• Christian Louboutin talks showgirls and his trapeze talent!
• See Hollywood's hottest hunks saying "I love you"
• Delicious fruits and vegetables to eat up this Winter
• Softening scrubs that will save your skin
• Take a look at love, sex, & marriage in the days of Downton Abbey
• Movies about friendship the whole family will love
• Get the look: Sofia Coppola's just-listed Nolita loft
• Check out new pictures from The Amazing Spider-Man
• 11 things you need to throw away
• Watch out for the top 10 saltiest foods
• Can you ID past Westminster winners?
• iPhone sleep apps for a better night's rest
• Beyoncé reveals hot postbaby body in a sexy red dress!

After the great response we received from last week's #savorysight Instagram challenge, we could hardly wait to do another one. In the spirit of Valentine's Day, we're taking this week's challenge up a notch. This week we want to see all of your tasty pink and red eats, from pomegranates to radishes to rare steak.

Don't forget to tag your photos with the hashtag #savorysight and follow YumSugar on Instagram (username: heyyumsugar). If you don't use Instagram, don't feel left out! You can always upload your food pictures and recipes into our Savory Sights community group.

Perhaps it's the rainbow of cheerful hues, the adorable two-bite size, or — most likely — the perfect crisp-chewy texture, but I just can't get enough of French macarons. Even when I'm stuffed to the gills, I can always make room for these tiny, delicate pastries.

True, macarons can be temperamental (meringue is the capricious culprit), but they do respond wonderfully to patience, encouragement, and a loving touch. So before you dismiss the idea of making these little lovelies at home, we've found a basic recipe that breaks down the uncooperative veneer of the elusive macaron.

Although part of the same happy pastry family, the French macaron should not be confused with the coconut macaroon. They are similar in concept, but differ greatly in execution: while both entail adding dry ingredients to a delicate egg white meringue, the one "o" macaron uses finely ground almonds as its base and requires much more gentle handling.

Much like a first date, there's a good chance that your first batch could end awkwardly. As in love, you simply pick yourself up and try again. Once you begin to understand the macaron's nature — its singular texture, its response to your oven, its personality in your climate — suddenly it's like the realization that you both enjoy the same rom-com movies and takeout Chinese: everything just works.

Ready for the challenge? Read on for the recipe.

To me, Berkeley Bowl is a sacred place worthy of a weekly pilgrimage. Perhaps the ultimate food-lover's grocery store, this massive Berkeley, CA, food emporium carries a huge selection of goods from around the world, and at great prices. I consider it a must stop for friends visiting the Bay Area, so why not share my adventures?

The most remarkable part of the store is probably the produce, which is clearly labeled to identify where each item comes from. The international and bulk sections offer never-ending inspiration, the meats and seafoods offer countless options and price points, and I always find myself mesmerized by fruits and vegetables from around the world that I've never seen before.

Case in point: Indian bitter melon. I grabbed five or six of these a week ago in an effort to learn about new exotic foods. Knowing nothing at all, I selected these purely based on the fact that they seemed sort of reptilian and would be fun to photograph. As the days went on (and as the bitter melon sat in the crisper drawer of my refrigerator), I became more hesitant, not sure what I was thinking.

Finally, I braved up, opened my computer, and did a little research. As it turns out, Indian bitter melon, or karela, is a commonly cooked vegetable in Indian cuisine. It's described all over the Internet as an "acquired taste," and apparently soaking it in salt water helps to remove some of the bitterness. I found recipes for stuffing and sautéing with various spices. The health benefits of this strange vegetable are plentiful, particularly in managing diabetes, and typically, I can convince myself to like anything if it's good for me.

To find out what I did with these and what I thought of them, keep reading.

• What the Obamas ate on Super Bowl Sunday — Food Republic
• West Coast vs. East Coast brand names — HuffPost Kitchen Daily
• The real deal with boxed wines — The Daily Meal
• How McDonald's Chicken McBites pissed off pit bull owners — Grub Street Boston
• The United States of Chocolate is a place we're proud to live in — FN Dish
• Green tea soup? Yep, it's a thing — My Recipes
• Your microwave could be the most useful appliance in your kitchen — Real Simple
• Rethinking the five-second rule — HuffPost Food

Whenever you're complaining about the ferocity of Winter, just remember things are much, much colder in other parts of the world. But while Russian Winters may be brutal, they've got plenty of amazing, comforting recipes with flavors designed to take that chill out of your bones. It's time to call up your babushka, put on your copy of Doctor Zhivago, and grab a tall glass of vodka, if you see fit! It's time to get reading about the delicious dishes Russian cuisine has to offer.

Dishes:

• Solyanka: The base of the spicy and sour solyanka soup consists of pickled cucumbers with brine, cabbage, mushrooms, sour cream, and dill. It's either served with meat, fish, or mushrooms.
• Pirozhki : Pirozhki are small buns that are stuffed typically with a savory filling and then baked or fried. Some typical fillings include meat, onion, eggs, mashed potatoes, or cabbage.
• Stroganov: Beef stroganov, or stroganoff, is cooked up in many a cafeteria today, but this recipe originated in Russia. It's typically pieces of beef served up in a sour cream-based sauce on top of egg noodles.
• Blini: These thin, crepelike pancakes are enjoyed with either a savory or sweet topping. As opposed to the French crepe, blinis are made from buckwheat and are part of traditional Russian cuisine.
• Borscht: Soups are a staple of a traditional Russian diet. And borscht is the czar of these soups. While it's served up cold in many restaurants in the US, traditionally borscht, primarily made of beets, is served piping hot.
• Vatrushka: This traditional Russian dessert is a big ring of flaky pastry dough with cottage cheese in the center. Similar to a delicious American-style Danish, it's typically topped off with raisins or bits of fruit.

Staples:

• Smetana (sour cream): Blinis are topped off with it. Soups utilize its flavor. It's even used in dessert recipes! In short, expect to find fresh and delicious sour cream accompanying just about Russian ration you eat.
• Black bread: The dark, crusty, hearty rye bread is served alongside many a Russian dish.
• Ikra (caviar): Briny caviar is a definite splurge in the US, but in Russia, you can find caviar far more often on a table. It's often served with blinis or atop black bread.

Did I leave anything off? Any Russian foods you love to chow down on? Add your thoughts in the comments!

Source: Flickr User Istelleinad & geishaboy500