This Mother's Day, gift mom one of these family cookbooks, written by celebrities, chefs, and food bloggers who are also moms. Whether she's devoted to health-conscious eating, fanatic about ethnic cuisine, or considers herself a comfort food queen, she'll love one of these famous titles and hopefully reward you with some home-cooked meals that you'll both appreciate.
Last week saw the premiere of The Taste, ABC's food reality TV show starring judges Anthony Bourdain, Nigella Lawson, Ludo Lefebvre, and Brian Malarkey. What sets the new show, being billed as "a cooking competition unlike any other," apart from other food reality TV shows? PopSugar's Michelle Manning sat down with judges (and executive producers) Bourdain and Lawson to find out.
Sick of potatoes and pasta? Then it's time to start experimenting with couscous! This incredibly quick-cooking grain (it's done in just five minutes), which can be found in most supermarkets, is native to North Africa and consists of coarsely ground semolina wheat that's typically coated in wheat flour.
Besides being superfast to make, couscous is great because it's like chicken: you can season it virtually however you want. This recipe combines golden couscous with lemon zest, scallions, and arugula for a fresh and delicious side that pairs with everything from garbanzo beans to lamb tagine to roast fish. Ready for the uncomplicated method you'll use over and over again? Then read more.
Last December, my family started a new tradition: a holiday pub crawl! We met for heavy hors d'oeuvres at a cousin's house, then afterward took a tour of the neighborhood's best bars. It's a casual but festive style of soirée, and since everyone always has lots of parties to attend, friends and family members can stop by for one drink or take part in the entire crawl. When planning the first leg, offer a good quantity of appetizers with an assortment of textures and flavors: serve something cheesy, something meaty, and something seafood. Baked camembert is sophisticated and colorful when topped with sun-dried tomatoes; pair with crackers and bread.
Meatballs are a classic holiday bite, but update them by using ground lamb and exotic spices rather than the same old pork-beef mixture. Tuna tartar on thick-cut potato chips is addictive and irresistible. Head to the store for the rest of the menu; pick up your favorite crudités with ranch dip, charcuterie, nuts, or olives. To check out the suggested recipes, keep reading.
If you're a huge fan of Nigella Lawson, like I am, get excited. The British bombshell of a chef is set to begin filming a new series. In an interview with TV Squad, Lawson reveals that a program based on her recently released cookbook, Nigella Fresh, will start shooting in a month or so. She describes the show as being fresh in ideas, recipes, and her own enthusiasm:
"It's not going to be a new season of 'Nigella Express,' but there will be many recipes that embrace the 'Express' principle. It'll be much more mixed, it's going to be the sort of food that fits into life in the kitchen all days of the week. There will be very fast recipes and there will be recipes that take a long time to cook, but involve no effort and there will be a little bit of everything, really."
Lawson is a mother of two, so it's no surprise that she is expanding her quick-cooking regime. She's also an authority on sensual cuisine and I can't wait to see what she's got up her sleeve on this new series. How about you? Will you tune in to Nigella in the Fall?
You may be shocked to learn that Nigella Lawson, the British coquette of the cooking world, has been around for half a century. It's true: on Wednesday, the celebrity chef rang in the big 5-0 with her husband, art collector and advertising mogul Charles Saatchi, and a friend in East London. To pay tribute to the self-proclaimed domestic goddess and all her achievements, the UK's Daily Mail compiled 50 little-known facts about the famous food figure. Curious to know the 10 that surprised us most? Read on to find out.
Here, the OnSugar blog Smörgasbørd teaches us how to make pepper jelly. It would make a wonderful edible gift.
All the Pepper Jelly talk in Kitchen Goddess gave me a hankering for some of Nigella's Chilli Jam. So I made a batch over the weekend. I've never made anything like this before because, well, I'm lazy and I assumed it would take all day. But it was dead easy and so delicious. Here's how you do it.
Even if you had pork chops and salad last night, it's still possible to enliven your palate with a new variation on the same standard. Stretch your dollar (and your resourcefulness) by using leftover bone-in pork chops.
Encrust them with a hefty smattering of breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese for a satisfying crunch. Complete the meal with a spinach and tomato salad tossed in garlicky vinaigrette. See the recipe when you read more
For their Halloween special last Friday, Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa dressed up in fourteen different costumes, four of which included celebrity chefs. Regis yelled at the audience as Gordon Ramsay while Ripa's Paula Deen munched on a butter kabob that she washed down with a glass of oil. The real Guy Fieri showed up to cook a flank steak with the "chefs." Later Kelly licked chocolate from a bowl as Nigella Lawson and Regis overused the word "Bam" pretending to be Emeril Lagasse. The funny show demonstrates that the popularity and success of celebrity chefsdom is still on the rise. Check out the clip below!
When planning a menu for a Halloween dinner, choose festive dishes that are creative, but not too childish. Have an oozing, baked brie waiting for guests to arrive. Serve the brie with crisp pretzels shaped to look like fingers and toes. A molded shrimp cocktail that resembles a scary cerebrum will jump start conversation. For the main course, offer a gooey slime soup and crisp pumpkin polenta salad. Although most of the dishes are vegetarian, the menu is filling, balanced, and delicious.
Get these tantalizing recipes when you read more
