When I heard that Ken was going to fire up the Bad Boy, I knew there was no better place to be for BBQ. Continue reading →

In 2008, my coauthor of ten books, Nancy Gerlach, and her husband Jeff retired and moved from Albuquerque to Chelem, Yucatán. Recently my wife and I visited them for a whirlwind tour of the region. Continue reading →

Man, if summer school consisted of smoked brisket, ribs, and pulled pork, I’d have failed every grade. And often. To the tune of this being my 37th year of kindergarten often. Summer school didn’t have competition barbecue courses, however, and … Continue reading →

Happy National Barbecue month, everybody! If you're looking for a way to pay homage to the gods of 'cue, here's a list of Kansas City Barbecue Society competitions for you to chew on. Early next week, we'll follow up with barbecue class listings where you can polish your skill at the grill. Continue reading →

A fabulous, fiery brunch (that she doesn't have to prepare) is the perfect way to show Mom you appreciate all the hell you put her through growing up. Continue reading →

Aarti Sequeira won Food Network Star season 6 and expanded her popular blog into a cooking show, Aarti Party (catch it on Food Network, Sundays at 7:30am/6:30c). As a Star veteran watching from her couch at home, Aarti shares her insider’s take on what went down each week.

Oh man, how I loved this challenge! Wasn’t it good? I think this might have been my favorite challenge in Food Network Star history.

Perhaps it’s because I’m a journalist by training (I worked at CNN). So the prospect of being thrown into an unfamiliar field to harvest stories and secrets from the locals, and then recount them to an audience? Hooray and huzzah! And while at first blush this week’s challenge seemed to favor one team in particular (I’m looking at you, Team Giada), this is something that every Food Network hopeful needs to master.

Food television is changing — not only must you be able to cook, be able to talk about what you’re cooking and relate to your viewers, but you must also be able to take viewers on a journey, pull them along with you as you experience food cooked by other hands, and make people feel like they’re sitting at the table with you. Look at the success of shows like Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, United Tastes of America and Heat Seekers, and you’ll see what I mean.

So, future Food Network Stars, here are a few of tips on presenting like the star that you are.

1) Don’t “Present”.

Forget about this being a presentation. All those memories of standing at the front of the classroom, speaking robotically about the major themes in literary classics — forget ‘em.

Instead, speak colloquially (but coherently), as you would to a friend sitting across the table from you. Literally imagine that person: It could be your best friend, your spouse, your grandmother, someone you feel completely comfortable around. A news anchor once told me that he always imagined he was talking to his favorite 70-something-year-old aunt when he was reporting. Cute, huh?

See, when you do that, suddenly you start to sound like a human being. All the formality will evaporate from your speech. Your voice will soften, as will your jaw. You’ll smile more, and your eyes might even light up. It’s a small adjustment that reaps rich rewards. It’s what Alton said to Judson in his Producers’ Challenge: “Just talk to me. Stop selling me something.”

I think of Ippy, Martie and Martita here; each of them made me feel like I was sipping coffee in their living room as they told me about this great new place they’d found. I mean, Martie was so relaxed, she hitched her leg up on a seat! Her joke about being able to fit that sandwich in her mouth seemed genuine, unforced and, heck — any time you can make people laugh, you win. Martita brings this sensual warmth into the room; everything seems to slow down a little, the lights dim. Also, I want her hair.

2) Tell a story (but keep it short).

The essence of practically all entertainment is storytelling. Every film, every TV show, even every recipe is a story. In journalism school, there was this theory called “the blade of grass.” The idea was that if you were covering a huge issue, like the Farm Bill, you’d find a farmer and tell his singular story in order to illustrate the larger, more abstract issue. It put a human face on the largely dry jargon of bills, amendments and votes — and everyone loves a story.

The same thing applies here. You have to be inquisitive when you’re in the field; ask a lot of questions to draw stories out of the characters you’re talking to. Giada gave great advice to her team when she ran through a quick list of questions to ask: Why are you here, what’s the history of this place, who comes here, do you have any funny stories? You kind of have to be a nosey parker in order to get the goods from people. Being genuinely curious goes a long way.

Yvan’s enthusiasm about not only the mozzarella, but also the guys who make it, lit up the bus. You can’t force your joy over a product (as poor Judson learned), so you’ve got to find something about it that you can love. Yvan seemed to love the history behind these artisans as much as he loved the cheese itself, and that showed. So he told their story, and he kept it short and sweet.

