Supermarket Superstar Premiere

By Andrew Hunter
For The Family Table, a blog for busy families

I’m taking a brief respite from writing about the Hunter family table, Ben and Nick’s silly antics in the kitchen, and Marilyn’s well-crafted recipes, to tell you about something very exciting – Supermarket Superstar.

Supermarket Superstar is Lifetime’s all-new competition series that will give everyday Americans the chance to prove they have the next great product consumers will love. Premiering on Monday, July 22, at 10 ET/PT and hosted by Stacy Keibler, Supermarket Superstar gives undiscovered food entrepreneurs their chance to shine among the big brands in the highly competitive food industry.

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Cherry Splendor

By Lori Powell
For One or Two Bites, a blog for singles and couples

I am in love with all things cherry…cherry juice, cherries on the stem, dried cherries, sweet or tart cherries. They are not only gorgeous but are delicious, power-packed globes that are good for you too.

Whichever variety of cherry you choose, there is evidence that by consuming more of the fruit you can of reduce your risk of chronic diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular, diabetes, obesity and some inflammatory disorders. Cherries are a good source of potassium, melatonin and the sweet ones contain a small amount of quercetin which is one of the most potent antioxidant out there. Cherries also provide vitamin C, carotenoids and anthocyanins.

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Crumb Cake: It’s the Real Deal

By Ben Mims
For Cooking Newbie, a blog for beginner cooks

One of the things I’ve missed the most about living on the East Coast is crumb cake. As weird as it may sound, I associate life in New York and the East Coast with crumb cake. Maybe it’s because of the German immigrants that influenced that region and brought their baked goods with them, that you can find crumb cake in every bakery and corner store there.

Elsewhere in America, crumb cake gets called coffee cake and is merely vanilla cake covered with a little crumble topping. And while those cakes are fine, the real crumb cake should be packed with buttery crumbs of topping, virtually the same thickness as the cake it covers. This cake is one of my favorite breakfast foods; a simple delight when eaten fresh with hot tea or coffee.

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A Quick Chinese Meal

By Sandy Hu
The latest from Inside Special Fork

One of the first Chinese dishes I learned to cook was Ma Po Tofu. I was introduced to this recipe by my sister Judy, newly married to a young scientist from Taiwan and living in Berkeley, California.

Through the years, I’ve stripped down the recipe so it doesn’t require a trip to Chinatown for any special ingredients, making this dish a good dinner choice when you’re time-pressed and don’t know what to cook. You should be able to bring this dish to the table in about 20 minutes.

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Salsa Verde, for a Taste of Summer

By Jennifer Knapp
A new video for Video Friday

In the summer, the last thing you want to do is spend time in front of a hot stove. So it’s helpful to have a couple of go-to recipes that don’t require any cooking.

Everyone knows that the Italians are famous for inventing pesto; however, Italian salsa verde is another raw herb sauce that you may not be familiar with. Like pesto, it’s easy to prepare, just as flavorful, and doesn’t require any cooking.

Not to be confused with the Mexican sauce of the same name which features tomatillos and cilantro, Italian salsa verde is a lemony purée of assorted fresh herbs such as basil, mint and parsley. For depth of flavor, it also contains capers and anchovy (don’t worry, it doesn’t taste fishy!) and lots of garlic. All of these ingredients are pulsed together in a food processor or blender, and combined with extra-virgin olive oil.

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