If you are looking for an exciting new red wine, I highly recommend Conde de Siruela Crianza ($22). From the Ribera del Duero region of Spain, this lush red is smooth, well bodied, and elegant. It has a ruby-red color and fruity aroma.

Although the bottle's label is rustic and old worldly, the liquid inside is fresh, full, and only slightly aged. It pairs wonderfully with grilled meats — I enjoyed mine with finger-licking good lamb chops — roasts or cheese.

What red wines have you been into lately? Have you ever tried a Spanish red?

Instead of serving dessert separate at my tailgate, I plan to serve it with the rest of the menu. Guests can enjoy a bite of sweetness with their savory nibbles. The dip theme will continue with this delectable white chocolate mascarpone dip. Served with fresh fruit, it's decadent, but not heavy. To get this lovely recipe — that also makes a great after-school snack for little ones, read more

• With a new book and an LA restaurant, José Andrés is continuing the Spanish culinary revolution he brought to America. — Los Angeles Times
• Meet Michael Suas, consultant to the best breadbakers. — San Francisco Chronicle
• France is still the region with the best wine values. — New York Times
• Rosh Hashanah calls for both old traditions and new favorites. — Boston Globe
• One mother's campaign to change her kids' unhealthy eating habits. — Washington Post
• Roux 101: A primer on the adaptable white base. — Chicago Tribune
• Oenophiles protest state wine shipping laws. — Wall Street Journal
• Making cinnamon buns from scratch is worth the trouble. — Seattle Post-Intelligencer
• The top 10 towns with the best craft beer and college football. — St. Petersburg Times

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No — that's a myth. The myth may have arisen from the fact that cold water does absorb heat faster than hot water. However, once the water gets to a hotter (not yet boiling) temperature, it absorbs heat at a slower rate, and from that point it takes just as long to bring the water to a boil as it would if the water were hot to begin with. And because it takes cold water some time to reach the temperature of hot water, cold water actually takes longer to boil than hot water does.

It makes sense: The hotter the water, the closer it is to boiling, therefore, the hotter the water, the faster it boils!

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Since it's easy to prepare and so versatile, I cook pasta at least once a week. Lately, I've been experimenting with various sauces and pasta shapes to see how the factors make a difference in taste, so I gave La Famiglia DelGrosso a try.

I sampled three of eight different sauces, all of which have kitschy titles named after family members. My boyfriend thought Aunt Mary Ann's Sunday Marinara was "light on flavor," but I preferred it to its competitors. A Trader Joe's pomodoro sauce tasted sickly sweet in comparison. Uncle Joe's Vodka Celebration was my favorite of the bunch: the texture was creamy, but the sauce wasn't as light in color as most commercial vodka sauces, which often are too heavy on cream.

The sauce possessed a strong umami quality (incidentally, tomatoes contain high amounts of umami). Uncle Bo's Roasted Red Pepper Tour was made with — you guessed it — roasted red peppers, and it was my sweetie's favorite of the three because of its deep, smoky flavor.

Certainly no commercial variety can replace a homemade pasta sauce, but La Famiglia sauces work in a pinch. They are available at select Whole Foods and other grocers across the country. Have you tried any of the brand's flavors? What did you think of them?

Starbucks sure is indecisive. Last January it announced that breakfast sandwiches would be pulled from its stores. Then in July it changed its mind and simply modified the sandwich recipe. Now Starbucks has decided to expand the breakfast sandwich menu! Next week the coffee giant will introduce the Piadini, a stuffed breakfast sandwich made on artisan bread with either sausage, egg, and cheese or mushroom, spinach, and ricotta fillings. To ensure that the new sandwiches get maximum exposure, Starbucks is putting ovens in 800 more stores. Changing the menu is nothing new; earlier this month Starbucks added oatmeal, apple bran muffins, and multigrain rolls to the morning menu and within the next year, the company plans to broaden the lunch menu.

I'm excited to try the new breakfast offerings — the spinach feta wrap is one of my favorite hangover cures. How about you? Are you sick of the Starbucks sandwich talk, or will you enjoy the Piadinis?

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Fish and couscous are two simple ingredients that, when paired together, make a very quick meal. The couscous takes a mere five minutes to cook and the fish requires about 10 under the broiler.

Although the ingredient list calls for store-bought salsa, if you have time, make it fresh! This recipe is versatile, balanced, and delicious. Get it now and read more