Josh, on the other hand … Well, I’m still not sure what Joe Pesci had to do with the sausage place. We can all lose track of time and, trust me, I’m thoroughly guilty of taking too long to tell a story (look at how long this post is!), but if it’s a long story that’s relevant to the task at hand? At least you’re one for two.

3) Fail with a smile.

Watching someone nail a take without any mistakes is pretty cool, but watching someone make a mistake, laugh about it, shake it off and keep going? That’s memorable and relatable — and winning. I know firsthand how hard it is to perform when the network is watching. Mistakes are going to happen, so embrace them. Let your warts and freak flag fly. I felt awful for Emily when motion sickness took over. I know that feeling. Heck, we all know that feeling. That’s why I was hoping that she’d acknowledge it in her presentation. You should be honest, laugh it off, finish your presentation and forget about being perfect. Be brave enough to show your human side, because we’re all human.

Mistakes are a gift, actually, because they provide the opportunity to be spontaneous, to let the real you leak out. The more you try to plug up the leaks (bad metaphor, I know. Forgive me, Emily.), the harder it is to appear natural. So forget about perfection. Perfection is nice. Being real and honest about your imperfections? That’s an act of bravery, a daring finger in the eye of how things are “supposed” to be — it’s the makings of a star.

What do you think? Whose presentation did you like the most? The least? Did you agree with who went home?

Click here to view the embedded video.

Preservation Hall Jazz Band, The Roots, Fitz & the Tantrums and Hall and Oates. These names are enough to draw in thousands of people to the newest food and music festival added to the roster of so many, but a first for New York City.

However, the true stars this weekend and what I believe was the biggest draw were the 75 food vendors, 35 brewers and 30 winemakers that dished out food ranging from barbecue to burgers, pizza and seafood and pastrami and ice cream. If you were craving it, you could buy it. While you might have to wait in multiple 30 minute lines, it was worth it — the food produced at this festival set a new standard for all festival food.

We spoke with organizer Jonathan Mayers, who launched Bonaroo and he said, “It’s time for food to get top billing.” He did just that. Included in those 75 food vendors were restaurants Spotted Pig, Roberta’s Pizza, Momofuku Milk Bar and Hill Country Barbecue. Special guests, demonstrators and chefs also included were Food Network’s own Michael Symon, Pat LaFrieda, Marcus Samuelsson, Anthony Bourdain, David Chang, Ruth Reichl and even Parks and Recreation’s Aziz Ansari. (For more with Michael Symon, click the play button above.)

This country is on a never-ending sugar high! We consume over three times the daily recommended amount of added sugar each day. One easy way to drop your sugar intake is to skip the sugary mixes and bottled beverages and take control of how much sugar’s in your drinks.

Sugar Overload
The American Heart Association recommends that women should eat no more than 6 teaspoons (100 calories) of sugar each day, while men shouldn’t eat more than 9 teaspoons (150 calories). Studies reveal that we’re overindulging on added sugar, consuming 475 calories of added sugar every day.

Close to 40% of added sugar comes from sugary drinks like soda, sports and energy drinks, according to published data in the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.  A 16-fluid ounce container of a sports drink has 7 teaspoons of added sugar (105 calories) while the same amount of soda has over 12 teaspoons of added sugar (180 calories). Energy drinks are full of added sugar too, with an 8.3 fluid ounce can of a popular brand containing 6.5 teaspoons (98 calories).

A Touch of Sweetness
Homemade drinks are a great way to go, but dumping cups of sugar (in any form) will sabotage a perfectly healthy drink.  Whether you use maple syrup, agave, brown sugar, or plain old white sugar, it’s important to remember that a little goes a long way.

As a rule of thumb, use a max of 2 teaspoons of sweetener per serving. Remember, start with less and slowly add more as needed—especially since some sweeteners are sweeter than sugar.

If you prefer granulated sugar, using simple syrup can help cut down on how much sugar use. Simple syrup is an equal ratio of sugar and water heated on your stove-top until the sugar dissolves into the water, making a sweet syrup. This mixture will dissolve evenly in your beverage so you don’t get sugar tidbits floating everywhere, or worse, in a clump at the bottom of your drink.

Getting Creative
Sugar isn’t the only way to flavor cool drinks. Here are some suggestions:

TELL US: How do you sweeten your favorite summer sipper?

There are tactics for food preservation beyond canning and pickling. With garden season approaching, I was excited to try out this nifty appliance.

