Paula Deen

I'm trying not to be sad, but with the arrival of Labor Day comes the inevitable end of Summer. To keep my spirits up, I'm crafting the ultimate Labor Day party menu. It's full of Summer's best ingredients. To start, I recommend a surf-inspired decadent and gooey seafood dip. For the main course, burgers, specifically double cheeseburgers seasoned with smoky cheddar, fruity chutney, and peppery arugula. On the side? Classic sour cream potato salad that's full of green onions and crisp bacon and a fun take on the regular caprese salad: roasted tomato and mozzarella "burgers." Doesn't this sound like an amazing meal?! Get the recipes after the break.

Blond hair ruled on the red carpet at last night's CMT Music Awards in Nashville. Taylor Swift mixed things up with a slightly edgier look than we're used to from her, straightening out those trademark curls. Carrie Underwood stood out in pink as both country princesses headed in to see what would come of their three nominations apiece. Brand-new mom of two Sheryl Crow displayed her rocking legs, which had an especially nice glow after her recent bikinis Bahamas vacation with her son Wyatt. Faith Hill was glamorous as ever while Hayden Panettiere showed some skin in her lacy cutout dress.

Kid Rock played host for the award show and kept things light with a Kanye West joke to kick things off. Keith Urban, Miranda Lambert, and Carrie Underwood were the big winners — check out the whole list here. Keith gave a heartfelt thank you to his wife Nicole Kidman who skipped the red carpet but was supporting him all night long from her seat. Carrie planted a kiss on her fiancé Mike Fisher and later made a speech that included an emphatic "Awesome fans! Awesome, awesome, amazing, awesome, awesome!" Keith also performed with John Mayer, for which the guys spent the day practicing. Mayer's mystery illness didn't slow down his sense of humor as he flashed his abs to compare with Jersey Shore's The Situation, who was of course there with a few of his castmates. Carrie and Brad Paisley were among the evening's other musical acts as the country world gathered together to celebrate their genre and Nashville in the wake of the city's recent tragic flood.

To see more photos from the red carpet and the show, just read more!

• The best way to reheat leftover pizza. — Slice
• Paula Deen has been robbed by her maid. — Huffington Post Food
• The person behind Ruth Bourdain is still a mystery. — Wall Street Journal
• Yelp has partnered with Opentable. — Eater
• All salt is not created equal. — Chow
• Is seaweed the new superfood? — The Epi-Log
• The two Franks behind The Frankies Spuntino Cookbook discuss their dreams of being rock stars. — Feast
• The best places to dine outdoors in San Francisco. — Grub Street SF

The James Beard Awards may be over, but the culinary accolades continue as award show season soldiers on. Today, the nominees for this year's Daytime Emmy Awards were announced, and the list included a number of notable culinary programs and food figures.

PBS and Food Network each have two shows that'll compete head-to-head for the title of Outstanding Culinary Program. For Public Broadcasting, it's America's Test Kitchen and the new travel show, Gourmet's Adventures With Ruth; for Food Network, the shows are Giada at Home and Tyler's Ultimate.

Vying for the Outstanding Lifestyle/Culinary Host award are a number of Food Network stars — Bobby Flay, Ina Garten, Paula Deen, and Giada De Laurentiis — as well as Martha Stewart for her syndicated talk show. Food Trip With Todd English, Eric Ripert's Avec Eric, and De Laurentiis's Giada at Home are also up for honors in outstanding directing.

I'll be rooting for new shows Avec Eric and Gourmet's Adventures With Ruth when the winners are unveiled on June 27. What cooking shows will you be cheering on?

The Kentucky Derby, the most talked about horse race of the year, is this Saturday. I like to use it as an excuse to gather friends for a little party. The race starts at 6 p.m. on the East coast and 3 p.m. on the West coast. The ideal time to throw a party is before the race; have guests come at 4 p.m. (East coast) or 1 p.m. (West coast) and serve a spread of upscale Southern-inspired appetizers. Blackened shrimp with roasted garlic aioli will have your guests licking their fingers and hungry for more. Deviled eggs go glam with the addition of tangy goat cheese and chunky chutney.

Crunchy fried green tomatoes add an element of necessary fried goodness to the menu. Mini grilled cheese and ham sandwiches are a crowd-pleasing classic. If you're hosting a Kentucky Derby shindig, I highly recommend you check out these recipes after the break.

Even if you don't have plans to throw a St. Patrick's Day bash, you can still celebrate in your own low-key way. As part of dinner, serve colcannon, an Irish peasant dish of potatoes mashed with leeks, cabbage, and kale. It's a basic, comforting, and traditional staple of Ireland that's easy to prepare with a festive, verdant hue. For a rustic variation, mash potatoes together with sautéed vegetables and aromatics. To step it up, run potatoes through a ricer for a weightless, soufflélike texture. Then, foil that with bits of bacon that have been cooked until crisp. Get your green spirit on with either recipe and read more.

If all goes well, 2010 could be a blockbuster year for the Deen family. Southern cooking queen Paula Deen is planning a second eatery; meanwhile, sons Bobby and Jamie Deen are tapping into uncharted territory with a male-friendly food magazine.

Paula Deen, who rose to fame with her Savannah, GA, restaurant The Lady & Sons, hopes to repeat success with a new spot at Harrah's Cherokee Casino and Hotel in Asheville, NC. The 400-seat eatery, Paula Deen's Kitchen, will serve buffet-style breakfast, lunch, and dinner beginning in Fall 2010. Adjacent to the restaurant will be a retail shop selling Paula-branded cookware, cookbooks, spices, and food.

Says the matriarch: "I couldn't think of a better mix — southern food and casinos. It has all the ingredients for a good time." Her sons, Jamie and Bobby Deen, are banking on dudes who love food. They've teamed up with Hoffman Media (the publisher of their mother's magazine, Cooking With Paula Deen), to print a quarterly magazine, Deen Bros Good Cooking, with easy recipes that'll appeal as much to men as women.

I'm not sure how I feel about either expansion effort. Could you see yourself eating a Paula Deen casino buffet restaurant — or making dinner out of a Deen brothers magazine?

• Julie & Julia isn't the only food-related movie to win a Golden Globe; here's a complete list of foodie winners. — Eater
• Tom Colicchio and Mario Batali are producing a movie that looks at hunger in America — Daily Dish
• Why it's always a good idea to have chickpeas on hand. — The Epi-Log
• The founder of Taco Bell, Glen Bell, has died. — Serious Eats
• Not surprising news of the week: doctors recommend Alicia Silverstone's cookbook over Paula Deen's. — Grub Street NY
• Learn how to make your favorite meat dishes, meat free. — Chow

I've never understood why meatloaf is such a polarizing dish. The picky eaters of the world seem to have collectively clung to a terrifying school-lunch memory of meatloaf as lumpy, gray mystery matter. But this homespun American meal has worked hard to regain street cred, thanks in part to the high-end comfort-food trend that's taken off in recent years.

The beauty of meatloaf lies in its ease, affordability, and versatility. The basic formula calls for three inexpensive components: ground beef or other meat, binders such as eggs and oatmeal, and seasonings. Use this rudimentary recipe to expand your meatloaf combinations — and dinner horizons — when you read more.

Never underestimate the power of the Christmas cookie! They're the perfect dessert around the holidays because they can be made in advance and are easy to enjoy without a plate and silverware. When hosting a holiday happy hour, offer homemade white chocolate cherry cookies and ask guests to bring chocolate truffles. Or if you have time, whip up a batch of your own. To get the choco-cherry chunk cookie recipe, please read more