Today I'm excited to have heard news of what I thought to be near-impossible: Irvine will be returning to host the show again. In a written statement, the Food Network announced it would shoot six new episodes with Irvine this month.
Our audience has continued to demonstrate its interest in and support for Robert . . . He has taken responsibility and made a conscious effort to clear the air, rebuild the relationship with Food Network and apologize for the earlier inaccuracies.
New episodes of the show, which challenges Irvine to prepare meals under strained situations, will debut in March 2009. I'm personally excited to hear this news, because we are big fans of Robert Irvine at my house. Do you feel the same way? Do you think that Irvine was a more compelling host than his replacement, Michael Symon?
A friend of mine, who fits the classification of hipster to a T, also happens to love all things gourmet. Initially, I was at a loss for what to get her, but I quickly discovered that there's an array of niche gift items that converge at the juncture of food, music, and cutting-edge cool. Case in point: I have to get her this book about underground dining, and because she loves to push the envelope, I know she'll flip for this shopping bag.
Want more gift ideas? Browse the selection below or check out all the gift guides on HolidaySugar.
A few months ago we noticed that competitive eating was a rapidly growing "sport": This year, 1.5 million people tuned in to ESPN to watch the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, and there's now a game, Major League Eating, available on the Nintendo Wii. Yet while it's entertainment for many, it comes at a cost for others. Yesterday, Saurab Sabharwal, a 22-year-old engineer at Nokia-Siemens in Gurgaon, India, died during a company-sponsored pastry eating contest held in the office cafeteria. After choking, he ran to the bathroom alone, and was found unconscious an hour later. Colleagues called for an ambulance, which rushed him to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. This isn't the first death we've heard of from competitive eating. Last month, a Taiwanese student fell unconscious and died during a steamed bun eating contest.
Does this call for further measures to be taken, so that others don't get hurt? Should a medical expert have been mandated to stand by, just in case? Or should government officials consider placing a ban on eating contests?
As much as I love cocktails made from fresh, seasonal ingredients, sometimes there simply isn't time — especially when you need Thanksgiving dinner ready in a hurry — to juice 20 blood oranges. The grocery store liquor aisle is crowded with generic and overly-sweet cocktail mixers, but there's one brand I trust for excellent mixers: Stirrings. With their blood orange flavor you can make a quick batch of blood orange bellinis.
Serve wine at mealtime. Call your local wine shop and ask them to set aside a couple of Thanksgiving-friendly bottles for you. Use their expertise to save time. You won't have to research wine pairings or stand in the wine aisle wondering what to buy. Don't forget sparkling apple cider, water, and soda for the kids. To look at the easy blood orange bellini recipe, read more
If you watched last night's Top Chef you'll know who got kicked off, but do you know the little details? How well were you paying attention? Did you notice that Jill was wearing a sparkly pink shirt while grocery shopping? Or that Stefan complemented his hot dog with a horseradish sauce? To test your knowledge of the episode take my quiz!
How to Select the Right Turkey You may have perfected your Thanksgiving menu, but do you know how to choose the perfect bird to serve at your big feast? Have you figured out how big it should be? Do you know the difference between frozen and fresh? To help you select the right one, I've compiled a few tips.
Last February, everyone was shocked to find out that Robert Irvine, the star of the Food Network show Dinner: Impossible, lied on his résumé. Although most of you said the incident didn't change your feelings about him, Irvine still got the boot from the Food Network and was subsequently replaced by Iron Chef Michael Symon. 
Gambini
Birkenstock
Passionata