Today is the first official day of Fall, and it's finally time to put away those light Summer recipes and start using Fall's favorites! Over the weekend, I combined butternut squash and pomegranate to make a scrumptious, hearty salad. With the creamy squash, crisp pomegranate seeds, and tart roasted-walnut vinaigrette, each bite was perfectly balanced. This salad is simple, but requires a little time to prepare the squash. It makes a delicious side or vegetarian meal. Next time I plan on heating the dressing, so when I pour it over the salad the lettuce will wilt. If you want to add this salad to your first Fall feast, read more

After three years of floundering sales, Krispy Kreme has unveiled a new business plan. The doughnut chain famous for its hot-off-the-line, melt-in-your-mouth glazed doughnuts will roll out its own brand of soft-serve ice cream, Kool Kreme. The company also plans to open smaller-sized stores and expand its overseas market share.

Later this year the Winston-Salem, NC-based company plans to open smaller, less costly stores. Shops continue to open, with new franchises outside the United States, in Puerto Rico and Australia.

Kool Kreme has already been tested in markets such as such as Tacoma, WA, and will feature flavors such as Very Vanilla and Deep Chocolate, along with a toppings bar. Krispy Kreme is clearly trying to capitalize on the growing trend of frozen yogurt stores such as Pinkberry and Tasti-D-Lite, but I can't help but think that this move comes a year or two too late, as big cities have already become oversaturated with frozen dessert options. Will you try the latest offering from Krispy Kreme?

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Last night I had a horrible, incurable hot flash. I opened the fridge to cool down and — to my glee — found Shiner Bock staring back at me.

If you aren't from Texas, you may not know Shiner, but if you are, then it's a household name. Shiner Bock is produced by the state's oldest independent brewing company, Spoetzl Brewery, which turns 100 next year. Shiner isn't the most complex beer to ever exist, but it's cheap, refreshing, and easy to drink.

Since the highly-carbonated, caramel-brown lager has a head that doesn't last long, it's delicious to guzzle right out of the bottle. It has little aroma and an earthy, malty, toasted flavor. Of course, it's perfect for a hot day, whether you're in Texas or not.

Have you ever had the chance to try Shiner? If so, what did you think of it?

Actress Gwyneth Paltrow is shunning personal chefs and raw-foods-only diets for the joys of home cooking. She recently told People magazine:

I cook all the meals for my house. I really love to cook. Breads and pizzas is what I'm cooking and we all love it. We have a wood-burning pizza oven in our garden. Right now the weather is nice in London, so I'm using that oven a lot. You can cook anything in there. It's amazing.

It's no surprise that Paltrow is so passionate about cooking, her first travel food show, Spain . . . On the Road Again with Mario Batali, debuted on certain PBS stations over the weekend.

The dynamic duo has already signed on to do a second series that will take place in Italy further cementing Gwyneth's love for food.

Did you tune in this past weekend to see the pair eat their way through Spain? What did you think of it, and will you be watching their follow-up in Mario's motherland Italia?

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Last Friday after hearing the news that Hershey's had changed its chocolate formula, YumSugar and I decided to perform a taste test. Luckily we had the perfect place to host a chocolate taste test — CasaSugar's space at Park(ing) Day! For the taste test, we pitted Nestle's Crunch against Hershey's Krackel. To check out the taste test in action watch the video below!

To see the results, read more

Although I'm not the most interested follower of football season, I love to tailgate. For my first tailgate of the season, I've decided to do something a little different. Instead of serving a classic menu, I'm going to do a dip-themed party. Before I can look for recipes, I have to make and send the invitations. To learn how I made the easy, emailable invites shown here, read more