[1] Bake big, soft pretzels and invite friends to bring the beer. The simplest garnish: melted butter (both photos © King Arthur Baking).

[2] How about an “everything bagel” topping for your soft pretzels, here served with both mustard and softened cream cheese dip?

[3] Parmesan-topped soft pretzels with a beer-cheese dip. Here’s the recipe (photo © Wisconsin Dairy).

[4] Stuffed with mozzarella, topped with pepperoni. Here’s the recipe (photo © Pampered Chef).

Hard pretzels are ubiquitous, but soft pretzels have become so popular that they’re no longer a ballpark or theme park snack. You can now find them in your grocer’s freezer case (look for SuperPretzel and other brands).

Or, bake this soft pretzel recipe from scratch.
 
> Check out the history of pretzels.
 
 
SOFT PRETZEL TOPPINGS & GARNISHES

Here are some garnishing tips from SuperPretzel. Be sure the pretzels are cool enough to eat; then garnish:

 
 
Do you have a favorite way to eat soft pretzels? Let us know.
 
 
MORE SOFT PRETZEL RECIPES

This smooth lobster spread is a bit of
heaven. Photo courtesy Giovanni’s.

We don’t know who gave us this little tin of Giovanni’s Lobster Pâté with Cognac. We were browsing through a box of unopened food samples and the little blue can with the big red lobster popped out at us. It may have arrived in a holiday basket last year.

But whoever you are: Thank you! Thank you!

We didn’t have high expectations, but boy were we surprised. And for $2.49 per 2.75-ounce tin, it’s a bargain. (Small size, huge taste).

Very smooth and creamy, with forward flavors of fine lobster and Cognac, it was so delicious that we tracked it down on Amazon.com and ordered 12 cans. And that’s just for us.
For the holidays, we’ll return for the 48-pack: $149.00. Stocking stuffers don’t get better than this!We’ll be back to order a supply for holiday gifts.

The difference is Champagne Day (October 26th) versus National Champagne Day (December 31st). The former was declared by the Champagne Bureau, the U.S. representative of the Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne (CIVC), the trade association that represents the grape growers and houses of the Champagne region of France.

We love a reason to open a bottle, so we’re happy to celebrate National Champagne Day several times a year. We’ll pop the cork tonight and serve the Champagne with Giovanni’s Lobster Pâté.

We enjoy it spread on warm toast quarters (brioche or white bread); but you can use crackers or eat it straight from the can. It’s that irresistible.

Check out our overview of Champagne and sparkling wine.

Chicken and cheese are a delightful combination. So here’s a different spin on the classic Caesar: Switch out the Parmesan for another flavorful cheese.

The idea comes from Landana, which makes a delicious Olives & Tomatoes Gouda cheese. The Gouda is flecked with sun-ripened tomatoes and mild olives, Mediterranean flavors that are delicious with chicken.

You can also use blue cheese, pepper jack, and flavored Cheddars like those from Cabot Cheese (Chipotle, Garlic Herb, Hand Rubbed Tuscan, Horseradish, Hot Buffalo Wing, Hot Habanero, Smoky Bacon and Tomato Basil, plus Jalapeño Light and Pepper Jack Light).

These days, kale has become a popular substitute for romaine in a classic Caesar Salad. We’ve included it as an option in the ingredients.

> National Caesar Salad Day is July 4th.
 
 
RECIPE: CHICKEN & CHEESE SALAD

In addition to changing cheeses, this recipe adds grapes and nuts/seeds.

The preparation time is 20 minutes.

 
For The Dressing

 
Preparation

1. GRILL. Cut the chicken breasts into strips and grill in a grill pan.

2. TOAST. Toast the nut mixture briefly (how to toast nuts).

3. MIX. Mix the dressing ingredients.

4. COMBINE. Combine the lettuce, chicken, cheese, grapes, and nuts into a serving bowl. Toss with the dressing.

Serving Suggestions

BREAD. This salad is delicious with fresh Italian ciabatta bread and (homemade) tapenade.

WINE. Serve this salad with a refreshing rosé or a crisp white wine.
 
 
CAESAR SALAD HISTORY

Here’s the true story about the origin of the Caesar Salad, and the original Caesar Salad recipe.

Caesar Salad was named after the restaurateur who created it. What would you call this variation of a Caesar Salad?

Kids will discover that healthful foods are exciting. Image courtesy Kids Food Festival.

It’s tough to get kids to establish healthful eating habits. Aside from all the media messages, there’s peer pressure and the ubiquity of not-good-for-you food and beverage choices.

But what if good eating could be presented as a fun activity? That’s what Cricket Azima, kids food expert and founder of The Creative Kitchen, thought when she designed the Kids Food Festival.

Now in its second year, in partnership with Cooking Light, the festival is a weekend full of flavorful fun held in Manhattan’s Bryant Park (42nd Street and Avenue Of The Americas) on November 3rd and 4th, 2012.

WHAT IS THE KIDS FOOD FESTIVAL?

The Kids Food Festival is a celebration to educate families about making balanced food choices. This helps to create wholesome lifelong eating habits for both kids and parents.

The weekend-long event offers a host of family-friendly activities including cooking classes, food demonstrations, live entertainment, the Balanced Plate Scavenger Hunt for kids, food sampling, giveaways and more. General admission to the event is free and open to the public.

Cooking Classes For Kids

Some of New York’s top chefs will provide hands-on cooking classes for kids at The James Beard Foundation Future Foodies Pavilion, including Ellie Krieger, Jehangir Mehta, Sam Talbot, Patricio Sandoval and Katie Workman. Classes are $25 per child with a portion of the proceeds benefiting FoodCorps, a nationwide team of leaders who connect kids to real food and help them grow up healthy. Tickets can be purchased here.

WANT A KIDS FOOD FESTIVAL IN YOUR AREA?

If you’re not in the New York Area, the Kids Food Festival can come to you. Contact @CricketAzima on Twitter or use the Contact Us form on the Festival website for information.

You can follow the festival on Twitter @KidsFoodFestNYC and on Facebook and the Festival’s website.

Next time you bake a potato, zig-zag the cut edges. We baked the potato, then sliced it across the top and used a kitchen scissors to create the zigzag effect.

There’s no wasted food: We added the cut-out portion, along with onions and bell pepper, to the following morning’s omelet.

Wild potatoes are indigenous to the Andes Mountains in Peru. They were first domesticated more than 6,000 years ago. Here’s the history of potatoes.

How many different types of potatoes have you tried? Check out our Potato Glossary.

Don’t like baked potatoes? Here are other potato recipes.