(Image credit: Brian Killian/WireImage/Getty Imaages)

We’d like to think that the Cookie Monster celebrates his birthday by blowing out the candles on one giant cookie.  Although this character celebrates his birthday on November 2, it is also celebrated today in honor of the birthday of Muppet puppeteer, Frank Oz.

RECIPE: Chewy Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Here are some of the best cookie spots around the country that would make Cookie Monster proud:

1.  Insomnia Cookies  Try flavors like white chocolate macadamia, snickerdoodle and double chocolate mint for $1.25/each or opt for the jumbo deluxe cookies in flavors like s’mores or triple chocolate for $2.50/each.

2.  Pokey O’s  Pick your cookie and then your ice cream for the ultimate sandwich.  Cappuccino chocolate chunk, maple pecan and coconut chocolate chip are a few of the options that can be paired with over 15 choices of ice cream for $3.39.

3.  Batter Bakery  Chocolate espresso, oatmeal cherry and chocolate peanut butter cup are some of the options along with other classic flavors.  The double chocolate sandwich cookies are hard to resist at $1.50.

4.  Milk & Cookies Bakery    The new bacon smack cookie has maple syrup, cherry wood smoked bacon, dried cranberries, toffee pieces, graham cracker pieces and dark chocolate chunks.  Need we say more? ($2.25)

5.  Firehook Bakery  Try the sweet dreams cookie: a chocolate chip cookie with ginger, cinnamon, walnuts and confectioner’s sugar glaze. ($1.70)

The days of tirelessly smacking the ketchup bottle, only to have it explode on your plate, are finally over.   Dave Smith, a Ph.D. candidate at MIT, has spent the last two months at the Varanasi Research Group developing a slippery non-toxic coating that will end all of your ketchup frustrations.

The coating, named LiquiGlide, keeps condiments like mayo or mustard from sticking to the inside of the container, so that they smoothly slide onto your plate.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

LiquiGlide is a “kind of a structured liquid — it’s rigid like a solid, but it’s lubricated like a liquid,” Smith told Fast Company.

“It’s funny: Everyone is always like, ‘Why bottles? What’s the big deal?’ But then you tell them the market for bottles — just the sauces alone is a $17 billion market,” he said, “And if all those bottles had our coating, we estimate that we could save about one million tons of food from being thrown out every year.”

The LiquiGlide group came in second at MIT’s $100k Entrepreneurship Competition.

Take a look at the product in action:

Hundreds of Hot Dogs Fell From the Detroit Sky (David Coates/The Detroit News)

Look, up in the sky! It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s…a hot dog? Yes, 955 of them of them to be exact. In honor of the landmark American Coney Island restaurant’s 95th anniversary, the restaurant teamed up with Detroit station 95.5 to host a hot-dog hoarding contest at Detroit’s Hype Athletics Facility Wednesday morning.

According to American Coney Island Restaurant owner Grace Keros, 955 hot dogs weigh about 140 lbs. That’s 140 lbs of  processed meat. Or as Seros affectionately corrects, “hundreds of specialty seasoned Coney Dogs.”

Who couldn’t pass that up?

About 100 Coney-aficionados flocked to the open field that the restaurant had rented to participate in a stuffing contest. Twenty-five of them then rushed around the field trying to stuff as many of the hot dogs on their person as they could in 95 seconds, stuffing them in their pockets, shirts, and who knows what other orifices.

The winner carried away $1,000 and American Coneys for a year.

“It was certainly a sight to see, ” said Keros.

Keros is a third-generation owner and the first woman to ever own the popular restaurant. It was opened by her grandfather, Gus “Constantine” Keros, a Greek immigrant, in 1917. The chain sells thousands of hot dogs each year, according to Keros.

As part of the 95th anniversary, customers can buy their Coneys at a discounted price, for only 95 cents from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

And as for all those dropped Coneys, never fear. All the hot dogs will go to the Detroit Dog Rescue Organization.

It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there.

