Last night I went to a fashion party at Carrots with FabSugar, and I came across the cutest favor idea: color-coded candy! The boutique always decorates in orange and they carried the theme over to create a gorgeously delectable candy spread. I plan on re-creating the idea for an upcoming party. You can, too! To learn how, read more

America is moving one more step closer to awareness of where its food comes from.

The US Department of Agriculture has mandated that all produce as well as meat, fish, and poultry sold in US retail stores will be required to have country of origin labels (COOL) beginning next Tuesday, Sept. 30.

Aside from knowing more about your food's origins, the COOL new system (pun intended) could be helpful in situations such as this year's widespread salmonella outbreak. Since the outbreak was traced to Mexico, if you purchased jalapeno or serrano peppers from, say, California, you could be assured that your produce wasn't from the contaminated source.

For years, COOL has been applied to canned or boxed foods packaged overseas, but this will be the first time the rule is required for fresh foods. There are exceptions, however: meat and fish sold in small butcheries or fish markets; salad bars or packaged mixed fruit and vegetable salads; bacon, ham, and smoked salmon; frozen vegetables; domestically canned vegetables; cooked shrimp; and roasted peanuts. What do you think of this move? Are you glad to learn more about where your food comes from?

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Growing up, there were a few dishes that my dad cooked, and one of them was an item that my mother taught him to make: almond tofu. In retrospect, the quasi-traditional Chinese dessert, which actually contains no tofu, sounds like it came right out of a 1970s recipe book, as it was simply canned fruit syrup, cubes of almond-flavored gelatin, and pieces of canned peaches, pears, and — my favorite — cherries. But back then, whenever Dad made that dish, my heart (and stomach) would do a little dance inside.

As an adult, I crave my father's barbecue: I make a special request for it every time I fly home. (I suppose canned fruit no longer makes my stomach flitter the way it once did.) What special dish requests do you make of your family? Growing up, was there a certain thing that you were always excited to eat?

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Ward off the early Fall chill with a steaming bowl of this scrumptious soup. It's perfect for a Friday night — all you have to do is drop the ingredients in a pot. Crunchy bean sprouts and fresh, fragrant basil finish off the soup. To add more heat, serve with a spicy Asian sauce. Learn how to make this dish when you read more

Get your team spirit on when planning the look of a tailgate. I always cheer on my alma mater (Go Bears!), so blue and gold are the featured colors. Start by setting up a long folding table near the back of your car. In my case, I'll cover the table with a blue tablecloth and set out a vase of yellow gerbera daisies. Yellow paper plates and napkins are festive and easy to clean up. Serving the dips in a snack helmet is sure to get your guests talking. Arrange chairs in a circle around your tailgating area. Temporary tattoos make a fabulous favor. How do you decorate for a tailgate?

• If you love foodie fiction, check out this crime novel in which a vegan gets his vengeance. — San Francisco Magazine
• These cheesecake pops are pretty and delicious. — GlamDish
• Check out the new and improved Chow.com. — Chow
• Learn everything you need to know about 16 varieties of potatoes.— The Kitchn
• In what must be the most absurd announcement of the week, PETA has asked Ben & Jerry to make ice cream with breast milk.— The Epi-Log
• Wine wipes will get rid of red wine-stained teeth. — Serious Eats
• How to unclog your coffee grinder.— CasaSugar
• Food Network's holding casting calls for the fifth season of The Next Food Network Star; do you have what it takes? — Grubstreet

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For Semi-Homemade star Sandra Lee, remembering to "keep it simple and always keep it semi-homemade" has really paid off.

The queen of kitchen shortcuts has just snagged a deal for her own magazine. The glossy will be published by Hoffman Media, the company that publishes Paula Deen's eponymous Cooking With Paula Deen, and will feature recipes, entertaining tips, and home decor advice (coordinating tablescapes, anyone?). The periodical will hit newsstands beginning next February/March and will come out six times a year. A one-year subscription will cost $19.98. The circulation is predicted to be 280,000 copies.

Just earlier this month, we learned that Food Network would be launching a magazine of its own beginning Oct. 14, and now Sandra Lee will be entering the mag market as well. Do you think the Food Network is overexposing its celebrity chefs? With the struggles that the print media industry is facing right now, it seems like a riskier time than ever to start a magazine from scratch. Do you think it has a good chance at succeeding?

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