Blog Posts by Epicurious.com

Yesterday, the first day of Summer, also marked the start of Giving Through Growing, a partnership between Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi and the American Community Gardening Association (ACGA) to support the development of community gardens throughout the U.S.

The program, which runs through the end of the year, allows you to send "e-seeds" to friends and family, and for every seed sent, Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi will donate $1 to the ACGA to a total of $40,000. The funds will be used to create garden education seminars in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York, helping to further the growing community garden movement. The photo above shows part of the community garden at La Plaza Cultural in New York's East Village (photo by Sara Jaye Weiss).

To send "e-seeds" and to learn more about the Giving Through Growing program and the ACGA, go to woodbridgewines.com/garden.

Don't have a lot of space for a garden? Learn how to grow a windowsill garden

by Lauren Salkeld

I've been in Cornwall, England for the past few days, where I've had the pleasure of stuffing my face with as many Cornish pasties as I can lay my paws on.

A pasty is a round piece of flaky pastry folded and baked around some kind of filling, so that the finished product resembles a well-stuffed half-moon. My English hosts explained to me that pasties were originally devised as an all-in-one, lunch-plus-lunch-transport-unit for miners.

Traditional pasties were supposed to contain at least two compartments of filling, one savory and one sweet. Miners would hold the pasty by the "seam" and eat it end to end, so that they got their lunch first and their dessert last. A complete lunch in one handy package: It definitely appeals to my love of order and efficiency. Until you bite into it, of course, and all that order and efficiency tumbles out into your napkin.

After devouring one particularly tasty pasty, we got to talking about how many of the world's great snack foods are

There are two types of booze-loving dads: Those who long ago established a favorite drink (and couldn't care less about how Sherry affects the Scotch aging process) and those eager to taste something new (but which might cost more than a meal for four).

In the last year, the whiskey world has seen extra-aged Scotches, anniversary editions, and small-batch surprises from respected makers like the Balvenie, Glenlivet, Laphroaig, Ardmore, Canadian Club, and Highland Park. Plus lesser-known whiskeys like the rye from Iowa producer (!) Templeton.

The price range of these new releases is $35 to $500. Exorbitant, yes. Ludicrous in this economy? Sure. But remember: The more you pay, the more likely you're getting something that's aged (and mellowed) for decades, is tremendously scarce, and tastes pretty darn good. Consider these novelties, as you would a $10,000 cocktail.

And if your dad doesn't drink, or doesn't want you get him a drink, you can always peruse our more

The season of barbecues is in full swing, and that means...lots of trash. I know, we're all trying not to be wasteful, but let's be honest: The last time you had an outdoor get-together, didn't you end up with multiple bags of garbage at the end of the party?

I know I did, which is why I was happy to hear about a newish line of disposable plates and cups. Solo, makers of the colorful plastic plates ubiquitous at summer gatherings, has introduced a more "eco-forward" line (their term): Bare by Solo.

So what exactly does "eco-forward" mean? They're still disposable, which of course is not ideal: probably a more earth-friendly option would be the reusable plates made by Bambu. But those are more than a dollar each, whereas the Bare plates run about 21 cents each, just slightly more than conventional disposable plates. And of course, sometimes even the most eco-conscious host just can't deal with washing dishes.

Bare offers several options, so you can choose how you want to

I have a problem with cookbooks devoted to baking, desserts, and anything sweet. The problem is that I buy too many. In fact, my small Manhattan apartment contains so many baking cookbooks that I've had to put myself on a strict no-baking-book-diet. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending how you look at it) two new confectionary titles have caught my eye and may force me to break my own rules.

Babycakes

by Erin McKenna
Babycakes is a beloved bakery on Manhattan's Lower East Side specializing in vegan, gluten-free (and often sugar-free) baked goods. It's a bit of a godsend for anyone with food allergies, wheat-intolerance, or strict ethics (in the case of vegans), but it's also wildly popular with folks who regularly enjoy dairy, wheat, etc.

In her new cookbook, Babycakes chef and owner Erin McKenna shares the secrets to her sweets. In addition to recipes for her beloved cupcakes, cookies, pies, cobblers, crumbles, muffins, scones, biscuits, brownies, teacakes, and

I've been in food journalism for a long time and one of the questions I get is about my strategy for keeping the pounds off as much as possible. While I don't diet, I do watch what I eat, try to walk and climb stairs whenever possible, and always emphasize the positive aspects of my body while trying to camouflage the negative. However, there are a few secrets I've learned along the way that usually stop me from overeating.

Here are my top five diet tips. Share yours with us in the comments section below:

• Fill Up with Liquids: Before I eat, I drink at least 8 ounces of water, tea, or coffee so that my thirst is quenched and my stomach already feels a little full.

• Pack in Fiber First: Just as I recommend in my Real Food for Healthy Kids family cookbook, starting a meal with raw veggies fills the tummy with fiber-rich foods that provide a feeling of fullness. Eating raw veggies also slows down the eating process, giving your stomach the 20 minutes it needs to

Mastered the basic grilling techniques? Take your cooking to the next level with these flavor enhancers

OK, you've got your grilling basics down. You're familiar with the various types of barbecue fuel, when to use direct versus indirect heat, how to arrange the grill for each method, and when to take the food off. (For a complete guide to these techniques and more, see our grilling primer.)

But maybe you're itching to take it to the next level: Are your taste buds getting a bit bored with your repertoire? Wishing you could change things up a bit?

According to Elizabeth Karmel, author of Soaked, Slathered, and Seasoned: A Complete Guide to Flavoring Food for the Grill, the answer lies in what she calls "flavor accessories." You see, she explains, great grilling is only half about how you actually cook the ingredients. Once you've got that part down, the key to making it your own is learning how to add flavor in different ways. There are various options to accomplish

Sometimes a recipe ingredient can turn me right off. Perhaps I'm particularly sensitive to the sound of certain words. Or maybe I've just made unpleasant associations with some words and foods over the years. Anyway, here are my Top 5 most revolting food words:

1. Spleen. I read a cookbook recipe for braised spleen over the weekend. Actually, I read as far as "spleen." I'm sorry, but some things are just not meant to be on my plate. This is one of them.

2. Lacquered. You can lacquer a table or an ornate hairstyle, but not my peaches.

3. Jellied. No explanation needed.

4. Preserved. If something is old enough to have to be preserved, I'd rather not eat it. That's probably just me, though.

5. Offal. This tied with tripe. Can't get my head around those, even though my colleague Siobhan outed herself as an offal convert last week.

If I've put you off your breakfast, feel free to retaliate by posting your own Top 5 Disgusting Foods right here.

by Joanne Camas