My Take
At first I was surprised when a very large, heavy box appeared on my doorstep, but I was immediately impressed by the looks of this machine. Measuring about 14 inches high and 17 inches wide, it has digital timer and temperature gauges and easy-to-read controls. It also comes equipped with various well-made (BPA free) trays to accommodate any type of food. My favorite was an ingenious flat tray for making crackers and fruit leather.

The concept is fairly simple: The machine circulates warm air throughout the chamber to evaporate the liquid out of foods. The drying process concentrates the flavor, changes the texture and of course helps increase shelf life. The best part is, there’s none of the preservatives or sweeteners that you might find in commercial varieties of dehydrated food.

For testing, I decided to use fresh fruit and herbs from my garden. For fruit it was apples, pears, mango and bananas. The final product was delicious –  sweet with just enough chew. A big hit with the kids! The machine is also fairly quiet – a big plus.

For herbs it was perennial favorites – sage, rosemary and lavender. Once dried, leave whole or grind into powder; store in an airtight container for up to 6 months. My dried lavender leaves went straight into a homemade Herb de Provence mixture.

The downsides: It did require a bit of troubleshooting to figure out the best thickness to cut all the fruit – the first time it was too thick, the second time too thin. Finally, the third time was just right. I recommend taking notes of thickness and cooking times you like to make things easier the next time around. The unit we tried retails for about $399.00 – possibly too large an investment unless you’re really serious about drying foods.

Serving Suggestions and Tips
•    Try making “raw” tortillas and crackers from sprouted grains, flax seeds, nuts and seasonings (the Sedona manual includes some fun recipes).
•    Toss fruits or veggies in spices, dried herbs, honey, sugar, citrus juice, olive oil or soy sauce prior to drying to enhance flavors.
•    Dry peas for later use in soups.
•    Dip apples, pears and bananas in lemon juice first to prevent browning.
•    Dried tomatoes are a fabulous way to hold on to the flavors of summer.
•    Dry berries for cereal and trail mix.

Tell Us: Have you tried drying food at home?

Appetizers. Hors d’oeuvres. Starters. Nibbles. Snacks. Whatever you call pre-dinner eats, you can be sure that they will make a meal, offering your dinner guests early tastes and textures and a sneak peek of what’s to come in the later courses. As the spring season winds down, invite friends and family over to celebrate the warmer weather and serve a simple, quick-to-prepare spread of first-course munchies. Food Network’s no-fuss appetizers below are ideal for relaxed, casual entertaining, and include charred lemon-scented shrimp, velvety deviled eggs and bacon-wrapped veggies. Check out our recipe selections and tell us what you’re cooking up this weekend. 

Robert Irvine’s Antipasto Platter With Grilled Vegetables (pictured above) from Food Network Magazine is a go-to pre-dinner pick when you’re pressed for time or if guests stop by unexpectedly. This tray can be customized to any size party or taste preference, though some staple snacks include a mixture of hard and soft cheeses, buttery prosciutto, fresh vegetables, crusty bread and more.

A no-fuss marinade of orange and lemon juices, fresh thyme and garlic infuses Cooking Channel‘s Grilled Shrimp and Citrus Skewers (pictured left) with a refreshingly light flavor. String medium-sized shrimp on a wooden skewer separated by juicy citrus segments and grill them until charred. Once you put these quick-cooking beauties on the grill, try to not walk away from them — if overcooked, shrimp can become chewy and dry quickly.

Food.com’s traditional Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus recipe boasts a complementary combination of salty, smoky and clean flavors, with crunchy asparagus spears tucked inside decadent bacon blankets. Just 20-25 minutes in the oven is all that’s needed to turn out a tray of these eat-with-your-hands nibbles.

Kelsey Nixon’s Curried Deviled Eggs (pictured right) from Cooking Channel are a party must-have, made with smooth mayonnaise, tangy mustard and a mixture of cayenne pepper, paprika and warm curry powder. A final sprinkling of chopped chives completes these two-bite starters, made from start to finish in just over 40 minutes.

Simple to prepare, moist and richly golden brown, Ellie Krieger’s Crisp Crab Cakes from Food Network Magazine are bursting with succulent lump crab meat, bell pepper, scallions and panko breadcrumbs. A splash of Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard and a dusting of Old Bay Seasoning (a store-bought seafood spice) allow this meaty mixture to stick together and hold its shape when being seared. Portion this recipe into appetizer-sized servings of one cake per person.

Visit Food Network’s Spring Entertaining Guide for more seasonal recipes, menus and ideas.