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Giada De Laurentiis is famous for her simple Italian food, her annoyingly cute accent when pronouncing Parmigiano Reggiano, and her ability to look darn good while slaving over a hot stove. (Why can't we have a personal hair and makeup staff on call in our kitchen? Huh?) The enviable chef adds do-gooder to her list of attributes, now auctioning off, for Oxfam America, the chance for one winner and three friends to come to the Los Angeles set of her Food Network show Giada at Home to watch filming, tour the set, and lunch with Giada herself. Bidding runs now through October 8.

New Yorkers head to Tarrytown, NY this weekend for the Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture's sixth annual Harvest Fest. With live music, cooking and gardening workshops, an extended farmer's market, hayrides and a seasonal pie bake-off, there is something for every member of your foodie-brood.

It's always fun to find new entries to this category in our not-quite-out-of-the-princess-phase house. (It's how I got salmon down the hatch!) These are cranberry beans, at the market right now, and though they lose their pretty rose color when they're cooked, the kids were intrigued enough to try a few boiled--they're sweet, kind of like peas. My husband shelled a stash that was set aside, boiled them with half an onion, a clove of garlic, one bay leaf, salt, and a dash of white balsamic vinegar for about ten minutes until they were slightly soft but firm. Then he drained them and tossed them with thyme, olive oil, salt, and chopped tomatoes. We served it on toast as a starter for dinner guests.
  

10:54 AM, October 02, 2009

Check out the dozens of recipes from The Kitchn's Quick Weeknight Meal Contest. We are dying to try Cara's Spinach Pie Quesadillas.

Though it might be best known for Graceland and all things blue suede, Memphis has a pretty incredible dining scene, including the acclaimed new French-Creole Restaurant Iris. After checking it out recently (and experiencing the biscuits-and-grits southern goodness myself), I concur. Rising star chef Kelly English, who opened the restaurant in 2008 and was named Food & Wine's best new chef this year, shared a few of his culinary secrets with us.  
 
You opened Restaurant Iris just a little over a year ago, and already you’ve received so many accolades. How does it feel?
It always feels good to be recognized, but we are committed to getting better at we do every day we walk in the door. I can't begin to emphasize enough what every member of the Restaurant Iris family means to our success; this is definitely not a "one-man show."

We noticed that you have your grandmother’s (delicious) buttermilk pancakes and your father’s grillades on the menu. Is your family a big influence in your cooking?
Without a doubt, my family's influence is ever present. Coming from south Louisiana, everyone cooks. You aren't a real man if you can't make a dark roux. The memories of my family's meals always inspire me.

We understand that you’ve trained under John Besh. What is the most important culinary lesson he taught you?
Let me tell you first that John Besh is a better man than a chef, and he is the best chef I have ever met. Passion for food and making people happy surrounds him every moment of the day. The most important thing he ever taught me was to cook every meal as if I were serving it to my mother. If it's good enough for Mama, then it's good enough for me.

Do you try to cook with local, seasonal ingredients?
I don't know any other way. There is nothing better than knowing your farmer and knowing where your ingredients come from.

Do you have any cooking advice for time-strapped parents?
My advice is for time-strapped parents to give me a call and eat with us! Seriously, good ingredients don't need to be fussed with too much. If you feed your children foods in season, there is nothing to worry about.