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With the recent announcement of the IACP Cookbook Awards and James Beard Awards on the horizon, the cooking world's award season is in full force. Today, Food & Wine magazine unveiled its 2012 class of Best New Chefs, an award it's bestowed upon 10 chefs annually for nearly a quarter of a century. The accolades have been widely regarded as a harbinger of lifelong culinary success; after all, the inaugural 1988 class included Rick Bayless, Daniel Boulud, and Thomas Keller.

Winners include Rich Torrisi and Mario Carbone of New York's restaurant of the moment, Torrisi Italian Specialties. An awards ceremony honoring the chefs takes place tonight in New York City. Find out which other chefs have made the cut when you keep reading.

It wasn't until recently that I started to feel comfortable cooking large roasts. In particular, I'd always been intimidated by roasting legs of lamb, until I learned that with high-quality meat, minimal preparation is all you need for a result that's truly impressive.

Any roast requires significant cooking time, so this may not technically be a fast recipe, but it most certainly is an easy one. I prepped my massive leg of lamb in just five minutes. Garlic cloves buried into the meat, a bed of rosemary, salt, and pepper, and a bit of red wine in the pan, and things were good to go.

Timing and internal temperature are everything when it comes to this type of cooking. There is the "slow and steady" school of thought, which recommends low temperatures and long cooking times, but frankly, I just don't have patience for that most of the time. I start my roasts at a high temperature for about 25 minutes or so and then lower the temperature to finish the cooking process. One huge factor in cooking time is whether or not your leg of lamb has a bone. A bone-in roast will take more time, and you're looking for a slightly higher temperature on your meat thermometer to determine if it's done. Those factors aside, it makes a more impressive table presentation.

For the recipe, keep reading.

The International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) are gathered in New York for their annual week-long conference. Last night, ceremony emcee (and Cooking Channel's Food(ography) host) Mo Rocca announced which finalists took home the top nod of best cookbooks of 2012.

Among the winners: Nathan Myhrvold's standout Modernist Cuisine, New Yorker writer Adam Gopnik's essay on eating, The Table Comes First, and New Orleans chef John Besh's My Family Table for the category of Children, Youth, and Family. Perhaps most notable? The fact that an Indian cookbook (Tasting India by Christine Manfield) took home the award of Cookbook of the Year — a signal that American home cooks are finally ready to tackle the lesser-known frontier of Indian cuisine.

Interested in checking out the list of this year's best cookbooks? Then keep reading.

• At Pigg, Chris Cosentino wants you to try pork sashimi — Food Republic
• Oh boy. There's an alleged Gordon Ramsay sex tape — Eater
• Pink slime might be in the past, but poultry's getting grosser — Grub Street NY
• Does seeing alcohol make you more racist? — The Daily Meal
• Alton, Bobby, and Giada face off on Food Network Star — The FN Dish
• Cadbury creme doughnuts and other Cadbury recipe creations — KitchenDaily

If you find yourself craving a tasty scoop of Ben & Jerry's ice cream today, you're in luck. Run on over to your nearest Scoop Shop between noon and 8 p.m. to get your cone of choice for free! The company is celebrating 34 years that have been chock-full of unique flavors. Today's a great opportunity to try out the new line of Greek frozen yogurt, but if you'd rather enjoy a scoop of your Phish Food or Chunky Monkey standby, go right ahead.

What is your favorite Ben & Jerry's flavor?

We love Monica Bennett's layered take on a potato salad. The brightly colored rainbow carrots are so appetizing!

For the recipe and more lovely photos, visit her blog — then share your own food experiences in our YumSugar community.