Vanilla Beans

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

In many of the recipes I develop, I often call for vanilla beans. Their best quality, aside from flavor, is their ability to impart any plain panna cotta, cake, or ice cream with a pleasing, speckled appearance, thanks to the seeds within the vanilla bean itself. And unlike vanilla extract, which is made from soaking vanilla beans in alcohol for several weeks, the seeds from the bean carry a noticeably different, more refined vanilla flavor and aroma.

To get at those precious seeds couldn’t be simpler: Hold one end of the bean on a cutting board with your finger, and using a paring knife, insert the tip of the knife on the bean just below where your finger is holding it. Keeping pressure steady, slide the knife down the length of the bean until the end, splitting it in half. Then, turn the knife over and place the blunt side of the blade against your finger and, pressing down, rake the knife down the length of the bean to remove the seeds; repeat with the other half of the bean.

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Deep Freeze

By Sandy Hu
The latest from Inside Special Fork

If the temperature shoots up to 90 degrees in San Francisco, we melt – so rarely are we hit with sweltering weather here. But everywhere else, it’s turning into a red-hot summer and food must accommodate.

I understand why they say eating spicy, hot foods will make you sweat and cool you down. But I don’t care. When it’s hot, I want something cold.

So I was thinking about those frozen bananas we used to make as kids in Hawaii. You’ve probably made them, yourself. You put a stick through a peeled banana , pop it in the freezer, and you have a healthy banana “popsicle.” If you want it fancier, you dip it in melted chocolate and refreeze. That’s the recipe.

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Cheese-Stuffed Mushrooms

By Sandy Hu
A new video for Video Friday

One of the first appetizers I learned to make as a newlywed was Cheese-Stuffed Mushrooms. I copied the recipe from a friend in New York City, who had made it for a party, and I was impressed. While I was new to cooking, this recipe is the kind that almost guarantees success – quick and easy, delicious, and with make-ahead potential so I wouldn’t be flustered just before guests arrived.

When buying mushrooms for this recipe, look for ones that are about the same size so they finish cooking at the same time and look attractive together on the serving platter. If I have to buy them prepackaged, I buy an extra package so I can sort the mushrooms, setting aside the odd sizes for another use. I love mushrooms and I can easily add them sliced raw in salads, sautéed in omelets, simmered in soups…you can never have too many mushrooms in your fridge.

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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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