                                                                            (Image Credit: law-order-food.tumblr.com)

“Law & Order,” the classic TV show, is known for its catchy theme song, ripped-from-the-headlines stories and now “it’s right to remain delicious.”

A new Tumbler blog called Law and Order and Food launched about two weeks ago and highlights some of the best culinary moments on the show.  No, the blog is not for the gourmet elite but really just a chance for you to see Sam Waterson and Jerry Orbach take an enormous bite out of a burger or lick of an ice cream cone.  Nothing softens up a hard-nosed detective like a New York-style pretzel or a slice of pizza.

                                                                                                     (Image credit: Getty Images)

According to the National Confectioner’s Association, sticky saltwater taffy is believed to have originated in Atlantic City, N.J., in the 1800′s.  Shop-owner David Bradley’s stock of taffy was flooded with saltwater during a storm.  A girl walked in to buy the taffy, Bradley jokingly nicknamed it “salt water taffy” and the name stuck.  Surprisingly, very few saltwater taffy recipes actually call for salt.

RECIPE: Saltwater Taffy

Here are some of the best places to get the sweet confections:

1.  Sweet Candy Company’s Gourmet Taffy $4.99/box  Flavors like buttered popcorn, cotton candy and red licorice are included in their State Fair box.

2. Fralinger’s Original Saltwater Taffy $8.99/box This company is credited with being one of the original companies that started selling saltwater taffy in Atlantic City.

3. James’ Beach Bucket of Saltwater Taffy $12.49/bucket  This Atlantic City company features flavors like coconut, lime and peanut in a signature beach bucket.

4.  Trolley Taffy Station $9.25/pound Each piece of this Salt Lake City, Utah taffy is wrapped by hand.  Flavors include pina colada, chocolate moose and yummy rum.

5.  Haven’s Maine Salt Water Taffy $7.95/box Flavors like molasses peanut butter, butterscotch and strawberry cheesecake make this Maine taffy difficult to resist.

Grilling Accessories

Start with the right gadgets and accessories:

*Meat thermometer wireless option is great

*Grill thermometer: Can utilize your grill like as an oven, this helps regulate the internal temperature

*Proper utensils…

Sturdy grill brush: Go heavy-duty. The light weight ones fall apart quickly.

Spatula: Go with a large and sturdy spatula

Basting brush: Look for the new silicone bristles. They don’t fall apart, hold up to high heat and are dishwasher safe

Mister bottle: Always keep on hand for flare-ups

Tongs: These are a necessary tool so you don’t pierce meats and lose valuable juices

Fire extinguisher: Better safe than sorry

Grilling Tips

*Bring meat to room temperature then sear on high to keep the juices in

*Don’t be in a hurry to turn

Once you put something on the grill, leave it alone until it’s time to turn it. If you flip, squish, or move the meat too much, you’ll push out the juices, making it dry.

* Keep a lid on it

Every time you peak at the food while cooking, you lose heat and smoke which gives your food that great grilled flavor.

*Glaze or Sauce a little at a time

You want to layer your glazes and sauces creating layers of flavor and not just a thick crust that usually burns.

Great grilling foods you might not think of:

*Avocados (perfect on their own or use in salads, sandwiches or guacamole as an appetizer)

*Grilled lettuce (fantastic flavor and an easy first course)

*Grilled sweet peppers (easy delicious side dish)

*Grilled lobster tails on skewers (great taste and the skewers keep the tails from curling)

* Grilled fruit such as peaches, plums and pineapple (great for dessert)

Touch Test (area between thumb and index finger)

*Hand open: Rare

*Open circle with thumb touching index finger: Medium

* Closed fist: Well

Grilling Debates

*Charcoal vs. Gas

*Tomato or vinegar based sauces

*Best type of grill and grates: Egg, Weber, Monogram

Finally: To help keep your grates seasoned, brush with oil after each use

                                                                                       (Image credit: Luca Bruno/AP Photo)

The 6.0 magnitude earthquake that hit northern Italy Sunday night killed seven people and damaged $200 million worth of cheese and agricultural supplies.

