My favorite condiment in the entire world might just be Tabasco hot sauce (DearSugar and I both put it on everything!) — so when I heard the hot-sauce empire was developing its own tequila, I got my hands on a bottle stat.

If you're a fan of tequila and not afraid of heat, you should definitely give Tabasco Tequila ($21.99) a try. The spirit has the toasty-tart flavor of tequila with a bit of spice that's not overpowering. It would make for a great round of shots at the bar. I tried it in my Bloody Maria, and didn't have to add as much hot sauce to make it spicy. I'm most excited about using it in margaritas where fruit will marry with the tequila to make a delicious, sweet-hot cocktail! I'll be serving the spicy stuff at my next taco dinner.

The 750-ml bottles are currently being rolled out in Georgia, Indiana, North Carolina, Dallas, and Houston markets. Will you be on the lookout for them?

No dessert says TV dinner more than a dish that features warm fruit and cool ice cream. While a pie or cobbler are delicious selections, wow guests at a season premiere party (or any party for that matter!) with this to-die-for apple cake.

Complete with toffee crust, fresh apple filling, and rich butterscotch sauce, it's luxurious and comforting — sort of like a glam, grown-up sister to apple pie. Although the recipe requires patience and a bit of skill, the finished cake is a worthy reward of the time and work put into it. To look at the steps involved, read more

I have a serious weakness for savory-sweet combos, including sandwiches featuring apples. Since I've been craving baguette sandwiches lately, I decided to indulge my two sandwich fixations at a friend's recent barbecue (hence the paper plates).

These sandwiches are as easy as making kabobs, throwing them on the grill, and simply showcasing the ingredients on a fresh baguette. I coated the chicken with some poultry rub I found in my friend's pantry, but you could just as easily use salt and pepper, and if you don't own a grill, you can bake the skewers in the oven.

The important thing is charring the chicken just right and cooking the apples until they are warm but still juicy. Though some of the guests were puzzled at first by the combination of onions and apples, everyone loved the tender and tart results. To get the easy recipe, read more

• Romesco sauce can transform any soup, seafood, or vegetable. — Miami Herald
• Here are the secret ingredients that'll turn your meal around. — Boston Globe
• Olive oil, beware: Lard is back. — San Francisco Chronicle
• The best (and worst) cookbooks for Fall. — Los Angeles Times
• How to decipher all those egg carton labels. — New York Times
• Russian wines make a quiet return. — Chicago Tribune
• Taste testing celebrity cognac and other spirits. — Washington Post
• Perfect paella means getting all of these elements right. — The Oregonian
• Transition into Fall with an Autumn picnic. — Cleveland Plain Dealer

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Animal rights activists PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, has released a highly unsettling, undercover video that shows the mishandling of pigs on an Iowa farm. Among other things, in the clip — which I couldn't watch all the way through — workers hit female pigs with metal rods and slam piglets on a concrete floor. The farm supplies pigs for pork giant Hormel, who has acknowledged the abuses as "completely unacceptable." While PETA claims that pig farm abuse is widespread and common, leading animal welfare expert Temple Grandin disagrees:

I've been on many good farms, and the pigs are handled gently. This was blatant, deliberate animal cruelty. These people are sick. They need to be prosecuted. There are certain people that enjoy hurting animals and they should not be working with them—period.

Being a carnivore, I have to agree with Grandin and hope that the meat I purchase is from humane farms. It will be interesting to see what becomes of the video and if the USDA steps in as it did with the California slaughterhouse that mistreated cows earlier this year.

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In a world of oversize food — genetically modified apples, super-size fries, and venti coffees — one thing may be coming up smaller: grocery stores.

According to the New York Times, grocers across the country from Safeway to Wal-Mart are turning to stores with smaller square footage. Supermarket retailers, like Jewel-Osco, who is building a smaller-format store in Chicago, are hoping to capitalize on an untapped segment of time-starved shoppers who are looking for an affordable meal to go without menu prices, or who just want to pick up a handful of grocery items.

These chains aren't shuttering the warehouse-sized predecessors, but hoping to gain market share as competition grows cutthroat. Both convenience stores and drugstores such as CVS are selling more groceries and fresher prepared foods, and British retail giant Tesco began stateside expansion last Fall.

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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 the latest scenario:

You're at a small (but popular) restaurant that sells burgers and sausages to go. When you place your order you're told by the abrasive girl at the counter that your wait will be at least 15 minutes.

Ten minutes into your wait, she suddenly cries out to everyone present:

Hey, listen up everybody! The tip jar is right here, and if you could make a generous contribution that would be great . . . dollars only, please!

What would you do?

To see what I would do in this situation — and it happened to me! — read more

When it comes to baked pastas, most people think of lasagna or macaroni and cheese. However, ziti, a thick, tubular pasta, is ideal for baking, especially when coated with a dense, rich sauce.

This comforting version is made with turkey sausage and canned tomatoes. It's a no-fuss, simple dish that's sure to win over even the most finicky eaters. To make this for your family tonight, get the delicious MyRecipes.com recipe and read more