It was a stunning weekend in San Francisco and the perfect weather for BBQ and a scrumptious salad. A dear friend — who happens to be a chef! — taught me how to make one of his favorite simple salads: a shaved celery salad.

If you've never shaved celery, don't get intimidated; it's easy. Using a regular potato peeler, remove and discard the outside stringiness. Then use the inner shavings as the base for the salad.

The crisp celery complements the creamy Gorgonzola, sweet dates, and crunchy, candied walnuts. All of the ingredients can be prepped far in advance and quickly assembled just before serving. To shave your own celery and get started on this elegant, yet effortless salad, read more

If you want your wedding to be a grand production but don't have the budget, remember that tiny flourishes like thoughtful candy will make the moment just as delightful. We employed the help of Dylan Lauren, daughter of Ralph Lauren and owner of Dylan's Candy Bar, a dessert outpost with locations in New York, Houston, and Florida. "We do a lot of candy favors for weddings," Lauren says. To see her pointers for making your wedding a sweet success, read more

I'm still rather novice to the category of spirits known as aperitifs. These old-school standbys — which include liqueurs, dry champagne, and fortified wines — rose to fame in Europe in the 1800s, and have remained popular ever since.

I'd made it my mission to educate myself in aperitif studies, and after professing my love for Dubonnet, I felt adventurous enough to move onto the Italian spirit known as Campari. Invented in 1860, this bitter, which is used in a slew of different cocktails, is made by infusing alcohol and water with fruit, bitter herbs, and aromatic plants. Campari on the rocks is far too bitter for me, but I loved its complex, fruity, slightly medicinal flavor in the Campari Breeze, a cocktail that's perfect for warm-weather days.

To cool off on a sweltering weekend, I doubled the recipe for a bigger thirst quencher, employing Party's advice to save the ice until last. To see the recipe, read more

While we're busy trying to guess where the sixth season of Top Chef will take place, one rumor concerning the reality competition has been confirmed: the infamous Toby Young will be back as a judge.

Earlier today, the British food critic told The Feedbag, "Yup. I’ll be a regular, alternating with the lovely Gail. I can’t blame you for hating me. If I was a viewer I’d much prefer to watch Gail, too."

I've always enjoyed Gail as a judge and found Toby's crazy metaphors to be pretentious and annoying. Still, I will be watching when it debuts next Fall!

How do you feel about Young's return to the show?

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If your weather's been unseasonably hot like it is here in San Francisco, you might be looking for ways to stay cool. Look no further than Ben & Jerry's, where tomorrow stores will be giving away free ice cream cones in honor of the chain's 31st birthday.

There's no coupon required: Simply walk into your closest B&J's anytime between noon and 8 p.m., scope out a choice flavor, and be on your merry way.

Now onto important decisions: Shall I stick with the classic Phish Food, or check out the newfangled Mission to Marzipan? What free flavor will you be hitting up?

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My girlfriend Melissa's sister is diabetic and has to really watch her consumption of sweets. That's why Melissa decided it would be best not to serve cake at the 30th birthday brunch she was throwing her sister. However, no birthday is complete without some sort of candle and singing ceremony. This is where Melissa got creative: she created a cake entirely out of flowers! It's inedible, but beautiful to look at and incredibly thoughtful. Here's how she did it:

1. Start by purchasing a round cake-shaped floral foam at your nearest floral or craftshop. Soak with water.
2. Get a bouquet of colorful blossoming flowers. Cut them down to have a stem that is 2-3 inches long.
3. Insert the blooms into the foam. Get as artistic with the design as you like.
4. Insert birthday candles. Use longer candles to ensure that the flowers don't burn or get waxy.

Without the candles, the flower-shaped cake would make a great simple centerpiece to a wedding or shower. What do you think of this innovative idea?