The quake struck parts of Bologna, Modena and Mantova, which are known for their Parmesan and Grana Padano cheeses.

The Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese Consortium reported that 300,000 wheels of cheese fell from maturing racks and 10 cheese storage facilities were damaged.  Producers are trying to salvage the surviving cheese before mold sets in.

Although some of the damage wheels can be used in the short term, they are estimating that 10 percent of the Parmesan industry will be affected.

Cesare Casella, chef of Salumeria Rosi, spoke with producers in Grana Padano to get an idea of the damage that had been done.

“The point is that yes, they say ‘they lost $250,000,000 worth of cheese.’  But I don’t think there is going to be a shortage.  I think they are going to raise the price because maybe it’s a good opportunity to raise the price,” said Casella.

The wheels of cheese age anywhere between 12 to 24 months and can cost up to $530 per wheel.

Producer Oriano Caretti told the Associated Press, “Considering that what you see here represents the work of seven companies for two years, this means that the repercussions on the rural economy of these farms and this territory will feel it pretty badly.”

The cheese-makers have resumed production despite the damages.

“Cows produce milk and it needs to be transformed,” Caretti said.

                                                                                                       (Image credit: Getty Images)

Vanilla pudding takes us back to childhood days of pudding packs and after-school snacks.  You don’t have to be a kid to enjoy this dessert for National Vanilla Pudding Day.  Homemade vanilla pudding is comfort food at its finest.  Whip up this treat tonight.

Cooking Light’s Vanilla Bean Pudding

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup half-and-half
2 large egg yolks
4 teaspoons butter

Directions:

Place milk in a medium, heavy saucepan. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean; add seeds and bean to milk. Bring to a boil.

Combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a large bowl, stirring well. Combine half-and-half and egg yolks, stirring well. Stir egg yolk mixture into sugar mixture. Gradually add half of hot milk to sugar mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk.

Return hot milk mixture to pan; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly with a whisk. Remove from heat. Add butter, stirring until melted. Remove vanilla bean; discard.

Spoon pudding into a bowl. Place bowl in a large ice-filled bowl for 15 minutes or until pudding cools, stirring occasionally. Cover surface of pudding with plastic wrap; chill.
Peanut Butter Pudding Variation: Omit vanilla bean, salt, and butter; stir in 1/4 cup reduced-fat creamy peanut butter after custard is cooked. Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 1/2 cup).

Coconut Pudding Variation: Omit vanilla bean. Omit 3/4 cup milk, and replace it with 3/4 cup light unsweetened coconut milk. Omit butter; stir in 1/2 cup toasted sweetened flaked coconut after pudding is cooked. Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 1/2 cup).

For more great comfort food recipes, visit Cookinglight.com

If vanilla isn’t your favorite flavor, try these other options:

Peanut Butter Pudding

Shaq O’Neal’s Banana Pudding

Chocolate Bits Pudding

Emeril’s  Warm Pudding Cakes

                                                                                                  (Image credit: Getty Images)

By DIANE HENDERIKS

It’s 5 p.m. and what am I going to feed these people? Been there, done that. How many times have you stood in the middle of the kitchen, stared at the clock, it’s dinner time and you’ve done nothing about it–including shop.

I’ve got simple solutions to a last-minute dinner.  Here are five quick meals using stuff that you probably have in your pantry and fridge.  The best part is they are all simple and kid-friendly.

1. Taco Night

The easiest way to do this is to put each ingredient in a separate bowl and place in the center of the table. Take a can of black beans, pinto beans, black eyed peas or whatever is available. Drain and rinse. Finely chop veggies that are in the fridge — lettuce, cucumber, red bell peppers, onion, green beans, celery, radishes, whatever.  Put in separate bowls, grab whatever cheese you have in the fridge – cheddar, mozzarella, Monterey jack, parmesan. Again whatever. If you have ground chicken, turkey or lean beef in the freezer, that’s great. Just defrost and saute with a little dried cumin, cilantro, chili powder.  Make a quick salsa by taking some of the veggies you just chopped, squeeze in some lime juice, sprinkle with salt and pepper, toss in some garlic and drizzle some tomato juice or sauce. Take hard or soft corn tortillas and place in center of the table. Ole!

