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.

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

Epi-Log compiles this week's noteworthy food-focused events nationwide, including one dedicated entirely to garlic.

Kathy Thomas, mother of four and coauthor of the soon-to-be-released Park Avenue Potluck Celebrations, (with New York Times food columnist Florence Fabricant and the Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering) suggests this cheap and easy frittata for a quick dinner. Partial proceeds from the book will go to patient care, education, and research initiatives at the cancer center.


Makes 12 servings

12 large eggs
1/2 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 large ripe tomatoes, peeled and sliced
1 pound fresh or smoked mozzarella, diced
2 tablespoons slivered basil leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the broiler.
2. In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the milk.
3. Pour 1 tablespoon of the oil into a very large ovenproof skillet, or use 2 skillets with half the ingredients in each. Place over medium heat on the stovetop and pour in the egg mixture.
4. Scatter the tomatoes, cheese, and basil over the eggs. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. When the bottom just begins to brown, place the skillet under the broiler just until the top is set, a minute or less.
6. Remove it from the oven and use a large spatula to transfer the frittata to a serving platter. 7. Cool about 10 minutes, cut into wedges, and serve.

Continue reading Summer's Last Hurrah: Spaghetti with Frutti di Mare »

The September 21 issue of The Nation taps eating heavyweights such as Alice Waters, Michael Pollan, and Dan Barber to discuss the democratization of food, school-lunch reform, and community gardens, among other hot topics.

A new food-labeling campaign called the Smart Choices Program purports to help consumers make healthier food and beverage choices ... and gives sugary cereals and full-fat mayo its stamp of approval? The New York Times reports.

Sweet crab makes a perfect centerpiece for a summer meal, and any kid loves a little fried nugget with dipping sauce on the side. Chefs Mark Gaier and Clark Frasier of Summer Winter in Burlington, Massachusetts, recommend these easy crab cakes.

 
For the crab cakes:
 
4 ounces crab meat 
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour, plus flour for dredging
1 teaspoon butter
1 teaspoon yellow onions, chopped
1/2 cup bread crumbs 
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil

1. Mix the crab meat, lemon juice, sour cream, and flour to combine in medium bowl.
2. Melt the butter in saute pan and cook onions over medium heat until soft. Add the bread crumbs and continue to cook for one minute. Set aside and cool.
3. Combine the onion mixture with the crab mixture. Season with salt and mix thoroughly.
4. Portion the mixture into two cakes and dredge them in flour.
5. Heat oil over medium-high heat and fry the cakes for three minutes on each side until golden brown.


For the remoulade:

1/4 cup sweet gherkin pickles
1/4 cup red onion
1 3/4 cups mayonnaise
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
1 3/4 teaspoon sambal
1 1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
Salt and pepper to taste

1.  Finely chop the pickles and onion.
2.  In a bowl, combine the pickles and onion with the rest of the ingredients and mix until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (If you're in a hurry, mayo mixed with the grainy mustard is delicious on its own!)
 
 

A couple of weeks ago, during that all-too-brief patch of glorious summer weather, some friends invited us to their place for dinner alfresco. We'd been to the fish shop and brought along our catch: a dozen jumbo Mexican shrimp. The barbecue was already going, so we mixed up some minced garlic and chopped parsley, split each of the colossal crustaceans and stuffed them with the mix, squirted the lot with lemon juice, and gave them a turn on the grill. The result: summer perfection.