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• Five cooking don'ts from chef Michael Chiarello
• Awesome street art spotted around NYC
• Fresh, unconventional glasses for Summer
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• See Jake Gyllenhaal roughing it on Man vs. Wild
• See how stars like Tom Cruise and Hugh Jackman celebrated Father's Day!
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After what's seemed like five straight months of unrelenting chill and fog, a few Summer days have finally descended on the city, and it's hot. I'm talking feel-the-sidewalks-baking, pool-dipping hot — a rare sight in June in San Francisco.

It's climes like these that call for a refreshing spritzer of a cocktail. It's hard to beat a classic gin and tonic, but this variation — which includes elderflower liqueur, mint, cucumber, and celery bitters — is far better. Don't skimp on the celery bitters; they add grassy notes that add another level of complexity.

For the recipe, keep reading.

In hopes of boosting sales, Jack in the Box is thinking, well, outside of the box. Amidst criticism that the fast food chain has lost brand focus, the company has announced plans to drop toys from kids' meals, add new menu options for children such as apple bites, and cut a number of premium food items, among them the mini sirloin burgers, steak teriyaki bowl, pita snacks, and chorizo burger. These changes, Jack in the Box executives hope, will help the staggering chain distinguish itself from competitors.

Jack in the Box claims that the move to kill toys in kids' meals wasn't in response to outside pressure, but the hubbub surrounding Happy Meal bans couldn't have hurt its decision. Note that while other fast food establishments like McDonald's and Chipotle have been seeing growth, Jack in the Box sales still haven't managed to return to pre-recession levels. Do you think dropping the toys from kids' meals and simplifying the menu will kick-start sluggish sales?

Source: Flickr User Roca Chang

One of the most informative seminars at the Food & Wine Classic was taught by sommelier (and James Beard Award winner) Belinda Chang. She's made her name as the wine director at The Modern restaurant in New York City. The 2011 Outstanding Wine Service Award winner — whose seminar was titled "Bling vs. Bargain? Guess the Wine Price" — tackled the question of whether price makes a difference when it comes to wine.

Attendees tasted two glasses of sparkling, Chardonnay, and Bordeaux blends, respectively, and were asked to guess which was higher-priced. While we assessed each wine's value, Chang also shared details on what goes into the price of wine. Better understand why a wine costs what it does after the jump.

At the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, Michael Symon not only shared how his life has changed since he became an Iron Chef, but he also provided some awesome pointers for making your own pasta. If you have kids, the Greek-Sicilian chef believes you should have them make the pasta with you. He also stresses that it shouldn't be stressful; in fact, Symon says that it's "soothing to make pasta at home." To learn how to perfect pasta, the Michael Symon way, keep reading.

OnSugar blog Fresh Tart does it again with another amazing-looking recipe for a classic pudding with seasonal strawberries.

If the only vanilla pudding you've ever eaten is from a plastic Jello brand cup, then please make this. It takes about 15 minutes to pull together and will knock your socks off, gone.

You can eat the pudding warm right out of the pan (Stephanie style) or chill it for a bit to serve after dinner (the proper way).  Because strawberries are amazing right now, crush some with a little sugar (and a splash of booze?) and spoon them over the top. I don't know what it is about vanilla pudding + strawberries in particular, but for me, it is a holy grail combination that tastes of childhood, my grandmother's kitchen, and the world's most perfect strawberry ice cream.

If you are drooling over this photo as much as we are, just keep reading for the recipe.

At food festivals past, I've learned more than enough about new cooking tips and techniques I should be doing — but what about things we shouldn't be doing in the kitchen? At his seminar in Aspen, Cal-Italian maestro Michael Chiarello tackled spicy dishes from Calabria, Italy, but also took the time to touch upon a number of culinary no-nos. While some were highly specific and others were more general, many of his kitchen don'ts were revelations. Find out what they are when you read on.