RECIPE:  Diane’s Mexican Ground Turkey

2. Breakfast for Dinner

My two boys love this dinner and this will very likely be your kids’ favorite. Call it “Opposite Day.” Make breakfast for dinner, and let them have dinner for breakfast on another day. And there’s another word for that: LEFTOVERS!

A few suggestions:

• Tossed salad and scrambled eggs (just like in the tune from “Fraiser”).  Add a slice of whole grain toast or potatoes and dinner is served!
• Pancakes or waffles… grate in some apples, pears or add chopped banana or raisins – serve with a fresh fruit smoothie
• Yogurt parfait…low fat yogurt, fresh fruit, unsweetened cereal, chopped nuts or any combination you like.
• Omelettes with your favorite fillings, hashed sweet potatoes and fresh fruit

RECIPE: Veggie and Cheese Fritatta

3. Casseroles

Combine, pour in pan and bake…can’t get easier than that! Use leftover or fresh cooked whole grain pasta (takes just a few minutes to boil up). Stir in canned tuna or salmon, leftover chicken or another lean protein. Then, add in a little grated cheese, ricotta or cottage cheese, an egg or two if you fancy and any frozen or fresh veggie on hand. Top with a thin layer of breadcrumbs and bake at 325 for about 20 minutes. Bon appetit!

RECIPE: Diane Henderiks’ Mac & Cheese Casserole With Tuna & Kale

4. All-in-One Salads

Make a huge salad with whatever veggies you have. Toss with your favorite dressing or make a quick one with 2 parts olive oil, 1 part vinegar (balsamic, red wine, rice wine, cider, any kind), Dijon mustard, and dried spices. Top with leftover protein, canned salmon or tuna, beans, rotisserie chicken pieces, tempeh, tofu, edamame, etc. and serve with a few whole grain crackers.

RECIPE: Diane Henderiks’ Citrus Vinaigrette

5. Pizza

Start by toasting whole grain English muffins, bread or pitas, and top with homemade or jarred tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, shredded part skim mozzarella, and basil or your favorite fresh herbs. Top it off with some veggies and you’ve got yourself a pizza!

RECIPE: Wolfgang Puck’s Barbecue Chicken Pizza

Diane Henderiks is a registered dietitian, the founder of Dianehenderiks.com and a “Good Morning America” health contributor.

(Image credit: ABC News)

Celebrity chef Paula Deen has revamped her diet and lost 30 pounds, she told the co-hosts of “The View” today.

Today’s episode, which took a look at increasing American obesity rates, was titled “The Fat Show.” Co-host Joy Behar quipped to Deen “and you’re the guest of honor.”

Deen has come under fire in recent weeks for waiting to announce her diabetes diagnosis and signing a pharmaceutical promo deal with Novo Nordisk.

The co-hosts gave Deen the opportunity to defend herself against critics of the buttery recipes she has become known for.

“Studies have shown, Barbara, that there’s not one food that causes diabetes.  What causes Type II diabetes is being overweight…I’ve just come to grips, over the past four or five months, with my diabetes.”

“This is not something I chose,” she said. “I’m the only one in my family, and my family we all eat the same way.”

RECIPES: Paula Deen’s Most Outrageous Recipes

However, Deen does acknowledge that she received warnings from her doctors in the past.

“I ignored it for the first couple of years — I thought the doctor was wrong.”

Deen has lost 30 pounds, eating in moderation and allowing herself one cheat day a week with her family.

“I have rearranged my plate,” she said, adding she doesn’t eat comfort food as often.