From the UK’s Vogue.com, comes a report that fashion house Salvatore Ferragamo has put together a collection of 18th Century fine Italian recipes selected by Prince Don Paolo Borghese.  The book, entitled Le ricette per cucina raccolte dal Principe Don Paolo Borghese, will release in September.  I can hardly wait.

This collection of profiles, put together by the NY Times, is really entertaining and definitely worth spending a couple of minutes listening to.  My favorites, of course, were the stories related to food and drink–The Mozzarella Maker, The Singing Waitress, and The Blind Taster.

My pal Lizzy brought me this box of amazing chocolates from Portland chocolatier, Sara Hart of Alma Chocolate.  These artisan beauties were brilliant - each and every one of them - with the Thai Peanut Butter Cup in the middle being my rock bomb favorite.  Inside is a peanut-buttery center, rich with coconut, ginger, chile and lime (I’m sure I’ve missed something, but that’s what stood out) flavors.  Sara’s chocolates are all intriguing and Lizzy’s coming down to New Orleans soon -I sense a big box of many Thai Peanut Butter Cups in my future…

Wow.  No idea if this will be any good, but I’ll definitely go see the flick just to watch Meryl Streep’s AMAZING impression of Julia Child!   See the Julie and Julia trailer for youself!

At a really neat Indian-owned specialty food shop in NYC called Kalustyan’s, I bought this yogurt beverage.  It’s ingredients listed yogurt and soda water.  I figured, I like soda and yogurt–why not give it a try?!  Wrong.

This, and I hate to say it, but feel I must, was really bad.  It tasted just like soda and yogurt.  Not a classic combination.

However, if in NYC, do not prevent yourself from visiting Kalustyan’s because the tiny shop’s jam-packed, floor-to-ceiling shelves of herbs, spices, flavored-salts, cooking tools, prepared foods, nuts, dried fruits, teas and coffees, cookbooks, etc., are not to be missed by anyone who enjoys cooking.

I adore cake.  I would be what one might politely call a “pastry nut.”   So, I keep up with many dessert-driven magazines and web info, including a brilliant web site that pokes a lot of fun at both pro and amateur cakes - cakewrecks.com.  A recent spate of posts features calamity cakes with  misspellings, mistakes, and miserable messages in cake-top piping.  Seriously, nothing says “Happy 17th Birthday” like a personal reminder regarding under garments, right?  And, did you notice the spelling gaff? Yikes.  Need a laugh, click on the link. Genius.

Emeril went on Jim Cramer’s Mad Money last night to discuss his new restaurant, Emeril’s Chop House and the state of the economy.

Emeril describes an easy sauce to accompany grilled fish, vegetables and more during a live on-air cooking demonstration in the SIRIUS XM Studios.

I’m speechless…  Just click the link to see more wacky photos of  birds stealing ice cream.

These shots are fantastically intruiging and have such wonderful color.  As described by the artist,  Douglas Adesko, “there are only a handful of activities that are truly fundamental to our existence, and eating is one of them.  Family Meal is a visual exploration of this primal act in the context of contemporary American family life.”