"Serving cheese plates to your guests that have five or six equally portioned, triangular cheeses is a beautiful thing." The knowledgeable folks at New York's Murray's Cheese have launched a series of interesting and helpful cheese videos on their website. The first series covers Portion Control, or how to properly cut different types of cheeses based on their shape and texture. Taylor Cocalis, Murray's director of education, hosts the videos, which cover exactly how to cut and portion all of the major types of cheeses: lightly aged goat, bloomy rind, washed rind, pressed, cooked, and blue. Usually learning such things requires purchasing an expensive ticket to one of Murray's otherwise excellent classes, but these videos are free.... More

When I think about which celebrity chef would have a kick-ass menu at his or her Super Bowl, my thoughts always gravitate to Bobby Flay. And why not? He's a really good cook, he's a serious sports fan, and his food definitely lends itself to football-watching on TV. So the serious eaters at world headquarters here went through all the Bobby Flay cookbooks we had in the office looking for recipes that we could easily and quickly make for our own Super Bowl parties. His chipotle-honey-glazed wings with toasted sesame seeds and green onion sound delicious even if you have to make them in the oven instead of on a grill (we know it's winter). His wild mushroom quesadillas would... More

"This would be a great cheese to pick up for last-minute, run-to-the-supermarket-before-it-closes style of entertaining." Photograph by Jamie Forrest Président Cheese, makers of the ubiquitous wheels of "deli" brie, have released a new cheese they're calling the "Brie Log." They claim it has the same taste as their normal brie but comes in a convenient log shape with a 1-inch diameter, which means that its slices fit perfectly on crackers or bread rounds. A cool and interesting twist on an old classic, but how does it stack up? The folks from Président sent me a log last week, just before Thanksgiving. It arrived at my office frozen in a cooler pack and enclosed in a sealed wrapper. The whole thing... More

For the Super Bowl, I love to serve what I call "team icon food"—classics from the hometowns of the playing teams. It's especially exciting this year, as New York and Beantown have great options. Here's my menu and timing, from pre- to post-game. More

Josh Friedland, proprietor of the über-useful Food Section blog, complied a neat list of 100 songs for food lovers last week for something called "Blogger Radio" on AOL Radio. It's a neat idea, and one that I've been employing almost since the date that Apple launched its iTunes Music Store. I've made mixes, for instance, to soundtrack a number of dinner parties, cookouts, and early-morning brunch feeds.... More

Helen Jane is blogging on the theme of warm weather entertaining this month. I hosted a party for some friends this weekend and my spread included her cherry tomatoes, basil, tiny mozzarella balls and croutons skewers and a couple pitchers of her lemon fizzy lifting drink. These were both as described: super easy to prepare crowd pleasers. Thanks, Helen Jane! I'm already planning my next get-together around your white sangria recipe. Photo of Helen Jane's skewers by Helen Jane... More