer expert Christina Perozzi, aims to educate drinkers by shattering some of the commonly held myths about ambers, ales, pilsners, and the like. I have to admit that as much as I enjoy beer, I clearly don't know much about it because some of her points really surprised me. Here are three misconceptions about beer:

• Myth #1: Dark beers are heavy, strong, and/or high in calories. The shade of the suds has nothing to do with how "heavy" a beer is. Darkly-colored beers can taste sweet or bitter depending on the type, and they aren't necessarily stronger or heavier. The color is simply determined by the method used to roast the grains that go into the beer.

To see two more beer myths, read more

Last week I was invited to a demonstration hosted by Chef Marcus Samuelsson. An awarding-winning chef and cookbook author, Samuelsson is known for his role as chef and owner of Aquavit, New York City's innovative restaurant devoted to Scandinavian cuisine. Taking inspiration from his Ethiopian roots, the chef recently opened his first African restaurant, Merkato 55. His love for African cuisine was illustrated at the demo where he cooked shrimp piri piri in lettuce wraps and rack of lamb with couscous. In San Francisco to promote BlueStar cooking ranges, Samuelsson took some time out of his hectic schedule to speak with me. To see where he likes to eat in San Francisco and hear what he has to say about his buddy Rocco DiSpirito, read more

How clever is this fabulous presentation of milk and cookies?! Instead of serving the cookie on a boring plate and the milk in a regular glass, it's served like a dessert cocktail! — The Boastful Baker

A girl after my own heart, FabSugar loves to host parties. Since our Sex and the City Marathon went so well, Fab and I are collaborating on another upcoming event: a black and white luau. The party will have all of the aspects of a typical luau — tropical flowers, Hawaiian-inspired dishes, etc, — but since it's a black and white theme the event will be chic and sophisticated.

A luau is a classic Summer party that's fun and fabulous to plan, so take my ideas and adapt them to make your own memorable bash. Let's start by sending invitations. To see how I made the ones here, read more

Those of you who are barbecue fanatics are probably familiar with barbecue guru Steven Raichlen. Steven is the author of over ten cookbooks, including the BBQ Bible, and is the host of the PBS show Primal Grill. He recently finished a world tour in promotion for his new book Planet BBQ, and his last stop was the Food and Wine Classic in Aspen. I watched his cooking demonstration and snagged a bunch of great grilling tips. To see Steven Raichlen's barbecue tips, read more

While it may not be a new idea to use leftovers as pizza toppings, leftover grilled steak pizza is definitely out of the ordinary. This recipe rethinks the quintessential steak and potatoes combination by putting the two on top of a pizza pie.

Fresh garlic, slivered red onions, and lots of melted cheese complete this interesting dish. Don't eat meat? Make this pizza with wild mushrooms instead of steak. Pair it with a light green salad for a filling and delicious dinner. For the recipe, read more