Ahhh, winter eating. It can be a bit trying with the lack of fresh vegetables. Even more trying is pulling together a fast dinner that kids will love. That's where grilled cheese comes in. It's proof that somewhere out there, someone wants your life to be easier. And easy it shall be, since these 10 scrumptious grilled cheese recipes can be made in minutes. - By Elizabeth Stark and Brian Campbell

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CupcakesCupcakes are delicious and fun to make at home. Bakers love them for their simplicity, and cake lovers love them for their size and portability. However it does take mastering a few basic tricks to make the perfect cupcakes. We met up with Buddy Valastro, owner of Carlo's Bakery and host of Cake Boss and Next Great Baker, to get his tips for making the perfect cupcake.

Add Custard Cream to Cake Batter

The perfect cake should have a spongy, tight grain to it so that it has a velvety feel in the mouth. The way Buddy gets this is by adding a little bit of custard cream to the batter. It will help your cake to achieve the desired consistency and stay moist.

Oven Temperature Controls Shape

Depending on your vision, you may want a large, rounded dome on your cupcake, or maybe even a flat top. If you want a dome, bake your cupcakes at a higher temperature. If you want a flat top, bake them at a lower temperature (25 to 35 degrees lower). They will still cook all the way,

While Fabio's date waits for him at an upscale bar, he gives us the skinny on how to make delicious low-calorie, scandalous drinks.

• Skip the sugary syrups and reduce calories with natural flavor. Stevia, agave and pomegranate syrups all have great sweetening qualities without excessive sugar.
• Muddling fruits and vegetables into a drink (mashing them up and straining them), imbues fresh flavors without adding calories.
• To take champagne or sparkling wine over the top, combine it with absinthe.

SMART & SEXY COCKTAILS

Recipes courtesy of The Library Bar at Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel

Currant AttractionCurrant Attraction

Yield: 1 cocktail

Ingredients:

5-7 red and black currants (substitute: raspberries and blueberries, respectively)

4 wild arugula leaves

¾ oz. fresh lime juice

¾ oz. agave nectar

juice of one blood orange

2 oz. tequila

Method:

In a cocktail shaker, add the first five ingredients in layers, in order.

Muddle all the ingredients together.

Virtuous and colorful: two words that should always be associated with a weeknight dinner at home, but too rarely are. Deep violet radicchio roasted with meaty, pink shrimp are a simple and brillant pairing. EmilyC adds a few halved cherry tomatoes, but it being the beginning of Feburary you may not want to use them (or maybe you do, we won't judge!). If this all sounds just a little too virtuous, well, unlike those cherry tomatoes, clementines are in season, which means that it'd probably be a good idea to make a pound cake with them. Like maybe SavvyJulie's? And if you decide to serve it with a sizeable dollop of whipped cream, even better.

The Menu

Roasted Radicchio with Shrimp and Warm Bacon Vinaigrette by EmilyC

Serves 2 to 3 as a main course; 4 to 6 as a side dish

2 small heads radicchio
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, divided
Kosher salt + freshly ground black pepper
1 pound medium shrimp,

A steakhouse-caliber classic, ready in minutes at home

By the editors of Men's Health

Cook Seared Sirloin with Red-Wine Mushrooms

INGREDIENTS:
1 Tbsp olive oil
4 six-ounce steaks (trimmed sirloin or petite filets)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 shallots, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 lb white or cremini mushrooms, cleaned, stems removed, and sliced
1 cup red wine
1 cup low-sodium beef stock
2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary

MINUTES 1-10
Sear the steaks

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Heat the oil in a large cast-iron or oven-safe skillet on high. Season the steaks with salt and plenty of black pepper and add them to the hot pan. Sear for 3 to 4 minutes until a deep brown crust develops on one side. Then flip the steaks over.

Which type of beef is best? Click here to learn the difference between different beef cuts.

MINUTES 11-18
Transfer them to the oven

Place the skillet in the oven to finish cooking (6 to 8 minutes for medium rare; an instant-read thermometer

House Beautiful's new food columnist for 2013, celebrity chef Alex Hitz, puts a distinctively gourmet spin on down-home dishes. Here, he shares an elegant and festive oyster stew recipe. And don't forget to check out his new cookbook, My Beverly Hills Kitchen.

If there's any month that needs to include a bit of celebration, it's February. Don't let the winter gloom get you down. Here's an easy, elegant, festive dish that's simple to prepare, yet bursting with incredible flavor - and it takes no more than 20 minutes from start to finish. Less, really, because most of that time is just spent simmering it to concentrate the flavors. It's got "Romantic Dinner for Two" written all over it. (Not to mention, of course, that it's actually an aphrodisiac!)

To celebrate, pour a glass of Champagne, set the table, and make this stew (then, finish with some of my chocolate mousse that I'm sure you already made yesterday).

Related: Sandra Lee's Pesto Cheese Straws

Few things are as

Salmon with Red Pepper Pesto

If you don't like the bite of raw garlic, drop the clove in boiling water for 1 minute to blanch, then proceed with the pesto.

Salmon with Red Pepper Pesto

Ingredients

4 (6-ounce) fresh or frozen sustainable salmon fillets (such as wild Alaskan)
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
Cooking spray
1/3 cup chopped bottled roasted red bell peppers, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
7 whole blanched almonds
1 garlic clove

See More: Superfast Seafood

Preparation

1. Heat grill pan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle fish evenly with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Coat pan with cooking spray. Arrange fish in pan; cook for 4 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness.

2. While the fish cooks, combine remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, bell peppers, and remaining ingredients in a blender or food processor, and process until smooth. Serve pesto over fish.