The other day while searching for the ultimate piña colada recipe, I came across this recipe for a piña colada mojito. Intrigued, I decided to find out how lime and mint combine with pineapple and coconut. The final result was absolutely divine, a refreshing mix of tart, sweet, and creamy flavors. Since it's not blended, this cocktail is much lighter than the common piña colada, making it easier to drink a couple rounds. The ingredient list calls for both pineapple and coconut rums, but I used pineapple and regular rum because I wanted a less sweet variation. To learn how to make this tantalizing concoction, read more

It may not be in the Olympics — yet — but competitive eating has become one of the world's fastest-growing sports. Last month, as many as 1.5 million people tuned in to ESPN to watch Joey Chestnut beat Takeru Kobayashi in Nathan's Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest. According to the Major League Eating spokesman Ryan Nerz:

At the big eating events you have normal guys who get up and do this thing well, beat a bunch of people, and all of a sudden they have a camera shoved in their face. They get a whole new group of friends, a blog, a MySpace page, fans. It very quickly becomes their identity, and it transcends their former identity as a waiter at a pizza restaurant, an accountant, or whatever.

The profile of a typical competitive eater has also evolved in recent years. The demographic has changed from the overweight, blue-collar male champions to trimmer, younger, white-collar competitors that include men and women. Many competitors believe in the Belt of Fat theory — that a skinny build allows the stomach to expand with less difficulty than if it were surrounded by a constricting layer of fat tissue.

Have you or would you ever try competitive eating? For some recent records in the world of competitive eating, read more

Bring the flavor of the Summer-fair season into your kitchen with this fun recipe. The pork chops are quickly marinated in a store-bought salad dressing before being shallow fried.

The final result is crispy, slightly sweet, and scrumptious. Serving the pork on a stick makes for a delicious presentation that both kids and adults will enjoy.

To check out the recipe, read more

Let the colors of the Olympic symbol — blue, yellow, black, green, and red — inspire the decor of your Olympics viewing party. Start by running a white cloth down the middle of a buffet table. Set the food on five circular plates arranged in the Olympic symbol pattern. Stack napkins nearby.

Stock the bar, complete with punch bowl and glasses, on another table. Make sure there is plenty of seating and that the television can be seen from all points of view. Yellow bouquets look lovely on small end tables. An official Beijing, panda bear pin makes a festive and fabulous party favor.

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Hoping to jump on the premium chocolate bandwagon, Mars has launched a brand-new line of M&M's candies called M&M's Premium. These newfangled M&M's are made from an entirely different chocolate recipe and have no candy shell. The chocolates are significantly larger in size and more irregular in shape than milk chocolate M&M's, and are filled on the inside with various flavorings that include white chocolate and mint. The M&M's are coated with a speckled metallic skin that corresponds to one of five flavors: mint chocolate, mocha, triple chocolate, raspberry almond and chocolate almond.

The new M&M's are in stores now, and are sold in a 6-ounce, upright package for $3.99. Have you tried any of the new flavors yet?

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• With her new book, Tanya Steel shows adults how to feed kids without being deceptive. — The Epi-Log
• What is your most-stained cookbook? — Serious Eats
• A delicious combination: tomatoes and vodka. — GlamDish
• Before you pack that Spanish ham leg in your suitcase, learn what food and drink can legally be brought into the United States. — The Kitchn
• Go behind the scenes of the 19th Annual Pennsylvania Dutch Festival. — Slashfood
• A day in the life of a top mixologist.— 7 x 7
• Dunkin Donuts debuts a healthier menu. — FitSugar
• Everything you need to know about ramekins. — Baking Bites
• How to clean a soft-shell crab. — Chow
• Eat like an Olympian. — Food and Wine

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Last week many of you entered our Ultimate Grilling Giveaway. While the prize package included grill essentials like a charcoal chimney and barbecue spatula, thermometers were not mentioned. To properly enjoy her prize, keensa00 will need grill thermometers. Let's head off to market in search of durable and reliable grilling thermometers like these adorable steak buttons. Save the temperature-reading devices in the Yum Market on TeamSugar with the keyword tag, Grilling Thermometers. On behalf of keensa00 and myself, thanks for your help!

Read GeekSugar's guide to bookmarking on TeamSugar to better understand how to use this fun feature.

To see where I like to shop for all my entertaining needs, read more